'15 Ram trailer brake issue

drittal · 09-22-2015, 04:18 PM

Hey all. I figured I'd post this on here for those of you with 2015 Ram HD models.

Basically, some of use are having trouble get full power out of our trailer brakes. A pair of posters at http://www.ramforum.com/f119/brake_controller-71708/ ended up getting pushed into intersections by their trailers.

My tale is simpler. In August I borrowed my father's toy hauler. We hooked up and we're setting the gain on the brakes. He tows with a 2012 Ram 3500 and sets his gain to about 3.5. That was my starting point as well. Ended up at 6.5. He thought something was fishy because at 3.5 his grabs hard where at 6.5 mine was moderate. I just attributed this to my ITBM being set to light electric and his most have been on heavy.

So away I went. I didn't think much else of it... until I had my own trailer and was facing 10 miles of 5-8% downhill grade. I stop at the brake check area and set it to heavy electric 6, slide the bar over and give it some gas and I'm pulling the trailer without sliding the wheels. Cranked it up to 7.5 and they still didn't provide near enough resistance. Fortunately I'm a granny and just took it easy down the grade and didn't need them much.

I get back and start researching and find that other owners are having issues with their trailer brakes too. They work, just not real well. A few have been in to the dealer. Most run a quick diagnostic and say it's working as it should. One replaced the ITBM with no success. I got out my multimeter and checked voltages. On light electric on gain 10 and slider all the way over I was getting 8.3v at the 7pin. Heavy electric only 7.4v! I posted this and others had very similar results. This should be close to 12.5v!!!

Somebody found a thread on an airstream site with a 2015 Ram owner having the same issue. Dealer runs diagnostic and says it's ok. Customer insisted it is not, so they replaced the ITBM from a 2015 on the lot. Like the other guy, this did nothing to help. Dealer insists his trailer brakes are not set up properly so he calls the Airstream dealer and they have him bring in his truck. They too find around 8v at the pin. In minutes they isolated the problem to a connector from the wiring to the 7pin. A contact inside the connector was not making good contact. 5 min with a pick and some dielectric grease and he had over 11v and his trailer brakes work great now!!

IF you have 2015 Ram 2500 or 3500 check to see if you can lock up the trailer brakes with the slider at 20mph or so. If not, you likely have the same issue we are fighting.

TURBS · 09-22-2015, 04:21 PM

Good post!
Pics of offending

Connector would be great!

TURBS
08 duramax tuned n modded
2011 32bhok Sabre
2015 camping "27 nights"

drittal · 09-22-2015, 04:26 PM

I need to find it and see if that is my problem, but I highly suspect it is!

Big Red and 30WR · 09-22-2015, 06:39 PM

I know when chevy started using the built in brake controllers they where total junk. If I had kept the truck I was going to unhook it and install a aftermarket one. Which I think are a lot better to set it where you want it. Good luck on finding your problem.

aceinspp · 09-22-2015, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Red and 30WR

I know when chevy started using the built in brake controllers they where total junk. If I had kept the truck I was going to unhook it and install a aftermarket one. Which I think are a lot better to set it where you want it. Good luck on finding your problem.

You may think they are junk but mine has worked flawlessly on several Chevys I've had. Remember when going down grade to use tow haul mode to make it be in the most effective mode. Later RJD

Jim34RL · 09-22-2015, 06:54 PM

Did you try and ask for help at Turbo Diesel Register. Com. This is a fee site that is totally devoted to the Ram trucks with the Cummins engine, there are a couple of Ram tec 's on the site and could offer you a suggest on the Ram brake contoller.

That is the only site I trust for information on my Ram truck, been a member since Nov 2007, when I purchased my new 2008 Ram truck.

drittal · 09-23-2015, 10:08 AM

One of the forums we have been gleaning for info looking to find a solution has been a cummins forum. Alone with 2 Ram forums, an airstream forum, and now here. In all the previous there has been at least one or more members with the same problem and it only seems to affect the 2015 HD Ram models.

It is important to know, if you have this issue you may not know it! Your trailer brakes work, but only at about 70%. That may not seem like much until you wish you had that extra 30%. Ram will run diagnostics and never check voltages and say it is working as designed. Somebody on the link I provided posted pictures of the diagnostic steps from Ram. They never check voltage at the 7pin connector and compare it to the at the ITBM.

locogk · 09-23-2015, 12:25 PM

I am having the same problem

locogk · 09-23-2015, 12:27 PM

What connector ???

Happy Vibe · 09-23-2015, 12:48 PM

if the connector is reading low voltage without any current going through it(so it is making a very bad contact) then when you have the trailer hooked up you would get almost no voltage at the brakes with current going through the connector. I am not sure if RAM limits the amount of voltage that the controller puts out if the TV is not moving. I read that when ford first came out with there controller that some of the people were getting tickets for non functioning brakes when the DOT checked them. The problem was the brake controller only putout a small voltage if it did not detect that the TV was moving. This may be why you do not get full voltage when the truck is not moving. (just a theory tho I have nothing to say this is the case)

drittal · 09-23-2015, 02:26 PM

That is not the case. After the Airstream dealer found the contact not making a good connection, this gentleman's voltage at the 7pin went to 11v from 7v when not moving.

Big Red and 30WR · 09-23-2015, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aceinspp

You may think they are junk but mine has worked flawlessly on several Chevys I've had. Remember when going down grade to use tow haul mode to make it be in the most effective mode. Later RJD

I don`t think it was junk, I know it was junk. After getting a different truck and hooking up the trailer I had more trailer brakes then with less gain. With the old chevy I had my gain on 10 and in drive just idling it would still move the trailer. I know they all have issues from time to time.

Rodgers · 09-23-2015, 05:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim34RL

Did you try and ask for help at Turbo Diesel Register. Com. This is a fee site that is totally devoted to the Ram trucks with the Cummins engine, there are a couple of Ram tec 's on the site and could offer you a suggest on the Ram brake contoller.

That is the only site I trust for information on my Ram truck, been a member since Nov 2007, when I purchased my new 2008 Ram truck.

Yes Jim 34RL the TDR is the best place to go been a member since about 1998 Have had 3 Rams 96 12V 98.5 24v and this 2014 6.7 24V. Would not look any other place for info.

drittal Did you use your exhaust Brake for the downhill grade. I pull 39ft 5th wheel with the the 2014 with no issue. I like the integrated brake controller.

vocoder · 09-23-2015, 05:51 PM

My story started out the same - brand new toy hauler, brand new truck (a GMC, but with a built-in brake controller) and I absolutely could NOT get the brakes to lock up. I also didn't feel that familiar 'yank' or grab I would experience when the brakes kicked in using my prior truck and it's aftermarket inertia controller. I took the truck and trailer to the GMC dealer and talked with a senior tech that does a lot of towing in his off-time. The explanation he gave, is that integrated controller is tied into the ABS system. It senses things like vehicle speed, steering wheel position and 'pedal aggression' (how hard/fast the brake pedal is being applied) and determines the appropriate braking for the trailer.

He said that fully activating the slider won't "go to 10" on the gain, but to the max you've set. If that's 3, then full slider is 3, and that is commonly misunderstood by people that have used inertia controllers before.

I was skeptical... and he offered to prove himself correct. Against my better judgment, we hit the streets. At 10-15 MPH, full application of the slider with no pedal gently slowed down the rig. At 45, it yanked the truck hard - but didn't lock the brakes. at 35ish, which is all my terrified soul could muster, a hard stomp on he brake chirped the trailer tires quite a bit, but we stopped in a really short distance.

So - I believe there's some magic in the controllers - the power to stop is there when you need it, but the every day behavior is not what you might expect at first.

I expect your truck may be working the same way

drittal · 09-23-2015, 06:12 PM

The 7 pin connector has a connector that plugs into the back side of it. It secures on the side exactly opposite of the trailer brake pin. Ie, the lip is top driver side, the pin is bottom passenger side. IMO I think this is the reason why a good connection is not being made.

Long story short, I popped the 7 pin and 4 pin receptacle out of the bumper. I believe the offending connector is plugged in to the back side of this. I pulled it out and used a pick to beND the female connector to make better contact with the male.

I now have 10.5v and the brakes hold me back as well as I think they should.

f5moab · 09-23-2015, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vocoder

My story started out the same - brand new toy hauler, brand new truck (a GMC, but with a built-in brake controller) and I absolutely could NOT get the brakes to lock up. I also didn't feel that familiar 'yank' or grab I would experience when the brakes kicked in using my prior truck and it's aftermarket inertia controller. I took the truck and trailer to the GMC dealer and talked with a senior tech that does a lot of towing in his off-time. The explanation he gave, is that integrated controller is tied into the ABS system. It senses things like vehicle speed, steering wheel position and 'pedal aggression' (how hard/fast the brake pedal is being applied) and determines the appropriate braking for the trailer.

He said that fully activating the slider won't "go to 10" on the gain, but to the max you've set. If that's 3, then full slider is 3, and that is commonly misunderstood by people that have used inertia controllers before.

I was skeptical... and he offered to prove himself correct. Against my better judgment, we hit the streets. At 10-15 MPH, full application of the slider with no pedal gently slowed down the rig. At 45, it yanked the truck hard - but didn't lock the brakes. at 35ish, which is all my terrified soul could muster, a hard stomp on he brake chirped the trailer tires quite a bit, but we stopped in a really short distance.

So - I believe there's some magic in the controllers - the power to stop is there when you need it, but the every day behavior is not what you might expect at first.

I expect your truck may be working the same way

My dealer tech told me something close, but might be a bit different. And the difference might be I have a '15 and a 1500 vs your 2500.

He said to adjust the gain as explained in the owner's manual. And that will be the max gain if applied manually by the control lever on the dash. However, he said that the maximum gain supplied by the ABS controller will most likely never hit the maximum that was dialed in.

I believe I have that right....but it has been about six months.

ChooChooMan74 · 09-23-2015, 07:31 PM

Great post. I will have to check this outbon my EcoD, as I needed tl set my gain to 8.5 when my prodigy was under half.

drittal · 09-23-2015, 08:04 PM

The Ram controller does have an accelerometer and will use it to adjust the pulse width. That said, I had 7.4v before, 10.5 now.

2 members on another site needed quick stops and we're left in intersections.

With the same trailer my 2015 needed 6.5 gain where my father's 2012 needed 3.5.

drittal · 09-23-2015, 08:10 PM

This is the response from the Airstream guy who was the first one we found to get his issue resolved.

"On the 2015 Ram the 7 pin receptacle that is joined to the bumper can be removed. That 7 pin receptacle then can be removed from the wiring harness via a quick release, sort of. After removing the the 7 pin they observed how the two plugs mated via looking at the marks on the electrical connections. One of them they felt did not look like a good connection. They used a dental tool and bent one of the leads. Then they filled all the connections with a clear electrical jelly stuff. After that we got the numbers. On full gain and full braking 10 volts plus is within spec. So I was told.

PS: I forgot to mention in prior threads that the original RAM controller, after testing and the dealer said they see no issues and after my insistence, replaced the original controller with a controller off another new truck on the lot. Same issue persisted in my braking tests. That's when I went back to the dealer and they did the above test and procedure and everything works fine. "

drittal · 09-23-2015, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rodgers

Yes Jim 34RL the TDR is the best place to go been a member since about 1998 Have had 3 Rams 96 12V 98.5 24v and this 2014 6.7 24V. Would not look any other place for info.

drittal Did you use your exhaust Brake for the downhill grade. I pull 39ft 5th wheel with the the 2014 with no issue. I like the integrated brake controller.

I have a 6.4 hemi. I wish I had an exhaust brake. From the 4 forums I have gleaned or participated in this discussion, no 2014 Ram owners have reported an issue.

You may also like: