Need a 7-Way Trailer Connector for 2000 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Without Factory 7-Way

Updated 09/24/2013 | Published 09/21/2013

Question:

My 2000 chevy silverado 1500 does not have a circular 7 way receptacle under the drivers side bumper. Its a flat plate with harnesses running to it pic attached. - Can this be adapted for a 7 way wiring harness for trailer towing? - How?

asked by: John

Expert Reply:

Thank you for submitting a photo of your vehicle wiring. Your 2000 Chevrolet Silverado pickup should have a trailer wiring harness at the rear bumper. This harness is often tucked in behind the spare tire or zip-tied to other wiring or to the vehicle frame to keep it out of harms way until needed. Please note that in 2000 Chevrolet produced both C/K series and Silverado pickups.

The harness may be terminated with a round plug that would fit into the back of the Pollak 7- and 4-way connector you reviewed, part # HM40975. The harness wiring could also be unterminated, with just six blunt-cut wires (the light blue wire will not be used). In this case you would need to install a 7-way that has pigtail leads for connection to the vehicle wiring. The link provided offers several options for this type of connector. The first one shown is from Hopkins, part # HM40975-11998 and includes both the connector HM40975 and pigtail harness together. I have included a link to a video showing installation of this part in a 2002 Silverado. Note that the black and blue wires from the Pollak harness will not be used.

The vehicle and harness wires connect as follows:
RED wire on 7-pole connects to YELLOW wire on vehicle
GREEN wire on 7-pole connects to BROWN wire on vehicle
YELLOW wire on 7-pole connects to the LIGHT GREEN wire on vehicle
BROWN wire on 7-pole connects to the DARK GREEN wire on vehicle
WHITE (ground) wire on 7-pole connects to the WHITE wire on vehicle or to the vehicle frame using a ring terminal.

The other wiring you will need is a harness to connect your trailer brake controller to the vehicle. If you do not already have a trailer brake controller I suggest the Tekonsha P2, parts # 90885 and matching harness # 3025-P. Your Silverado has a brake control adapter plug located in the electrical junction box on the driver side, left of the brake pedal. This adapter provides power and a brake switch signal to the brake controller and also routes its output signal to the 7-way for the trailer brakes.

Last you may need to make electrical connections and install fuses within the engine compartment at the accessory fuse block. The linked article includes photos showing where to find the two wires, a blue wire with a plug and a red wire with a ring terminal. It also shows where to install the 20- or 30-amp fuse, depending on the controller in use, which provides power to it. If your trailer requires a 12V power feed you will also need to install a 40-amp fuse.