Trailer Brake Controller Installation - 2011 Chevy Silverado - Video

Today on this 2011 Chevy Silverado pickup, we are going to be installing the Prodigy P2 brake controller part number 90885. Our 2011 Silverado actually comes with a factory installed brake control wiring package on it already. So, there is no need for use to run the wires manually. The wires that we are looking to wire our brake controller into are located underneath the dash area, just directly above the brake pedal. These wires are open ended and are taped to the main wiring lead. If you locate the wires and pull them out a little bit, you can see that there is actually a label tied to it that indicates which wire is which. And that way you will know that you have the correct wires for the brake controller. So with the wires located, we can go ahead and cut the tape that is holding it to the main wiring harness lead here. And that will allow us to pull it down so we have some more working room. And with those pulled down, we will quickly go over the wires that we have here. We are actually only going to be using four of these wires to hook to our brake controller. And we are going to go ahead and wire those together now. 1:00 more

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Posted: 1/12/2011 11:03:02 AM

Trailer Brake Controller Installation - 2000 Chevy Silverado Part 3 - Video

And we can just tuck that out of our way and maybe zip-tie it later. The next part we have to do is run our power wires to the brake controller. The easiest way to do it, honestly, is to go straight to the battery. You do not have to worry about any unnecessary connections. That being said, battery terminals do corrode over time. That could end up losing the connection due to corrosion that way. That being said that batteries do corrode which can lead to problems connecting to the brake controller, another way, that is not recommended by the manufacturer but it could be done technically, you could come off of this post here which is supplied by a 30 amp fuse. And then what you could do is come off here, go to your 20 amp reset breaker, so there is still a fuse with the right amperage, and make your connections here for the positive. And you could run your connection all of the way up to, say like this battery here, has a connection to the frame or to the body. You could probably make your connection there. Because, sometimes you run into a situation where the connections are already corroded up and it is probably not in the best interest to go ahead and take them apart again and redo them because you might have a bigger headache that you are not prepared to deal with. You could probably do it that way. In this case, I think we will go ahead and use this battery here. This truck actually has two batteries set up. 1:09 more

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Posted: 2/5/2010 9:11:45 AM

Trailer Brake Controller Installation - 2000 Chevy Silverado Part 1 - Video

On this 2000 C/K Series Pickup we are going to install brake controller part number 39523 from Tekonsha. This is their Powertrac brake controller. This factory tow package also applies to Chevrolet and GMC trucks as far back as I believe the early 90s. I do not know down to 88 or not. It was new bought when this body style came out. We are going to begin our install work from the rear of the vehicle and work our way forward. The tow package on this body style is all stored right here behind the bumper and this channel underneath the bed of the pickup truck. All you have got to do is cut this down and pull it out. There is a harness that you pull out and it is designed to be spliced onto. For the towing package from a brake controller and a hot lead it is actually ran inside the frame and it does not come that far back. That is located on the frame on the driver side. 00:48 more

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Posted: 12/12/2008 4:52:12 AM

Trailer Brake Controller Installation - 2009 Chevrolet Silverado - Video

Today on this 2009 Chevy Silverado, we are going to be installing Prodigy P2 brake controller part number 90885. Okay to install the brake controller on this Chevy Silverado, we first need to locate the brake control wiring package. It comes included from the factory, and this particular vehicle does not have a brake control port like other models do, but it actually has the loose wires attached for us to attach directly into. There is going to be a blue, a red, a light blue, an orange and a white wires. So if we find those, go ahead and cut the tape that is holding them and that will allow the full lute of wires to protrude down below. 0:37 more

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Posted: 7/5/2009 9:23:01 PM

Trailer Brake Controller Installation - 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer - Video

Today on this 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer we are going to install the Prodigy P2 brake controller part number 90885. The first step is to get access to the wire harness itself. There is a plastic trim panel right here along this edge that goes toward the front of the vehicle. There are two screws here and here that we have to remove so you can take it down and out of the way to get to the wire harness. From here it should just unsnap. Over here on the far left is the wires for the brake controller. They are taped up so you will probably have to pull them out a little and we have our four wires. 00:43 more

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Posted: 9/10/2010 3:53:04 PM

Trailer Brake Controller Installation - 2003 Chevrolet Express Van - Video

Today on this 2003 Chevrolet Express we are going to install part number ETBC7 brake controller install kit and we are also going to use brake controller part number 90185 from Tekonsha, the Prodigy brake controller. The first thing we will do is start off with the mounting bracket. The hitch that is on this vehicle already has a bracket installed on it so it is ready to accept our 7-pole bracket. What we noticed when we first tested it, the screws are kind of on the long side so it is hitting up against the bumper. We took the bracket that is on the hitch and we gave it a little pull and tilted it down a little to get some clearance for the bolts. With it tilted down, we can also put the bolts in either way if you want. It is kind of hard to put a screwdriver on top of this so that is why we will put the bolts in the threads facing up. Put a little washer on there, then our nut. Next we will get the 7-pole to 4-pole adapter ready to install but we will do that part on the work bench. 00:53 more

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Posted: 7/8/2010 3:10:05 AM

Trailer Brake Controller Installation - 2000 Chevy Silverado Part 2 - Video

The wires are ran from the rear to the front. However, they are pretty much out of reach. They are actually buried right down below the brake booster here. The blue and orange wires are kind of coiled up there. Basically, you have to climb on top of the engine, reach down and break them loose and pull them up. And even so, half of the time they are not long enough to work with. So you have to extend them, especially for the blue wire anyway. All right, the next thing that I am going to do, since we are here, is go ahead and hook up our hot lead. Basically, you can use either one of these posts. I believe these two fuses take care of the power going to these posts. And they fit in the little pocket there. They do not come with any nuts on here. So, you will have to go out and get you some metric 10 millimeter nuts to fit this stud. You will have to get this nut separate, from the hardware store. And it is an 8 millimeter nut in thickness and diameter. And the thread pitch is 1.25. 0:46 Put that on there for now. Next what we need to do is go underneath the dash and drill out a hole to get between the engine compartment and the dashboard. 0:55 more

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Posted: 2/4/2010 9:11:45 AM

Trailer Brake Controller Installation - 2005 Chevrolet Silverado HD 2500 - Video

Today on this 2005 Chevrolet HD 2500 we are going to install part number 90185 the Prodigy brake controller and then the adapter cord for it part number 3015-P. The first thing we need to do is get underneath the dash and pull up the access cover to the panel. That is to the left of the brake pedal itself. Take off this panel right here, undo this nut. There is a series of sockets up here and we want the one that is second from the left and we will plug our adapter cord into that. That just snaps into position. Put our cord out of the way and then we will put our cover back into place. 00:47 more

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Posted: 6/25/2010 2:46:27 AM

Trailer Brake Controller Installation - 2007 Chevy Silverado - Video

Today we are going to install a Prodigy brake controller, part number 90185 from Tekonsha, along with the accompanying wiring harness, part number 3015-P, and we are going to install these two components on a 2007 Chevrolet Silverado pickup. The first thing we are going to do is install the bracket for our brake controller. There is a nice piece of steel underneath the dashboard here, so we are going to attach it directly to that. And you can put it anywhere you want, but just about right here is a good, even spot. And we are actually going to clamp it in place, and then we will just drill out our attaching screws. Now we are using self-tapping screws. These did not come with the brake controller we outsourced those. So let us go ahead and run those self-tapping screws in there. Just one more check to make sure it did not move on you or anything, and set the other screw in. more

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Posted: 7/23/2009 4:24:39 AM

Trailer Brake Controller Installation - 1993 Chevrolet Suburban - Video

Today we are going to be installing part number 90185, the Prodigy by Tekonsha, on a 1993 Chevrolet Suburban. We are also going to be using the Brake Control Installation Kit, part number ETBC7 as well. We are going to start at the rear of the vehicle and go ahead and install the 7-pole wiring adapter that is included in the ETBC7. We have already installed the 4-pole wiring harness under the vehicle, so that is going to be the basis of what the 7-pole is actually going to plug into. The installation kit also comes with a mounting bracket for the 7-pole. Typically, you would need to find a mounting point for the bracket itself, like on the bottom of the bumper, or somewhere of that sort. The hitch that we previously installed as well actually has a mounting bracket attached to it, so we are going to attach the 7-pole bracket there, and then mount the 7-pole inside of there. With the 7-pole attached and into position, we want to go ahead and make our connection with the existing 4-pole into the 7-pole here. These two wires here, the blue one and the black one, are going to be for the brake lead for the brake controller and then the hot lead that goes directly to the battery. And we are going to connect that to the double-bonded wire that came with the ETBC7. The purple wire here is for the reverse function on the 7-pole harness. If your trailer does not have reverse lights, you do not necessarily have to hook this one up - you can just kind of tape it up and out of the way. The white wire is for the ground, and that does need to be grounded directly to the frame here itself. I have an existing grounding point from the pre-existing 4-pole harness that we have in place so I am just going to use that one as well. We actually have put a smaller ring terminal on the white ground wire here to accommodate the smaller screw that I have used to attach the ground. OK, we are going to go ahead and attach the double-bonded wire that was provided in the ETBC7with the two wires on the 7-pole harness now. So I am going to strip back a little bit of the jacketing. And, as you can see inside the jacketing here, we have go two wires. We have got a white and a black. We are going to go ahead and use the white wire and connect it to the blue brake lead on the harness and we are just going to cut-connect black to black here. more

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Posted: 12/16/2008 10:31:21 AM

Trailer Brake Controller Installation - 2004 Chevrolet Suburban - Video

Today we are going to be installing the Prodigy, part number 90185, on a 2004 Chevrolet Suburban. We also are going to using the Prodigy adapter for the Suburban, part number 3015-P. The first thing we want to do is to locate the port that the brake control plug is going to plug into. As you can see, we are in the drivers side cab area, underneath the steering column. It will be located on the top row, second from the left. So what we are going to do is go ahead and remove the cover here, and go ahead and plug in the brake control plug. And we are going to go ahead and plug in part 3015-P. And it plugs in right there. And as you can see, the other end of the harness here has the plug end for the Prodigy itself. So I am going to go ahead and route these wires up and over, out of the way. And then we are going to go ahead and find a suitable mounting point for the Prodigy itself. OK, I went ahead and routed the harness up and out of the way. I have routed it over here to the right side of the steering column. On the Chevy Suburban here, there is actually a lip that is folded under on the bottom side of the dash here, which makes a perfect spot to mount the bracket for the brake controller itself. So I am going to go ahead and mount it in that location there. more

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Posted: 12/15/2008 9:30:43 AM

Trailer Brake Controller with Wiring Installation - 2005 Chevrolet Silverado - Video

Today on this 2005 Chevrolet Silverado Pickup we will be installing the Prodigy P2 brake controller part number 90885-3015P. We are going to start the installation at the rear of the vehicle and I want to point out that the Silverado pickups have a couple of different options as far as the tow package goes. This particular vehicle has the factory installed 7-pole on it which you can see here is mounted to the factory installed hitch. To ensure that it is the factory installed 7-pole that we are looking at if you look at the front facing of the plug you can see the GM logo right there at the bottom. Some of the newer vehicles may have this plug mounted right here as well and having this factory installed 7-pole is going to ensure the least amount of work that we are going to need to do to install the brake controller. Even if you have just the factory installed 4-pole on the vehicle the brake controller can still be mounted using the wiring harness but there will be additional work that you will have to do. 00:59 more

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Posted: 2/11/2011 7:10:24 AM

Trailer Brake Controller Installation - 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer - Video

Today on this 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer with factory installed tow package we are going to be installing the Tekonsha P3 brake controller part number 90195. The first thing I want to note before we do our installation is what exactly the factory 7-pole looks like on the back of the Trailblazer that is going to indicate whether or not this vehicle has the wires underneath the dash to hook the brake controller into. Looking at the rear bumper area here you can see the factory installed 7-pole is kind of underneath mounted at an angle and again it is mounted to the factory hitch as well. On the lid itself there is the GM logo printed on it, that is a kind of cut and dry indicator right there as well. If you have the factory 7-pole you will have the wires under the dash to hook your brake controller to, if you do not you are likely going to have to do a manual hardwire of the brake controller and you will need to purchase some other components. 00:50 more

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Posted: 10/16/2010 12:50:04 PM

Trailer Brake Controller with Wiring Installation - 2006 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 - Video

Today on this 2006 Chevrolet 3500 Pickup truck we are going to install part number 5520-3015P. This kit consists of the activator three brake controller and the adapter cord to go between the tow package on the pickup truck and the brake controller. The first thing we are going to do is get access to the port for the brake controller and that is behind this panel right here. Remove this nut. There are two snaps on the side of the panel. Undo those and then pull the panel off. This port right here, the second from the left, is the one we need to use. We will take our adapter cord and plug it in right here. Make sure it snaps in and then put the cover back into place. 00:45 more

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Posted: 8/27/2010 9:26:52 AM

Trailer Brake Controller Installation - 2003 Chevrolet Express Van - Video

All right today on a 2003 Chevrolet Express Van we are going to install Prodigy brake controller part number 90185 from Tekonsha. We are also going to use part number ETBC7 as the install kit for the brake controller. Lets go ahead and mount the bracket from the ETBC7 kit. We actually want to mount it right onto the bumper itself. All right we will go ahead and do some sub assembly to our 7-pole here. Inside the cable here there is a black and white wire. We are actually going to go from color to color, almost color to color. Black to black and then white to blue. So we are going to connect our wires black to black. Then we will go from white to blue. Okay now lets go ahead and use some electrical tape and bundle it all together. All right now we will install the loom over that. We can go ahead and install our wire harness into our bracket here. Go ahead and push our wire harness over the hitch. 01:15 more

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Posted: 12/9/2009 1:25:29 PM

Trailer Brake Controller Installation - 2005 Chevrolet TrailBlazer - Video

Today we're working on a 2005 Chevy TrailBlazer. We're going to install the Tekonsha P-3 Brake Controller, product number 90195. Our first step is to remove the lower kick panel. There are several fasteners that will have to be removed. Ok, with our kick panel lowered we need to locate the manufacturer's wiring that we're going to connect to. This white tag is the indicator that we're looking for and then you can see the taped off ends here taped up to the manufacturer's harness. more

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Posted: 1/4/2012 3:35:15 PM

Trailer Brake Controller Installation - 2011 Chevrolet Silverado - Video

Today on this 2011 Chevy Silverado, were gonna install the Tekonsha PRIMUS IQ Brake Controller part number 90160.Our first step is to identify the manufacturers wires that we need to make our connection as seen here under the dash that theyve taped up. Im gonna go ahead and cut that connection and pull them free.The manufacturer has five wires here. Were actually only going to use four of them. The orange one will not be used. The red wire with the black stripe, were gonna match it up with our black wire that goes to the pigtail that well connect with our brake controller. Ill go ahead and make that connection now.The red wire with the black stripe is gonna be our power. more

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Posted: 12/20/2011 12:07:22 PM