Hardwiring a Trailer Brake Controller on a 1997 Chevy Astro Van with Factory Tow Package  

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Expert Reply:

A harness or a plug and play application is not available for the 1997 Chevy Astro for a brake controller. You will need to do a little hardwiring. Since you already have the blue wire taken care of, I will cover the other wires.

The white wire is the ground. The ground will need to be attached to a length of wire like # 10-1-1, long enough to reach the vehicle battery. You will route the wire through the firewall and over to the battery and connect it to the negative battery terminal. Avoid areas that may pinch or burn the wire.

The black wire is for 12 volt power to the controller. It, too, will need to connect to the vehicle battery. So again you will need a long enough wire to reach the battery by going through the firewall. This wire will attach to the positive terminal via a 20 or 30 amp circuit breaker. See the brake controller instructions for which size to use.

20 Amp circuit breaker, # PK54520
30 Amp circuit breaker, # PK54530

The red wire connects to the cold side of the brake switch to a dedicated brake light wire. You will need a circuit tester, # PTW2993, to find the correct wire. Probe the wires on the brake switch, located above the brake pedal, until you find the one that carries a signal only when the brake pedal is pressed. If you find a wire that shows a signal at any other time like when the head lights are on, it is not the correct wire.

After connecting the red wire with a quick splice like # SWC501746-1, installation will be complete.

expert reply by: Michael H

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