ParkLiner & Ford Escape

[honda03842]

I had some similar thoughts. I suspect swapping these two leads will fix the problem. There is no doubt that the controller works correctly when a faux set of brakes are created using a resistor,

Reversing the brake line and chassis ground must means that trailer and tow vehicle are not purely connected to chassis ground but rather connected to ground thru the brake coils. Based on Frank's comments the brake and turn signals worked, not brightly I would expect unless they are LEDs.

With the current wiring, the brake line would now be connected to the trailer's chassis ground. This might look like a short or not depending if the chassis of the trailer and tow vehicle are in contact and how good the contact is.

it may be of interest to know that you can short the brake line directly to chassis ground and not blow out the fuse. Before I had a resistor equivalent, I shorted them together and received some kind of overload signal on the controller. I suspect that the current sensing circuit used to test for the presence of the brakes also protects against short circuits.

All in all this kind of wiring mistake, no matter who did it, is easy to make. If this doesn't totally fix the problem I may have to visit Frank.

[jennykatz]

Good Luck Frank I hope you can get this figured out . We have the snoozy with a 4 pin no prodigy no brake wires etc etc just an easy surge brake application no muss no fuss . We were thinking of getting a bigger camper and the ford escape i might have to rethink my options the snoozy uses the KISS system .Jim

[honda03842]

The kiss system has disadvantages. There's no way to operate the trailer brakes independently.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Fiberglass RV mobile app

[frank_a]

When we bought the trailer, we set up the F150 to go get it. The F150 did not have a hitch or plug, but it was incredibly easy to do. Went to NJ, got the trailer, everything worked fine.

Got the ETBC7 kit from etrailer for the Escape. Wired everything correctly, but could not find trailer brakes. Turned out the ETBC7 was not wired pin-for-pin like the plug on the F150 that worked with the trailer. On the ETBC7, the ground (white) and trailer brakes (blue) were swapped. But, the wiring on the ETBC7 (Escape) matched pictures I found on the web of 7 pin connectors. So something is fishy, but I am not sure what. Nevertheless, I will swap the white and blue wires on the Escape tonight or in the a.m. tomorrow and see what happens.

This has been very frustrating to me, in part because 12V wiring is usually my forte. Follow the instructions, make good connections, make sure you have a good ground - I have never had trouble with 12V stuff. I've done oodles and oodles of it over the decades, including wiring my hot rod with no problems. So no, I do not take stuff like this to a shop, or have someone else do it. Having said that, I sure do appreciate Norm's help here, as I might still be scratching my head over this.

Frank

[Raz]

With the current wiring, the brake line would now be connected to the trailer's chassis ground. This might look like a short or not depending if the chassis of the trailer and tow vehicle are in contact and how good the contact is.

If the tow chassis and the trailer chassis were not in contact, how would the prodigy know there was a fault. Remember brake magnets are not polarized. I suspect with just the 7 pin connection the controller would work fine.

[War Eagle]

Frank, Don't rule out a manufacturer's defect inside the receptacle on your Escape. Someone on the assembly line could have inadvertently attached the wrong colored wire to the wrong prong internally, and then once sealed up for weatherproofing, no one would know the difference unless that particular unit was subjected to a random quality control check. A 7-pin receptacle I once purchased had a manufacturer's defect, and it drove me crazy until a trailer shop with the right testing equipment finally tracked down the problem for me. Totally replacing the defective receptacle fixed my problem.

You should be able to use a simple ohm meter to test that each colored wire is indeed connected internally to the correct prong on your receptacle. Also, if the receptacle is correct, and it was a simple left side-right side wiring mistake, then you should probable check your other wires (like your two turn signal wires) to make sure that they weren't also miss-wired left-to-right. Thinking you are signalling for a left turn while your trailer lights are flashing for a right turn would not be good! Best of luck...

[frank_a]

War Eagle, I am assuming you hit the nail on the proverbial head. I just bought a good multimeter at Radio Shack, and Extech Ex205T. I'm gonna be dangerous now.

By the way, signals worked correctly.

Thanks,

Frank

Originally Posted by War Eagle

Frank, Don't rule out a manufacturer's defect inside the receptacle on your Escape. Someone on the assembly line could have inadvertently attached the wrong colored wire to the wrong prong internally, and then once sealed up for weatherproofing, no one would now the difference unless that particular unit was subjected to a random quality control check. A 7-pin receptacle I once purchased had a manufacturer's defect, and it drove me crazy until a trailer shop with the right testing equipment finally tracked down the problem for me. Totally replacing the defective receptacle fixed my problem.

You should be able to use a simple ohm meter to test that each colored wire is indeed connected internally to the correct prong on your receptacle. Also, if the receptacle is correct, and it was a simple left side-right side wiring mistake, then you should probable check your other wires (like your two turn signal wires) to make sure that they weren't also miss-wired left-to-right. Thinking you are signalling for a left turn while your trailer lights are flashing for a right turn would not be good! Best of luck...

[frank_a]

Guess who has working trailer brakes in his Escape? Guess? Me!

Thanks all, just came back from a test spin, works great and just the way it is supposed to. I had the P3 set up for the F150 to have the trailer brakes come on just after the truck (5.8V). Seems to be a good setting for the Escape too.

This has been an experience I shall not soon forget, trust me.

On to new and better things.

Frank

[Mike Magee]

Originally Posted by frank_a

...This has been an experience I shall not soon forget, trust me.

On to new and better things.

Frank

After 7 months like this, it's probably become a life changing experience!

[honda03842]

Good for you Frank. Glad Radio Shack is still there. Safe Travels

[frank_a]

Thanks Norm, much appreciated!

Where I have the P3 mounted is easily visible AND not in the way at all. Works great!

[jennykatz]

Frank I'm glad this worked out for you . Was this a ford problem wrong wiring ? We should start calling you and Norm( Macgyver ) I hope this isn't something others will run into ? Thanks for seeing this through Jim

[frank_a]

It was the plug, NOT my wiring on the Ford, or anything to do with the Ford. Who would think you'd get a plug that was wrong? Gee.

Frank

[War Eagle]

WooHoo! In the words of Willie Nelson, "On the road again, just can't wait to get on the road again." You'll be surprised at how handy your new multimeter will be for solving future mysteries like this.... Dale