Why Is a Powered 4-Pole Wiring Harness Needed for 2015 Ford Escape

Question:

On the wiring harness for the 2015 Ford Escape there is some kind of power converter. I am just trying to wire lights only no brakes ie 4 pin plug. Is the power converter still needed?

asked by: Brian B

Expert Reply:

When a 4-pole wiring harness includes a powered converter this feature serves to protect the vehicle's internal wiring from the risk of overload from the additional power demands from the trailer lights.

Late model vehicles often use high-efficiency LED-type lighting, which needs only very light-gauge wiring. This wiring is not always able to handle the extra current drawn by the trailer lights and so the appropriate 4-pole harness will have a converter that draws the actual power for the lights from the vehicle battery, and not through the car's own wiring. A separate power wire between the converter and the battery delivers the actual power for the trailer lights.

Installing a powered harness like # 118566 is mostly a plug-in process; you need run only the one power wire up to the battery. This process is shown in the linked video and article.

The 4-pole format does not include brake or 12V power circuits, only stop, turn and tail light signals.

expert reply by: Adam R