Installing Brake Controller on 2002 Ford E-450

Published 09/06/2018

Products Featured in This Question

Tekonsha Plug-In Wiring Adapter for Electric Brake Controllers - Ford, Lincoln, Mercury

(1793)

$18.95

10 Gauge Wire - Blue Primary - Per Foot

(104)

$1.89

T-One Vehicle Wiring Harness with 4-Pole Flat Trailer Connector

(159)

$29.62

Adapter 4-Pole to 7-Pole and 4-Pole

(659)

$61.55

Tekonsha Prodigy P3 Trailer Brake Controller - 1 to 4 Axles - Proportional

(6643)

$169.94

Universal Installation Kit for Trailer Brake Controller - 7-Way RV and 4-Way Flat - 10 Gauge Wires

(3397)

$121.27

Question:

How can I tell if my motorhome is pre wired for a brake controller for towing? It’s a 2003, but the Ford e450 chassis is a 2002.

asked by: John

Expert Reply:

As long as your 2002 Ford E-450 chassis is equipped with a factory 7-Way or 4-Way at the rear bumper then there should be a brake controller plug-in port behind the dash to the right of the steering column. If this is the case on your E-450 then to install a controller like the excellent Tekonsha Prodigy P3 # 90195, you will use the Plug-In Harness # 3035-P. One end of the adapter will plug into the brake controller itself and the other end will plug into the factory port behind the dash. If you have the factory 7-Way then this is all that you need and you're good to go!

If you have the factory 4-Way then you will also need to add the Hopkins 7-Pole Adapter # 37185 along with some 10 gauge wire # 10-1-1 (sold by the foot) that will need to be run from the brake controller back to the 7-Way.

If there is no connector at all at the rear of the vehicle then there won't be a factory brake controller plug under the dash. In this case you will need to start with the Tekonsha T-One Vehicle Wiring Harness # 118344 to install a 4-Way connector. Then you will use the Universal Wiring Kit # ETBC7 to convert the 4-Way to a fully functional 7-Way. This kit also includes the necessary wiring and circuit breakers to install the brake controller.