Electric Jack Runs When Broken Wire for Electric Brakes it Fixed

Published 09/27/2017

Question:

After reconnecting broken wire to electric brakes on rear axle, the electric jack runs with switch on or off. What do i do to find the problem?

asked by: Donald C

Helpful Expert Reply:

It sounds like you will need to check the wiring on your trailer to make sure that everything is installed properly. You will also want to possibly look into getting a different switch for your jack or a new jack altogether. Even with power running to it, if your jack is switched "off" then it should not be doing anything.

Since your electric brakes should not be connected to the same wires as your jack that is where I would start with your wiring troubleshooting. If you check out the photo of the trailer side 7-Way you can see that the brakes should be activated from the pin in the 7 o'clock position. Start off by applying 12V power (with the battery from your tow vehicle) to that pin and see if it activates your brakes. You can then use the same photo to see if your 7-Way on your trailer is configured traditionally or not. If the wiring on your trailer does not match the photo, then you can test the 7-Way on your tow vehicle with a Circuit Tester # PTW2993 to see if it matches your trailer. If it does, then you do not want to change your trailer 7-Way.

Moving on from there you will want to ensure that your brakes have their own wiring and that your jack is wired separately to either a battery on your trailer or the pin in the 11 o'clock position on your 7-Way. As you check the wiring also look for any places where the wires are exposed, broken, damaged or corroded and replace them as necessary.

I have also attached a wiring diagram of a trailer for you as well as a helpful article on wiring that you can reference.

Let me know if you are still having problems and I can help you troubleshoot further.

expert reply by: Jon G