Installing a brake controller in 97 Plymouth G. Voyager

[kevin61]

Has anyone installed a brake controller in a 97 Plymouth Grand Voyager? My sister and her family are taking my trailer for a trip in August and I want to transfer my Tekonsha P3 to their van. Although they could get by without trailer brakes I'd like to hook them up for that extra protection.

I hooked the P3 up in my 2002 Sonoma with few problems. The biggest obstacle was locating the correct wire to tap into on the brake switch.

So far I've had no luck online finding vehicle specific information for the Grand Voyager. My main concern is the location of the "cold" brake wire and if the controller will have an adverse effect on the Plymouths' ABS.

[Russ & Marian McLean]

EDIT: I looked at my parent's 1998 (not so grand) Caravan this morning. There are 6 wires connected to the brake light switch. Use a voltmeter to test. A test light can burn out a sensor line of the car's computer. Pete has a better suggestion below...

I can not answer the ABS part, my "new" tow vehicle is a 1975 IH Scout. The brake switch is usually located up under the dash. Follow the lever arm of your brake pedal assembly up under the dash. There will be a stop that the brake pedal rests against. There should be a switch on the stop. This is the brake switch, it has a small piston that rests against the lever arm. When you depress the pedal, the piston moves out and turns on the brake lights.

If the switch has 2 wires, you got lucky. Use a voltmeter or test light find your connection (Hot when depressed, cold with the pedal resting against the stop)

It the switch has 4 wires, the other 2 wires are for the cruise control.

More than 4 wires? No idea!

[kevin61]

I haven't actually looked at my brother in laws' van yet but the closest clue I can find (online) is that it may be a white wire with a tan stripe.

I will repeat the procedure I did with my Sonoma and probe this wire with a test light while depressing the brake.

I was just hoping someone would have vehicle specific information to reduce my guesswork.

As a side note, for anything to do with towing, etrailer.com generally has very good information and demos for anything to do with trailer towing. A lot of their information is also vehicle specific.

http://www.etrailer.com/tvc-9-Brake-Controllers.html

[Pete Dumbleton]

Just call Cequent-Tekonsha tech support and ask -- They maintain wiring diagrams for all sorts of vehicles because it's their business to know which wires are the right ones!

[kevin61]

Thanks Pete. I didn't think of contacting them. I just sent them an email

[Russ & Marian McLean]

I looked at my parent's 1998 (not so grand) Caravan this morning. There are 6 wires connected to the brake light switch. Use a voltmeter to test. A test light can burn out a sensor line of the car's computer. Pete has a better suggestion. I edited my previous post.

[kevin61]

Tekonsha gave me a very quick response to confirm that it is indeed the white/tan wire that I need to splice into on the 97 Grand Voyageur.