Factory Brake Controller Install

[Hank573]

Headliner will pop out but you need to lower the front first by removing overhead console. You remove over head console by grabbing the back two corners and pulling down this will pop the first two clips, then there are two more in the middle don't pull too hard just enough to pop them then console slides out towards back of truck as it has to extension pieces on the front. Next slide your arm along top of headliner and find the two push pins ford was kind enough to place in there near the back to hold the headliner up. They are about 1 foot in from the sides and 8 inches forward of the rear window. Once it is laying down like in my picture you will see the rear brake light and the mounted plug you need to get to. Then after you assemble two ends on the adapter plug for the brake light just make sure to seat the plastic end on one of them with a small plier as it sticks out too far for a proper connection.

WOW! thanks for the information.....Hope to get started this weekend depending on weather,....thanks again...rec'd TBC today and noticed that the data cable is no longer a CAT5, but Redarc's own...looks long enough so hopefully will not be a problem...thanks again...

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[Hank573]

Ok gentlemen....the install went OK......pulling panels and crawling around under the dash sucked. Was able to pull the CHMSL connect down and was able to pull headliner out of top channel...and now for the problem....after all is hooked up the high mount brake light works but the bed light never goes out only if I unplug lumen harness...any suggestions?? I am thinking on just tapping into the brake light wire at the CHMSL....do you have to have the trailer hooked up to program the REDARC???? when I push the control button I get a momentary blue light. I have double and triple checked all connections and plug pinning....should have just gone with the basic REDARC and the hell with Fords extra harness,...

 

[bulldogger]

Ok gentlemen....the install went OK......pulling panels and crawling around under the dash sucked. Was able to pull the CHMSL connect down and was able to pull headliner out of top channel...and now for the problem....after all is hooked up the high mount brake light works but the bed light never goes out only if I unplug lumen harness...any suggestions?? I am thinking on just tapping into the brake light wire at the CHMSL....do you have to have the trailer hooked up to program the REDARC???? when I push the control button I get a momentary blue light. I have double and triple checked all connections and plug pinning....should have just gone with the basic REDARC and the hell with Fords extra harness,...

After I did mine the back outside cab light stayed on for about 15 minutes. Shut all the doors and lock the truck. Wait about 15 minutes go out and see if the light is out. The blue light is a good sign that the brake controller is wired right. You could have also hit the cab light button to on in the dash while you were rolling around trying to get the wiring done.

 

[Hank573]

After I did mine the back outside cab light stayed on for about 15 minutes. Shut all the doors and lock the truck. Wait about 15 minutes go out and see if the light is out. The blue light is a good sign that the brake controller is wired right. You could have also hit the cab light button to on in the dash while you were rolling around trying to get the wiring done.

Thanks,,,,,rolling around is putting it mildly.....big (old) man small space. I'll give it another try Saturday...interior light went off and yeah I am sure I hit a lot of buttons. I took the CHSML off and was able to release the lock on the connector and pull the complete harness out from under the head liner....thought I was doing so good until the light issue...Just a small bump in the road. Thanks again for your help...you all have been a wealth of knowledge,...if only Ford was listening to our conversations...

 

[Hank573]

Ok!! solved all of the small problems or they resolved their selfs, not sure, but it works....was able to hook up to a trailer that couldn't be moved so I was not able to calibrate, but had a green light and computer knew I had a trailer connected. Added a photo of the finished dash (should have wiped it down first, my bad). Added two USB/C plugs,,never liked using the power points...Thanks for all the support.

 

[bulldogger]

Looks real nice, glad it all worked out for you. My wife laughed when she read your post as I am 6'2" and 250. I couldn't even get my shoulders under the dash so my wife pulled the two wires down looked at me and laughed and said "Good Luck Big Guy" Momma is 5' 4" and tiny.

 

[Wolfman00]

i just did this install this weekend. went smooth, until the headliner, there is zero comfortable way to do it. after i got it out, made my connections- the one plug would not seat. the instructions dont say that after adding the three wires in the connector that you need to seat the white clip on the end. once i figured that would it took 45 minutes to button it all back up.

havent tested it yet, but the knob does do the blue sleep mode when you press it (without anything hooked up).
my tacoma did that when i had a redarc in there. (that install was literally 10 minutes because toyota had a plug there for it)

 

[bulldogger]

i just did this install this weekend. went smooth, until the headliner, there is zero comfortable way to do it. after i got it out, made my connections- the one plug would not seat. the instructions dont say that after adding the three wires in the connector that you need to seat the white clip on the end. once i figured that would it took 45 minutes to button it all back up.

havent tested it yet, but the knob does do the blue sleep mode when you press it (without anything hooked up).
my tacoma did that when i had a redarc in there. (that install was literally 10 minutes because toyota had a plug there for it)

Blue light means all is well. Unit should work fine, you would have though Ford would give you a plug for plugging in a brake controller for the price you pay for the truck.

 

[Wolfman00]

Blue light means all is well. Unit should work fine, you would have though Ford would give you a plug for plugging in a brake controller for the price you pay for the truck.

i agree. they dropped the ball big time. how hard would had it of been to just pre run the harness and use a ford connector.

not sure i like where i put it, per the instructions. i may get the lightforce facia and the toyota switch blank. but then- 85 bucks to replace the panel under the dash and 95 for the facia, then 10 for the redarc toyota blank. kinda snowballs quick. but it looks clean then.

 

[bulldogger]

i agree. they dropped the ball big time. how hard would had it of been to just pre run the harness and use a ford connector.

not sure i like where i put it, per the instructions. i may get the lightforce facia and the toyota switch blank. but then- 85 bucks to replace the panel under the dash and 95 for the facia, then 10 for the redarc toyota blank. kinda snowballs quick. but it looks clean then.

I actually mounted it where they recommended it in the directions. It is out of the way and I don't really notice it. Once you set the braking force for the trailer it is kind of set it and forget it anyway

 

[TechnicallyReal]

In the crew cab the headliner is pressed into the raised rear lip on the sliding rear window, it needs to be moved forward after the rear pins are released otherwise it is impossible to get your hand up to the third brake light harness plug. My wife has thin arms and she couldn't even get her hand back to the rear harness, if you have a regular rear glass window it probably could slide straight down, but the crew cab rear widow has a sliding window with about a 1" track the sticks out into the headliner area.

I was able to do mine without pulling the headliner down. iirc I just reached up into it from beside the lip above the window, and was able to pull it down over the lip. To make it easier to see what was up there, I opened the window and looked in from the bed of the truck. It was more difficult to wire the pigtail than it was to deal with the headliner imo

 

[D Fresh]

Why are you people ripping your interiors apart when a safe, valid work around has been presented?

 

[TechnicallyReal]

Why are you people ripping your interiors apart when a safe, valid work around has been presented?

I don't think there was a workaround when I did mine. Does anyone have images or video of it?

Also here's how to get into the headliner without taking the whole thing apart:

 

[Rinn69]

Here it is !!! Pics too.

https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/chmsl-3rd-brake-light-strobe-module.13282/

Question---How do you manually apply the trailer brakes with the EBC controller ?? The integrated brake controller in my Ram had a sliding/squeeze paddle, like most other aftermarket styles.

 

[TechnicallyReal]

Here it is !!! Pics too.

https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/chmsl-3rd-brake-light-strobe-module.13282/

Question---How do you manually apply the trailer brakes with the EBC controller ?? The integrated brake controller in my Ram had a sliding/squeeze paddle, like most other aftermarket styles.

You press in on the knob. It will gradually apply the amount of braking that the knob is set to, or you can twist it while pressing in to increase or decrease braking power in real time. Works better than I thought it would.

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