Installing Brake Controller in 2007 Chevrolet Express Van with Aftermarket 7-Way

Updated 05/20/2015 | Published 05/19/2015

Products Featured in This Question

T-One Vehicle Wiring Harness with 4-Pole Flat Trailer Connector

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$33.94

10 Gauge Wire - Blue Primary - Per Foot

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$1.89

Wiring Kit for 2, 4, 6, and 8 Brake Electric Trailer Brake Controllers

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$57.14

Tekonsha Prodigy P3 Trailer Brake Controller - 1 to 4 Axles - Proportional

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$169.94

Question:

I bought this van and had a tow haul package put in , it has a 7 pin wire hook up in it so I guess it all set up for a electric brake control. Im wondering where under the driver side dash is the plug and what does it look like to plug in the electric brake controler since there are a couple of wire plug there. Thanks

asked by: Mike

Expert Reply:

Since you already had a 7-way put in on your 2007 Chevrolet Express Van, you will just need a few more components in order to install an electric brake controller in your van.

First let's start with the brake controller. For this I recommend the Tekonsha Prodigy P3, # 90195. This is our best selling brake controller because of how well it works and how easy it is to setup. This is a proportional brake controller that senses the amount of braking the tow vehicle is applying and applies a proportionate amount to the trailer brakes.
I have attached a short video for you.

Now for the wiring. The 2007 Chevrolet Express Van doesn't offer the plug-in option under the dash so the brake controller will need to be hardwired. First things first, we will need to determine if the installer ran all of the wires to install the brake controller when the 7-way was installed. In order to save money on labor time, some installers will not run all of the wiring if the customer has not discussed installing a brake controller. The easiest way to determine if all of the wiring has been run would be to call the shop where this was completed for detailed information.

If you are unable to get this information from the installer you'll just need to do a little bit of testing/checking. You will need to make sure that they have run the hot lead wire which runs from the 7 way to the vehicle's battery to supply power to the trailer connector and also the brake output wire which will supply power to the trailer brakes.

If this wiring was not completed you can use the Wiring Kit for Electric Brake Controllers, # 5506, to provide the power source from the battery and # 10-1-1 for the brake output circuit. # 10-1-1 is sold by the foot and you will need enough to run from the 7 way connector to the brake controller. I have attached an article which covers the complete installation of an aftermarket 7-way which includes these steps and a diagram for wiring the brake controller.