Redarc Tow Pro Elite Install

MT19RANGER

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Clean install. Smart use of that CLA. I prefer your solution over the swap to the Aussie panel.(Don’t know what those CLAs are good for anymore. Part-time radar detectors?)
Cell phone booster plug, Go-Pro plug charger for items that are moved from vehicle to vehicle instead of hard-wiring them.
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viator36

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Need urgent help!

I installed my Redarc last night and my checks looked good during the installation, the black and white wires of the 4 pin plug showed 12v power and the red and white wires showed voltage when I pressed the brake pedal. But after installation the knob LED didn't show any light when the ignition was on and when I pressed and held the override button the LED turned blue then faded out and back to blue and out again repeatedly. In Redarc manual's troubleshooting section it matched the first listed LED sequence problem called blue breathing and stated the possible cause is the trailer brakes are not detected and suggests checking trailer plug and all connections to the brake controller. I checked the 7 pin plug and the most obvious issue was the 12v positive and negative pins read zero voltage but other functions I could check all worked fine like turn signals. I watched some youtube videos that said for their vehicle when 12v was missing it was due to a missing fuse. Can anyone show me where to check to see if my Ranger is missing the fuse for the trailer 12v? Or if you know it is something else like a relay or whatever that causing the problem? I need to go on a long trip this weekend to pick up a trailer so I need the Redarc brake controller to work before heading out. So if it's something fairly simple I could get it fixed and not have to cause delay. Thanks for your help in advance.
 

srgredranger

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Need urgent help!

I installed my Redarc last night and my checks looked good during the installation, the black and white wires of the 4 pin plug showed 12v power and the red and white wires showed voltage when I pressed the brake pedal. But after installation the knob LED didn't show any light when the ignition was on and when I pressed and held the override button the LED turned blue then faded out and back to blue and out again repeatedly. In Redarc manual's troubleshooting section it matched the first listed LED sequence problem called blue breathing and stated the possible cause is the trailer brakes are not detected and suggests checking trailer plug and all connections to the brake controller. I checked the 7 pin plug and the most obvious issue was the 12v positive and negative pins read zero voltage but other functions I could check all worked fine like turn signals. I watched some youtube videos that said for their vehicle when 12v was missing it was due to a missing fuse. Can anyone show me where to check to see if my Ranger is missing the fuse for the trailer 12v? Or if you know it is something else like a relay or whatever that causing the problem? I need to go on a long trip this weekend to pick up a trailer so I need the Redarc brake controller to work before heading out. So if it's something fairly simple I could get it fixed and not have to cause delay. Thanks for your help in advance.
I have the same problems, there are 3 fuses under the hood in engine compartment, two 30 amp and 1 40 amp . Mine are there and not blown and still no output at 7 way plug on the pin for trailer brake
 

viator36

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srgredranger, on the Ranger owner manual page 235 it mentions the Power Distribution Box - Bottom, I believe that's where you checked the 3 fuses. I took out the box and checked all the fuses on the back side and all the relays and they are all good, no blown fuse and all perfectly working relays 4 pin and 5 pins but still no power at the + pin on the 7 pin connector. An expert reply on etrailer.com regarding if the + pin should always be live with power said "Some vehicles will always have power and some others will not" but I just called etrailer to ask if they know what type the 2019 Ranger is and she was no help. I do hope someone who also installed the Redarc Tow Pro Elite and has power on the + pin chimes in soon to clarify for us. I don't have a trailer to plug in to test if the + pin will only have power so that the Redarc brake controller will work properly when a trailer is plugged in. But it's bugging me to no end right now.

I just watched several youtube reviews on the Redarc controller and almost in every case when it's talking about the calibration there is a trailer plugged in. So maybe it DOES only work when a trailer is plugged in and having the blue breathing LED sequence is not a problem with no trailer plugged in? I wish I had a way to test it now or someone jumps in and gives the answer.
 
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srgredranger

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srgredranger, on the Ranger owner manual page 235 it mentions the Power Distribution Box - Bottom, I believe that's where you checked the 3 fuses. I took out the box and checked all the fuses on the back side and all the relays and they are all good, no blown fuse and all perfectly working relays 4 pin and 5 pins but still no power at the + pin on the 7 pin connector. An expert reply on etrailer.com regarding if the + pin should always be live with power said "Some vehicles will always have power and some others will not" but I just called etrailer to ask if they know what type the 2019 Ranger is and she was no help. I do hope someone who also installed the Redarc Tow Pro Elite and has power on the + pin chimes in soon to clarify for us. I don't have a trailer to plug in to test if the + pin will only have power so that the Redarc brake controller will work properly when a trailer is plugged in. But it's bugging me to no end right now.

I just watched several youtube reviews on the Redarc controller and almost in every case when it's talking about the calibration there is a trailer plugged in. So maybe it DOES only work when a trailer is plugged in and having the blue breathing LED sequence is not a problem with no trailer plugged in? I wish I had a way to test it now or someone jumps in and gives the answer.
I connected my trailer and went around neighbor hood and my still didn’t work.i have tested trailer break pin on 7 way plug no power. I even connected my last trailer brake controller I had in my f150 and still nothing.i am almost convinced the black/green stripe wire is not correct. Weird thing I noticed is next to fuse box in engine compartment between box and fender( if you look) there is a black/green wire attached to fender with a bolt.??my truck came from factory with tow package, I am thinking Ford can figure this out.i have reach out to dealers asking the correct wires for trailer brake controller. No one has gotten back to me . Not sure if they know anything at all, I probably know more than they do.i am at work so tonight I will try to take a picture of what I am talking about ( green stripe/ black wire)I am checking basic stuff, if it is wired wrong or missing something it is on them.
 
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viator36

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I don't have a black/green stripe wire in my truck, I have a blue one which I connected to the Redarc blue one for 12v trailer brakes. The other three wires I have are the same as OP described, white for ground, yellow/red for 12v power and voilet/white for brake light trigger. So my connections are (from truck to Redarc) white -> white for ground, yellow/red -> black for 12v power, blue -> blue for brake controller out and violet/white ->red for brake light trigger. After connecting like this I tested at the 4 pin plug end which goes into the controller module. White and black got 12v power and white and red had power when I pressed the brake pedal. The four wires in my truck were taped together so I didn't pay attention to other wires. I don't have a trailer to test it so I just ordered a 7 pin connector tester which would come tomorrow and I'll test it then and update. I guess I could check below the driver's side dash again to see if there is another wire with loose since I didn't get a green /black stripe wire but got a blue instead, and try to see if I can spot some other loose wire like the four.
 

viator36

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srgredranger, I am just speculating here, could the no power to + pin on 7 pin connector be due to a missing fuse and/or relay? We checked the fuses on there and found no blown fuse. But could Ford have left the 12v line fuse/relay out? I know this is separate from your Redarc not working right issue.
 
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srgredranger

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srgredranger, I am just speculating here, could the no power to + pin on 7 pin connector be due to a missing fuse and/or relay? We checked the fuses on there and found no blown fuse. But could Ford have left the 12v line fuse/relay out? I know this is separate from your Redarc not working right issue.
It could be , I believe the brake controller is not working because the black/green stripe wire may not be connected to 7 way plug. When I push brake controller in I am getting power from blue wire from brake controller. Also found this plug high up on drivers side

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viator36

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I found a link to the latest owner manual which is version 3.

http://www.fordservicecontent.com/F...-Owners-Manual-version-3_om_EN-US_04_2019.pdf

On page 218 under the table for the 7 pin connector wire color and function there is a footnote for the orange wire (the 12 volt + pin): "Your vehicle must recognize the trailer before the trailer can receive power." This part is not in the hard copy owner manual I got and I got my truck this past Wednesday. Anyone who got your truck before I did should check if your manual is the latest.

So this should explain why my multimeter test for the 12v on + pin shows zero. It doesn't explain why Redarc wouldn't work properly when a trailer is hooked up because the 12v power wire to trailer is a separate issue. I just need to find a trailer to plug in the 7 pin to find if both the 12v power issue and the Redarc LED not working right issue are both resolved. Fingers crossed.
 

srgredranger

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I found a link to the latest owner manual which is version 3.

http://www.fordservicecontent.com/F...-Owners-Manual-version-3_om_EN-US_04_2019.pdf

On page 218 under the table for the 7 pin connector wire color and function there is a footnote for the orange wire (the 12 volt + pin): "Your vehicle must recognize the trailer before the trailer can receive power." This part is not in the hard copy owner manual I got and I got my truck this past Wednesday. Anyone who got your truck before I did should check if your manual is the latest.

So this should explain why my multimeter test for the 12v on + pin shows zero. It doesn't explain why Redarc wouldn't work properly when a trailer is hooked up because the 12v power wire to trailer is a separate issue. I just need to find a trailer to plug in the 7 pin to find if both the 12v power issue and the Redarc LED not working right issue are both resolved. Fingers crossed.
Funny that say that but my trailer was connected and still no power to pin

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srgredranger

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Can someone verify this plug connection on back of truck on right of trailer 7 way plug under truck ? To me it looks like the white ( ground) is connected to black/green wire which comes through firewall to be connected to blue wire on controller. I still can’t find that blue wire coming through firewall

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MT19RANGER

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Here are a few pics of my Tow Pro Elite installation from two weekends ago. I used a Redarc round mounting panel (part# 331-TPSI-003) which is made for of all things...a Chevy Colorado. It actually looks pretty clean in place of one of the 12V outlets. I had to slightly modify the mounting panel to fit in the hole where the 12V outlet used to be, but otherwise the installation went smoothly. Wires were exactly where they were supposed to be, however the violet wire was partially hidden by electrical tape. The control box is mounted under the steering column with a couple nuts and bolts through the metal cross support. There was plenty of clearance behind the outlet for the control knob body and cat5 cable. To ensure everything works: I towed my travel trailer over 200 miles this past weekend and the brake controller worked perfectly. If anyone has questions, let me know. The total project took about 1.5 hours.

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Did the install today. I got the same parts and mounted in the same area for the controller and the remote head. One big difference was the color of the wires in my Lariat. White, Yellow/Red, BLUE instead of Green/Black, Violet/White. Everything works and functions as should when the system powers up only w/ trailer attached.
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Pirategrad

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Did the install today. I got the same parts and mounted in the same area for the controller and the remote head. One big difference was the color of the wires in my Lariat. White, Yellow/Red, BLUE instead of Green/Black, Violet/White. Everything works and functions as should when the system powers up only w/ trailer attached.
IMG-5975.JPG
IMG-5976.JPG
IMG-5977.JPG
IMG-5979.JPG
IMG-5980.JPG
Are newer Rangers wired differently or is there a blue wire that an be used in place of the green/black?
 

MT19RANGER

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Are newer Rangers wired differently or is there a blue wire that an be used in place of the green/black?
Well from one person's install it was a Green/Black wire and on two of us, it was a Blue wire. I don't know if it has to do with build dates or what. So be looking for either if you do yours.
 

Pirategrad

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Well from one person's install it was a Green/Black wire and on two of us, it was a Blue wire. I don't know if it has to do with build dates or what. So be looking for either if you do yours.
I had Green/Black but haven’t been able to complete the install because I can’t mount the switch. I did get a blue light when I pushed the button so does that mean it’s working? I haven’t past this to fully check the install.
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