No light on Prodigy P2 after battery dies

[EllPea in CA]

You don't want to know the details.

Suffice to say that the battery died on TV due to circumstances beyond our control. Jump started, all fine. However, I just noticed that brake controller LED is not lighting up.

We're not yet towing, and the brake "line" is not yet connected into plugs at rear. But once battery is up and going, shouldn't the light come on again?

Also, should we just unplug the controller when not towing the trailer? (the little LED light stays on, even when key is off.)

[Borrego Dave]

The LEDs will go off in a few minutes after shutdown. No idea about not having power after a jump....a relay reset?

[David Tilston]

My RV tow vehicle is parked over the winter. I took my P3 out of my van, last fall, after it drained the battery two winters in a row. This spring the van started up just fine.

[Byron Kinnaman]

One thing I've found very helpful in situations like this. Google the company and contact Tekonsha. This is the last place I would consider for information about your problem.

[The Minimalist]

What is your TV? Some, my '07 Chevrolet Silverado, though it came with the factory tow package, did require two wires to be connected under the hood.

I'm sure you have the P2 manual, but just in case here is a link to it.

http://tekonsha.com/support/installation/N90885.pdf

Number 5 under 'Important Facts to Remember' lists the help line phone number. Never hurts to 'get it from the horses mouth'.

Also, go to Trailer Hitches & Vehicle Accessories (800)298-8924 and see if there is a video on hooking up the P2 to your vehicle.

Did you use the vehicle specific pigtail to connect the P2 under the dash. If not, check your wiring. On the controller pigtail, white is ground, black is the power supply, blue is the controller output and red is the brake switch signal.

By the way, the controller should turn off after 15 minutes of no activity. The controller shouldn't run down the battery, unless there is something else wrong with the wiring.

[EllPea in CA]

Originally Posted by The Minimalist

Did you use the vehicle specific pigtail to connect the P2 under the dash. If not, check your wiring. On the controller pigtail, white is ground, black is the power supply, blue is the controller output and red is the brake switch signal.

By the way, the controller should turn off after 15 minutes of no activity. The controller shouldn't run down the battery, unless there is something else wrong with the wiring.

Thank you Clif (and everyone). I don't think it turned off, so will make sure to have the wiring checked. I wonder if it IS responsible for battery dying? Perhaps that was a good thing, we can get it sorted before getting out on the road (if that EVER happens).

[The Minimalist]

I know that on newer computerized vehicles, though the main processor turns of after some minutes, it won't turn off if there is battery draw, indicating that some circuit is still active, in which case the the processor stays awake 'watching' for activity. In some cases this can kill the battery overnight.

In automotive training programs I was involved with prior to retirement, when working on these cars that had dead battery issues, we always said to first look for those Scotchlok connectors under the dash, especially if some aftermarket accessory was visible. Many times they just Scotchloked the accessory to the first hot wire they found. The computer will note any draw and turn on. If the draw caused it to stay on......dead battery.

I don't think this will effect an '88 Volvo, but you may want to call Volvo to find out.

If you think the controller is draining the battery, have a good local shop run a parasitic draw test on the car, with and without the controller plugged in. That will answer the question.

Good luck.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by David Tilston

My RV tow vehicle is parked over the winter. I took my P3 out of my van, last fall, after it drained the battery two winters in a row. This spring the van started up just fine.

I doubt it.

I was worried about battery drain when I bought my P3 so I hooked it up to my bench power supply and a (mili)amp meter. The power drain when it was on was slight (the exact number I don't recall), and as it was designed to do, it shut off after about 15 minutes and current dropped to ZERO.

Batteries self discharge, especially in winter. Perhaps that was the cause if you parked it all winter. Also the previous winters might have been colder than the third one.

Also some cars (especially my Sienna it seems) have other parasitic power draws that will kill a battery in a few weeks. Standard advice is to disconnect the car's battery if it won't be driven in a month or so. If longer then storing it with a trickle charger is the thing to do. My Sienna it did kill the battery in less than 2 weeks but I was using the power doors once in a while. It had nothing to do with the P3.

[EllPea in CA]

Originally Posted by The Minimalist

In automotive training programs I was involved with prior to retirement, when working on these cars that had dead battery issues, we always said to first look for those Scotchlok connectors under the dash, especially if some aftermarket accessory was visible. Many times they just Scotchloked the accessory to the first hot wire they found. The computer will note any draw and turn on. If the draw caused it to stay on......dead battery.

I don't think this will effect an '88 Volvo, but you may want to call Volvo to find out.
Good luck.

You are right about the hot wire. When we bought this one (a 2002, not an '88) it lacked a seat heater. Not a necessity for most people, but I have a lot of back pain, and the heat helps this, sometimes even in summer. We had an after-market seat heater installed, and drove it home from the bay area. Turns out, yes, they hot wired it.

Neither of us wished to go back down for that correction, and after 30 years of expecting a seat heater to go off when I shut off the key, I had a *really* hard time remembering to shut off the heater, and it was a big draw. Volvo Steve tracked this down and rewired for us, but not before I had drained the battery several times.

But this is a computerized setup, so I bet it IS staying active with that LED draw from the controller. Don't these guys have a little shut-off? (I know, read the manual. )

[The Minimalist]

LP, the P2 should turn off after 15 minutes of inactivity, per the manual.

If it doesn't go off, there may be something that it is reading as 'activity'. A parasitic draw test with the controller removed would determine this.......or the unit may be defective.

A call to Tekonsha may be in order.

Oh yeah, your trailer is an '88............and you're listening to me???

[EllPea in CA]

Originally Posted by The Minimalist;545873

Oh yeah, your [U

trailer[/U] is an '88............and you're listening to me???

Oh, DUH! Clearly I'm losing brain cells by the minute. By the time I get this rig on the road, I'll probably be too mentally diminished to even drive.

[David Tilston]

Originally Posted by gordon2

I doubt it.

That is your prerogative, but I stand by my experience.

Totally dead two winters in a row with the P3 plugged in. Started fine the first spring it was not plugged in. Coincidence? You be the judge.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by David Tilston

That is your prerogative, but I stand by my experience.

More accurately, it is my conclusion based on actual testing and confirming there was no power draw after (about) 15 minutes. My prerogative was to do an actual test measurement. And even before the unit shuts off, the power drain is very slight and not going to kill a battery in normal use.

If you have some evidence to the contrary based on methodical testing, rather than the vehicle didn't start one year but did the next, I and the rest of the group would love to know about it.

I second the statement to have a shop, "run a parasitic draw test on the car, with and without the controller plugged in. That will answer the question."

PS. etrailers comment on this alleged problem:

"if the controller thinks a trailer is connected because of a short or corroded connector on the vehicle then it will not turn off and it will draw more power than when in its power saving mode. The only time a brake controller uses any significant amount of power is when braking. When a brake controller has not sent power back to the brakes after a period of time, it shuts down until the next time you use it. "

[David Tilston]

Well Gordon, you are clearly an expert. I bow to your superior intellect.