Will a Dead Battery on a Breakaway Kit Cause the Vehicle to Not Be Able to Operate Trailer Brakes
Updated 01/23/2017 | Published 01/21/2017
Question:
if breakaway battery is dead....will it stop 12 v system from vehicle from operating trailer brakes?
asked by: C
Expert Reply:
If your breakaway battery is dead, your brakes should operate while connected to your vehicle's 7-way trailer connector. If your brakes are not operating, then it sounds like you might have a short in the brake wiring of the trailer.
Battery Breakaways Kits, like # 20099, add extra wire connections by cutting into the existing electric brake wiring of the trailer. Sometimes, when installed these connections may not have been properly grounded or may have come loose over a period of trailer use. If your brakes are not operating while plugged in to your vehicle's 7-way connector, then you will need to use a tester, like # PTW2993, to test the brake signal coming out of the truck's 7-way and all along trailer's wiring.
I have attached an article that will show you where the brake signal pin would be located in the typical 7-way plug. Typically, will looking straight at the 7-way on your vehicle, the electric brake controller output pin will be located at 5 o'clock.
If there is power on this pin when the brake controller is activated, then the issue will be on the trailer. If there is no power, then the issue will be on the vehicle's wiring or the brake controller my need to be replaced. I have attached an article that explains how to properly test a brake controller.
If the vehicle has been eliminated as the cause of the problem, then you will have to check all the wiring connections from the trailer plug back to the electric brake magnets for any shorts, broken or crimped wires or loose connections.
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