Does a Trailer Brake Controller Drain Battery When Vehicle is Off

Question

Question:

does the brake controller draw any power when the vehicle is turned off

asked by: Rob T

0

Expert Reply:

Trailer brake controllers such as the Prodigy P2 # 90885 will draw an extremely tiny amount of power when the vehicle is off, but this is only what it takes to illuminate the small LED light. This power draw is so small that it would take several months for the power drain on the battery to be of any concern. Since this does not matter in typical use you do not need to worry. If you were to store the vehicle for a long time you could simply unplug the controller to eliminate all power draw.

expert reply by: Adam R

0

Answer 1

The 12V power circuit in an aftermarket 7-way connector like #37185 will usually be connected to the vehicle battery through a 40-amp circuit breaker like #PK54540. This installation provides for 12V power at the connector contact at all times, even…

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Answer 2

It sounds like there is a short somewhere in the system that is drawing power and draining the battery. The brake controller you have should only draw a few milliamps of power when not in use. The most likely shorts are a short to ground and a short…

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Answer 3

The red wire from your Dexter DX2 brake controller #58-8 needs to be wired to the cold side of the stop light switch, which on your 2013 Chevy Silverado corresponds to a light blue wire with a white stripe. This wire should ONLY be hot when the brake…

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Answer 4

The manual override lever does not move when you hit your brake pedal but the digital display will light up and give you a reading. The slide is only for the manual emergency braking or to apply additional braking pressure to your trailer as desired…

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Answer 5

Sounds like your brake controller will apply your trailer brakes if you apply the manual override lever but not when you press the brake pedal. This is a fairly common problem and the solution is the red wire of the brake controller. Make sure it is…

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Answer 6

The brake controllers available now either are only on when they are activated, or a have a timed shut-off or idle state after a certain time period. Some of the older brake controllers never shut-off, but they did not drain battery power as the only…

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Answer 7

The controller shouldn't have been showing voltage without a trailer connected. Typically this is caused by corrosion on the 7-way which is putting a slight draw on the circuit and causing the controller to think a trailer is connected. If the…

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Answer 8

There are a few things that could cause your battery to drain after installing a trailer wiring harness like the Curt T-Connector, #C56329. The first thing that we can test for is a bad converter box. With the fuse in place, test the 4-flat connector…

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Answer 9

The difference between the Class II and Class III hitches has to do with their Gross Trailer Weight (GTW), their Tongue Weight (TW), and their Hitch Receiver Size. Class II trailer hitch receivers have a 1-1/4 inch receiver and can be rated up to…

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Answer 10

A 4-Way trailer connector has the basic lighting functions only; running lights, left turn signal and brake lights, right turn signal and brake lights, and ground. A 7-Way has these functions and a 12 volt circuit, a circuit for electric trailer…

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Answer 11

In order to determine the torque rating for the lug nuts on your trailer you will need to know check out the chart I attached that shows all of the torque specs for all the trailer lugs available based on stud size, wheel material and wheel size.

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Answer 12

Hey Andrew! Yes, Furrion does have a Chill Cube model with a heat pump. This was actually just released for aftermarket sale. You will need a complete system to make the switch, new R32 units aren't backwards compatible with old R410A systems.…

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Does a Trailer Brake Controller Drain Battery When Vehicle is Off

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