Need Quick Help...please. (Surge Brakes)

[Cass Caldwell2]

Ok, I bought a 2003 Nitro 882 and it has surge breaks. I have an 02 F150, and when I tried to back it up my driveway (which is on an incline) they surge brakes lock up on me. I have the round adapter with the pig tail that allows you to connect to the trailer's 5-pin connector. This is my first trailer with surge brakes. What I'm I doing wrong?



Thanks!

 

[Cliff Van Beek]

if your pickup connector wired for 4 or 5 wires? if it is not wired for the five, you need to get it done, the 5th wire is connected to the back up light system, and activates the lock out solenoid

 

[Cass Caldwell2]

It has the one receptable that accepts 4, and the round one that's 7. But I put a pig tail adapter in the round one and it has 5 on the other end. Will that not work?



thanks for the quick reply.

 

[Chris F.]

There should be a lockout device on top of the tongue. On my 901 there is a flat circular disc that you can turn to disengage the surge brakes. It is there for when you need to back up hill. Chris F.

 

[Jim clear]

Hello, I have a nx882 also, As go fish stated you need a 5 pin flat harness. The round one with 7 blades that comes from the factory are for hooking up electric brakes with a brake controller installed. It has nothing to do with what you need. Go to the auto store or wherever and get a 5 pin flat harness. Get under your truck and remove the 4 pin harness. Connect the same color wires from the 5 pin harness to the same color wires that you removed the 4 pin harness. You will have one wire left over. Remove your drivers side tailight cover, start your truck,put the emergency brake on and put it in reverse. (dont get under the truck) if you have a helper let them work the inside with their foot on the brake pedal. with a cheap 12 volt tester, find the wire that controls the back-up light. This is the wire that you need to find in the harness under the truck to hook that extra wire to. This will disengage the surge brakes when you back up. There is also a pin that you can insert in the coupler to permantley disengage the brakes although I dont reccomend that. Let me know If i can be of more help.

 

[Cass Caldwell2]

Thanks Jim. I appreciate the info!

 

[Jim clear]

anytime cassbass

 

[TritonGlenn]

jim, et al,

Actually, that's not true. I have a 7 pin round connector on the back of my Dodge truck and I have a 7 pin round to 5 pin flat connector adapter, although mine is not exactly as CassBass described.



The center round pin is the back-up lights wire.



The bottom right hand side flat pin and the top right hand side flat pin are the only ones used specifically for electric brakes.



The adapter I have from the 7 pin round to 5 pin flat only has 4 flat pins installed out of the 6 spaces on the round side. They are for:

1) right hand turn/stop,

2) left hand turn/stop,

3) running lights, and

4) ground.



The other two spaces that don't have pins installed are for +12V and the electric brake.



More than likely, I'd say that you either don't have a wire hooked up on your trailer side to the solenoid, or the wire on your truck side isn't connected properly to the center pin. Should be pretty easy to check with a multimeter. With the parking brake on and the rear tire chocked and someone else having their foot firmly on the brake pedal, put the positive pin of your multimeter on the middle round pin, and the negative pin of your multimeter on the lower left hand flat pin (-). Have someone put the truck in reverse. You should have at least 12VDC. If not, check the single wire going into your solenoid on the trailer side - probably a single blue wire.



All the best,

Glenn

 

[Cass Caldwell2]

Thanks for the info Triton Glenn, I will try this tommorrow and let you know the out come. Also, I just noticed that the ground wire on the trailer is not connected. Could that be the problem?

 

[TritonGlenn]

Yeah... Thats more than likely the problem!

Let me know how it works out!

All the best,

Glenn

 

[Cass Caldwell2]

Problem was my truck's connector. Hooked it up to wife's 4runner and she backed with ease. Thanks a ton for the info!!

 

[Cass Caldwell2]

Update: note to self, always trouble shoot the least expensive part first. I replaced my trucks round 7 and 4 flat connector, because it was busted up and I thought that may be the problem. Come to find out my truck was missing the trailer reverse relay. Problem solved!!!

 

[TritonGlenn]

But you did fix the ground wire on the trailer too, right?



Trailer wiring ground faults have caused many to pull their hair out trying to figure out why lights / reverse solenoids / etc... aren't working.



All the best,

Glenn

 

[Cass Caldwell2]

Yes, the ground was the first thing I tried. It was a $12 relay that Ford never put in my truck.



Thanks for you help TritonGlenn!