Carlisle HBA-10 Electric Over Hydraulic Brake Actuator Not Working with Dodge Factory Brake Control

Updated 03/13/2013 | Published 03/12/2013

Question:

I just purchased a 24ft aluimnium trailer with the carlisle HBA 10 system. I have it hooked to a 2011 Ram 3500. First of all the actuator continues to pulsate at all times when hooked to the truck. I was able to activate the brakes with the integrated system by manually working the control. That has stopped and all I get is a SC code ony brake system and no braking power. Do you have any ideas?

asked by: Jeff B

Expert Reply:

Your Hydrastar actuator is not cycling on to build pressure to apply the brakes when needed. This could mean that there is an electrical problem or a malfunction with the motor, or even a problem with the brake controller. I have included a picture of how the unit should be wired up. Any corrosion could be a cause of the problem. Make sure that the trailer and vehicle connectors are clean and free of corrosion on the pins and around back where the wires attach.

You can also make sure that the Hydrastar white ground wire is connected to the vehicle ground and not to the trailer. They are very particular about this ground connection and it must be connected to the vehicle ground.

To further test the unit, leave on the blue, black, white, and yellow (or blue with white stripe) wires. Make sure it is disconnected from any other wires going to the tow vehicle or breakaway system.

Use a separate 12 volt battery and connect the white wire directly to the negative terminal then connect the black wire to the positive terminal. The motor should NOT run at this time. If it does then there is a problem inside and it will need to be repaired by Carlisle.

Next leave the white wire connected to the negative terminal then connect the blue and black wires together to the positive terminal. The motor should now run and pressurize. If it does not, it will need to be repaired by Carlisle.

Then you can leave the white wire attached and connect only the yellow or blue wire with white stripe to the positive terminal. the motor should run and pressurize. If not, it needs to be repaired by Carlisle. If everything checks out then reconnect the unit to the trailer connector and repeat the tests again. If it does not work then there is a trailer wiring problem or problem with the brake controller.

The Dodge integrated controller is supposed to be compatible with this actuator. However, if adjusting the settings and power output of the integrated controller does not work and you can confirm that the actuator does function properly then installing an after market controller like # 90885 would be the way to go. I have linked an FAQ article that covers this.

expert reply by: Michael H