Ford trailer brake controller install question

[reidmefirst]

I've disassembled my truck and gotten to to the step where I connect the wiring harness of the TBC into the brake light above the cabin. But my 'female' connector won't connect.

There is a little white shim that is supposed to slide in and hold the three wires in place. The shim simply won't go in, and I can't tell what it is hanging up on.

I see the shim has three raised bits which are supposed to hold the wires in place. I also see each of the raised bits has a tiny bit of raised plastic too, which is supposed to go on one side of the 'crimp' on each of the wires. And everything is lined up so that it should work, the grooves are all in the correct spots. But that little darned white plastic piece still won't slide on.

I was able to slide the shim in with no wires installed in the harness (which was a pain to get it back apart, but I did it).

Anybody got any super secret tips? I'm quite afraid that I'm going to break the connector entirely, at which point I will be SOL and will have to reassemble all the trim panels and stuff and try again another day...

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[reidmefirst]

Welp, I ended up just cutting the original connector off and using some nice butt splices to attach the TBC leads to it. What a pain. Overall I give the Ford TBC install process a 3/10. The instructions aren't great (in fact, they had a url that is wrong...the qr code works though), the interior trim clips are prone to breaking, and even finding the blue/yellow wires was a pain. I love that the instructions say 30 minutes install...it took me around 4 hours including a trip to the hardware store.

Ohwell. The rear brake light works, and the little TBC dial will light up blue if pressed, so I assume all is wired up correctly. Funnily, my trailer has surge brakes. I installed the TBC in preparation for the future. I guess I'm glad I did it, just wish I could have paid someone else to. Local Ford dealer wouldn't install it claiming it was too complicated.

 

[airline tech]

I would say it’s most likely wire pin placement (check) clocking of the release pin - and the connector face is hitting the (out of correct position) of the pin

 

[Dgc333]

When I did mine I had trouble with the clip and as I recall I didn't have the pins fully seated. Once I used a small screw driver to push the pins in the clip snapped into place.

I didn't do my install in 30 minutes more like a hour 1/2 but overall it was straight forward.

 

[ControlNode]

Normally it is exactly as @Dgc333 stated. If the pins are not fully in place, the plastic clip that should lock them in place will not drop into position and while it's raised, the front cover can't insert all the way as it has tabs that should over the plastic clips to lock them down.

 

[reidmefirst]

Normally it is exactly as @Dgc333 stated. If the pins are not fully in place, the plastic clip that should lock them in place will not drop into position and while it's raised, the front cover can't insert all the way as it has tabs that should over the plastic clips to lock them down.

Yeah I wish I had a photo, but those pins definitely LOOKED to be all the way in (the metal ends were all the way at the end of the plastic plug).

I'll never know if they could have gone in further, I'm not about to redo things to try again ;-).

Now I wish I had a nice way of testing to be sure that the TBC actually worked. I guess the blue/green/purple lights only really do their thing if a proper trailer is plugged in, and I likely won't upgrade my trailer's braking system until next summer at the earliest. But hey the brake light and bed light works so I guess the AEB part will work if the TBC itself works.

 

[craw169]

Yeah I wish I had a photo, but those pins definitely LOOKED to be all the way in (the metal ends were all the way at the end of the plastic plug).

I'll never know if they could have gone in further, I'm not about to redo things to try again ;-).

Now I wish I had a nice way of testing to be sure that the TBC actually worked. I guess the blue/green/purple lights only really do their thing if a proper trailer is plugged in, and I likely won't upgrade my trailer's braking system until next summer at the earliest. But hey the brake light and bed light works so I guess the AEB part will work if the TBC itself works.

i installed a TBC lately so hopefully i can be of some help....i have little experience with working on cars though.

i broke my connectors for the rear brake light as most people do. i just bought these things:

WAGO 221-2411 Wire Connectors, Inline Splicing Connectors, Electrical Connectors for Solid and Stranded Conductors, 221 Series Lever Nuts Assortment with Case 20-14AWG (20) : Amazon.ca: Tools & Home Improvement

and cut the wires and added some tape over the levers....i am pretty sure i will never have an issue. if your rear brake light still comes on after the wiring that means it is ok as far as i know.

now, i also did mine and was in quite a fit of worrying on if i installed it correctly as i don't own a trailer. would the brake controller work when i had a trailer hooked up, etc? so i bought one of those light testers like this:

Oyviny 7 Way Blade Trailer Connector Tester with Red LEDs Indicators, 7-Way Trailer Plug Tester 7 Pin RV Trailer Circuit Tester Trailer Light Tester Heavy Duty Trailer Hitch Wiring Tester : Amazon.ca: Automotive

that turned out to be a wrong decision. truck kept saying trailer connected and then a few seconds later, trailer disconnected. i started to think my 7 pin had a loose connection. i reached out here and people told me that is normal as the tester doesn't draw enough to make the truck think the trailer is really there. this turned out to be correct as i rented and towed a trailer 2 weeks ago and had zero issues. more about that later...

but first, the way i did finally test if the TBC was good before i rented a trailer was to get a cheap 21watt automotive replacement light. 21watt is important! i soldered the light to 2 wires and put alligator clips on the other side of each wire. this costed me less than $10. at first i was going by an incorrect diagram for a 7 pin connector. once i found the right diagram and connected my "test device" correctly i was able to verify that the TBC was working just fine. I needed a helper because if the 7 pin connector door closed it would knock my alligator clips off. So i connected the alligator clips, and had my wife hold the connector door open and watch the light. as i pushed on the brake peddle the light would light up. as i increased the dial on the TBC control knob in my truck the light would get brighter. someone gave me a link to the test procedure here and i will come back and update the post when i find it. that link and instructions were great but i think that is where i was seeing the wrong pin out diagram for the 7 pin connector. so google for 7 pin trailer connector and look at some images and find out which is the ground and which is the brake signal and the homemade test device will work for you and give you confidence that all is hooked up and working correctly. without this test device i was going to go to an RV dealer and see if they would just let me hook up the 7 pin and check it but i didn't need to once i made my "test device"...going to an RV dealer would probably have gotten pretty expensive as they would have likely sold me a trailer in the process LOL.

i rented the trailer and all worked well. from time to hook up to being on the highway was a short distance. once i got on the highway my TBC control head started blinking green/red (i forget exact colours) meaning it needed calibration. i got off the highway and took some back streets where i could drive very slow (20km/h) and came to a couple full stops and then the control head turned to solid blue. everything was fine after that point. The ford TBC is well worth the hassle as i was able to use my adaptive cruise control and that is important to me as my speed tends to creep up as i drive along no matter how much attention i pay to the speedometer.

good luck. i hope that it works out for you, If you have specific questions i can try to help as i did do it recently but I am not an expert. i will try to find those links and update the post (i am afraid if i go looking now i will loose this very long novel that i typed out).


CORRECTIONS/LINKS:

- i said 12v...that is incorrect, it is 21watt light needed to test the TBC
- check this topic 7 pin trailer connector | 2019+ Ford Ranger and Raptor Forum (5th Generation) - Ranger5G.com post #14 for the test procedure....i believe the 7 pin diagram is wrong in that though or i was just reading it wrong. i googed for 7 pin connector images and used the pins i saw in those.

GOOD LUCK!

 

[RangerBill]

Yeah I wish I had a photo, but those pins definitely LOOKED to be all the way in (the metal ends were all the way at the end of the plastic plug).

I'll never know if they could have gone in further, I'm not about to redo things to try again ;-).

Now I wish I had a nice way of testing to be sure that the TBC actually worked. I guess the blue/green/purple lights only really do their thing if a proper trailer is plugged in, and I likely won't upgrade my trailer's braking system until next summer at the earliest. But hey the brake light and bed light works so I guess the AEB part will work if the TBC itself works.

Here is a Redarc document on how to test the trailer brake controller:

 

[reidmefirst]

Spiffy, thanks all. Yeah I may make myself a break-out cable with a couple of bulbs set up for all the trailer lights too, might turn out useful for troubleshooting my truck and others' trucks some day.

Good note about not going too high on bulb wattage. I may put a little potentiometer on the circuit so I can test it as either a vehicle tester or a trailer tester. I guess I should have figured that the actual 'brake' controller was just driving higher voltage/more current to the trailer electric brake system to activate the brakes with more force.

 

[midwayfordranger2021]

I used the Ford Accessory/Red Arc controller too and my connectors at the Third Brake Light wouldn't go together either. While I was trying... they just broke apart in my hand. Luckily.....I wrote down the TBL wiring colors before I started this, and ended up hard wiring everything together and not even trying to use those stupid connectors supplied in the kit. I guess I got lucky, because after everything was reassembled.....the TBC works fine.

 

[airline tech]

I used the Ford Accessory/Red Arc controller too and my connectors at the Third Brake Light wouldn't go together either. While I was trying... they just broke apart in my hand. Luckily.....I wrote down the TBL wiring colors before I started this, and ended up hard wiring everything together and not even trying to use those stupid connectors supplied in the kit. I guess I got lucky, because after everything was reassembled.....the TBC works fine.

I think the issue is - The Lacking (Detail) of the Install Instructions

I think what is happening is that the installer is just pushing the pin into the connector
all connectors are designed with a locking tab for the contact/pin, and it has to match (align) with the connector.
If is is not properly clocked - the pin will be pushed (too) far forward and the mating connector will not engage, or the mating connector is hitting the locking tab on the pins.

And since the locking tab is out of place, it is near impossible to get the pin back out without damage.

So, just curious when you installed the pins into the connector, did you note the orientation of the locking tab (in the diagram below)?

I cannot confirm this is correct as I have not installed a TBC on the Ranger and if the diagram is correct (and the install instructions) FAIL TO POINT THIS OUT (Proper Orientation) (Highlight) in the wording

I am not faulting you by any means or throwing you under the bus, just trying to help others on their install and a possible reason for having issues to get the connectors to mate.
This MAY be the reason and point attention to this detail where the instructions fail.

 

[2021Ranger]

I just got done with this install and I have to say that that plug is extremely hard to get them wires to “click” into that connector..I had to take needle nose Pliers on the wire and really push it into the connector to get it to “click” in. Then the plastic white plastic piece when right in.
‘Now to see if works..

 

[RangerBill]

Here is a useful manual from Redarc that gives some additional information on the brake controller.

 

[Sojourner]

I had this exact issue and it turns out I had to rotate the pins 180 to get them to seat properly. The profanity coming from the CHMSL area of my truck that day made sailors 20 miles away blush. And I got a visit from the Church Lady....

 

[EJH]

I just got done with this install and I have to say that that plug is extremely hard to get them wires to “click” into that connector..I had to take needle nose Pliers on the wire and really push it into the connector to get it to “click” in. Then the plastic white plastic piece when right in.
‘Now to see if works..

I recall mine being similar when I installed the Ford TBC three years ago.

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