Hopkins Impulse Brake Controller Showing a Reading no Trailer Connected on 2004 Chevy Silverado

Updated 04/21/2011 | Published 04/20/2011

Question:

I have an Impulse controller in my 04 Cevy Silverado 2500hd. With the trailer disconeected it will show the gain level in the read out instead of the error code E1. From what I undertand it should always read E1 when disconnected. What could be causing this?

asked by: Don S

Expert Reply:

It sounds as if you have power on the blue wire on the brake controller. This could be caused by one of two situations. The first thing I would check is the trailer connectors. If there is corrosion in the connector on the vehicle or trailer side, this could allow a bleed over of power on the 12 volt circuit. Cleaning the connector or replacing it should solve the issue. Also, if the trailer has a breakaway battery or auxiliary battery, the wiring should be checked to be sure there is not a wiring issue causing power on the blue wire.

An easy way to test problems on the blue wire is to sever it near the brake controller leaving room to splice it back together. If the situation is resolved, then the issue is on the wiring to the trailer brakes somewhere.

The second thing to check is the red wire going into the brake controller. If this wire has power, even a small amount, when the brake pedal is not pressed, then the connection has been made to the wrong circuit. You will need to make sure the adapter, # HM47795, is wired correctly. You can use the instructions, linked on our site, to determine if your connector is wired properly for your 2004 Chevrolet. If you have hard wired the brake controller with the # ETBC7 installation kit, you will need to find the brake wire with power only when the brake is activated to connect the red wire from the brake controller to.

expert reply by: Robert G