Brake issue on PUP

[redwolfpei]

So I believe I am having an electrical wiring issue with my pup. I have a 2014 Rockwood Freedom 1910 pup.
Our first trip out this year I noticed that the brakes weren't grabbing like they should be. I started testing on gravel to make sure the gain was set properly on the Tekonsha Brake controller. It all of a sudden started working. I thought nothing of it. This was a 2010 Honda Pilot with aftermarket Tekonsha Prodigy Brake controller.

Fast forward a few weeks, I know have a new 2015 Ford F150 TV with an integrated OEM brake controller. Hooking the trailer up first time I noticed my truck kept saying “trailer connected” then “trailer disconnected”. The interesting part is I can slide the manual brake lever on the controller and it locks up the brakes. But no response from the pedal when I brake. All other lights work fine.

I thought the 7 way cable may have been broken so I replaced that last night. It appeared to be fixed but the “trailer disconnected” message is appearing once again today. I read on a few forums that it could be a ground somewhere. I've checked the grounds on the tongue and verified they are all secure. I am at a loss right now. Any ideas?

[thebrakeman]

Sounds like a poor ground. In this situation, the system will often work, but will confuse the diagnostics in the controller (be it integral or aftermarket).

If you get braking with the manual control, but not with the service pedal, it seems you don't have the system set properly (max voltage setting).

Also, why would you go on gravel to set the gain? This setup should be done on dry pavement (unless you regularly tow on gravel). Using the setup procedure on gravel will end up with the gain set too low (since it will be easier to lock the brakes), resulting in poor performance on dry pavement.

The goal is for the brakes to almost lock up (but not quite!) when you do a panic stop on dry pavement. To do this, any good proportional controller's setup will be something like:
1. Warm up the brakes on dry pavement.
2. Do a fast, full-manual apply from 25mph on dry pavement. If the tires do not chirp, turn up the voltage and try again, until you can lock them up.
3. Once you are able to chirp the tires, back it off just until it won't lock up anymore. Perfection!

[redwolfpei]

I agree, I too think it's a ground somewhere. The system is definitely confused. I've tried turning the gain up to the max and it still won't show any signs of braking when the pedal is pressed. When I engage the slider it works fine. Weird things is that I can hear the brakes hum when I press the pedal, just no response.

I gave up and brought it in to the dealer before my warranty expired. My RV lot is on a dirt/gravel lot - that's the only reason. Point taken though. Thanks so much for the feedback.

[redwolfpei]

Update. Ok so apparently it's not the trailer according to the RV dealer. sigh.... I guess it's off to Ford I go to investigate brake controller issue. Seems strange as I've successfully plugged the truck into another RV. Would the PUP be different than a regular RV. Both 7 way plugs...

[redwolfpei]

Final update. Issue turned out to be a loose ground wire on the trailer as I suspected. All is well again!!