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

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Code: ETBC7

Retail: $114.28

Price:  $104.80

• Accessories and Parts
• Trailer Brake Controller
• Installation Kit

• etrailer

If your vehicle already has a 4-way flat, this kit includes everything you need to install an electric trailer brake controller and 7-way connector. If there's not an existing 4-way flat on your vehicle, you can purchase one separately.

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How to Install a Trailer Brake Controller on a 1999 Dodge Ram

Today on our 1999 Dodge Ram Pickup, we'll be installing the eTrailer Brake Controller Installation Kit, part number ETBC7, in conjunction with the Tekonsha P3 Brake Controller, part number 90195-3020P. To start our install, we're going to go ahead and assemble the 7-pole and bracket using the hardware provided with our install kit. A quick tech tip: Before you install the bracket onto the vehicle, it may make it easier to go ahead and tape up your wires now. This will help protect the wires over time and provides a clean install look. Now, we've secured the bracket to the 7-pole connector. We'll go ahead and secure the bracket to the bumper.

We'll use the self-tapping screws provided with our install kit to secure it. Now with our bracket secured to the bumper, we're going to go ahead and start making our connections. This vehicle has a aftermarket 4-pole wiring harness already connected and an additional light bar that's plugged into the 4-pole. For our application, we're going to go ahead and cut off the 4-pole on the vehicle's side and on our new 7-pole side, then we'll use butt connectors to connect the new 7-pole connector with the 4-pole and light bar. Now with those connections made, we'll go ahead and take the gray duplex cable provided with our install kit, strip back a few inches of the gray cable, and then strip back the black and white wire.

We'll add this to the black and blue wire with the pre-attached butt connectors and crimp them down. Note: We've already gone ahead and removed the purple wire from the 7-pole connector as it will not be used in this application. Now with all our connections made, we'll go ahead and take some black electrical tape and wrap up our wires. This will assist in keeping dirt, dust, debris and moisture out of our connection points and clean up our install look. Next, we'll go ahead and take the white wire from our 7-pole connector which will our ground for our 4 and 7-pole connector and secure it to the frame of the vehicle.

Right here at the frame and crossmember as the perfect location using the self-tapping screw provided with our install kit, we'll go ahead and run it down now. Now with that secured, we're ready to go ahead and start running our gray duplex cable up towards the front of the vehicle into the engine compartment. Following, the manufacturer's wiring and inside the frame channel will be a great location. As we go along, we'll also secure the wiring with the black zip ties provided with our install kit. Note: When running your wires, you want to stay away from any moving components such as the steering or suspension or excessive heat such as the exhaust.

Now, while routing our wire, it may be easier to go ahead and use a pull wire, or in this case, a piece of air tubing, feeding the air tubing to the channel of the frame. Now that we've pulled the wire out of the frame near the engine compartment, we'll go ahead and feed it up into the engine compartment near the driver's inner fender well. Next, we'll go ahead and remove our pull wire so we can strip back the gray duplex cable. Again, the white wire will run into the cabin to the brake controller and our black wire will go to the breaker. Now with our duplex cable removed, I'll go ahead and take a black zip tie and secure the wiring in the engine compartment. Next, we'll need to go ahead and make a hole to the manufacturer's grommet to feed the white wire into the cabin of the vehicle. Note: It may make it easier to use a pull wire again and pull it from the engine compartment into the cabin. We'll go ahead and move inside the cabin of the vehicle. Using our utility knife, make a hole in the grommet and then push our pull wire through it. We'll go and use a black electrical tape and tape the white wire to the pull wire and pull it into the cabin of the vehicle. Now with that done, we can go ahead and remove our pull wire. Now, we'll go ahead and take the direct fit pigtail that came with our brake controller and plug it into the blue connector here attached to the manufacturer's wiring. Take the white connector end of the brake controller pigtail and plug it into the blue connector. Note: The power, ground and brake switch signal are all hot at this connector. However, the blue wire from the connector which will match up with the blue wire at our 7-pole connector is not so we'll go ahead and cut the blue wire on our pigtail end, strip it back, and add a butt connector. Then we'll cut off any excess from the white wire we ran into the cabin of the vehicle, strip it back and add it to the other end of the yellow butt connector. Now, all four wires will be hot. Next, we'll go ahead and mount the brake controller bracket using the screws and hardware provided with the install kit. Now with our bracket mounted, we'll go ahead and route the wire over to the bracket. Now, we can go ahead and plug the connector into the back of the brake controller and mount it onto the bracket. I'll use some black zip ties to secure the wiring along the way. Note: We'll then go ahead and cut off any excess from the zip ties to clean up our install look. Now, we've completed our install on the cabin of the vehicle. We'll move back to the engine compartment. Now, we're ready to go ahead and mount our breaker. We'll take the 40 amp. breaker provided with our install kit using the self-tapping screws mounted here to the firewall. Then we'll take the black wire, cut off any excess, strip it back, and add a small ring terminal. We can then secure it to the breaker using the serrated washer and nut. Our next step, we'll make a power pigtail that will connect to the copper side of the breaker and run to the positive battery post. Let's go ahead and take the excess that we just cut off from our power wire. Strip back one end and add a small ring terminal. We'll then take it and secure it to the breaker. Now, we'll begin routing over to the positive battery terminal then we can go ahead and cut off the excess and add a large ring terminal. Next, we'll go ahead and loosen the clamp on the positive battery cable. Note: This style is not intended for the nut to come all the way off the stud, so we'll need to go ahead and cut a small opening into our ring terminal so we can slide it in between the clamp and stud on the positive battery cable. Then we can go ahead and tighten it back down, securing our power wire. We'll replace the positive battery terminal cover and this will complete the install of the eTrailer Brake Controller Installation Kit, part number ETBC7, in conjunction with the Tekonsha P3 Brake Controller, part number 90195-3020P, on our 1999 Dodge Ram Pickup.