Tekonsha 2016 Trailer Brake Controller Wiring

Hi everyone,

My truck came with a Hydraulic trailer brake controller and I am trying to figure out how to wire it.

The previous owner, like many other "fixes" on this truck had it wired in, but the breakers were tripping so he just cut the wires.

I would like to wire it in to be sure that it works.  My truck did not come with the trailer option so I am wiring from scratch.

The controller as best I can tell from pictures (no labels on it at all) is a Tekonsha 2016.

Here is a sample photo until I can get to mine to take some.


There are 3 wires coming out the back.  Red, Black, and Blue.  I know it's a long shot, but would someone happen to have an installation guide or know a good place to look?

I plan on installing a 7 blade connector and a 4 pin connector combo on the back bumper so that I can tow a uhaul trailer.

I know I need 10GA power through a breaker down to the connecter and I believe the Blue wire is also supposed to feed through a breaker down to the connector.

Red and black I would assume are power and ground for the controller except for the fact that the black wire appears to be connected to a LG/R Hash wire under the dash.  As best I can tell, that is power to the brake light switch.

Pictures to follow as I haven't had a chance to take any yet.

There's a similar post on eTrailer asking the same question:

https://www.etrailer.com/question-9730.html

The support specialist said:

... You will need to attach the blue wire on the 2016 controller to the brake feed wire connection at the rear of your vehicle, the red wire to the cold side of the stoplight switch, the black wire to the positive post of the vehicle battery through a circuit breaker. Use a 15 amp circuit breaker for 2 brake assembly trailers, 20 amps for 4 brake trailers and 30 amps for 6 brake trailers. This unit gets its ground through the brake line connection to the master cylinder.

So it is indeed still a 4-wire setup it's just that the hydraulic connection is your fourth wire.

If you're going with a standard 4-pin/7-blade setup, how married are you to this controller? Do you actually have a trailer with hydraulic brakes? They're sort of specialized and e-brakes are the standard now, fed simply off a blue wire from a modern brake controller. I've hauled probably 9 different trailers now between horse haulers, utility trailers, and campers, and every single one was electric. If you don't need the hydraulics maybe it's time to modernize? (The thought of having to tap the vehicle's master cylinder for this line and avoiding having this hookup leak give me the shivers.)

taskswap wrote

There's a similar post on eTrailer asking the same question: https://www.etrailer.com/question-9730.html The support specialist said: ... You will need to attach the blue wire on the 2016 controller to the brake feed wire connection at the rear of your vehicle, the red wire to the cold side of the stoplight switch, the black wire to the positive post of the vehicle battery through a circuit breaker. Use a 15 amp circuit breaker for 2 brake assembly trailers, 20 amps for 4 brake trailers and 30 amps for 6 brake trailers. This unit gets its ground through the brake line connection to the master cylinder. So it is indeed still a 4-wire setup it's just that the hydraulic connection is your fourth wire. If you're going with a standard 4-pin/7-blade setup, how married are you to this controller? Do you actually have a trailer with hydraulic brakes? They're sort of specialized and e-brakes are the standard now, fed simply off a blue wire from a modern brake controller. I've hauled probably 9 different trailers now between horse haulers, utility trailers, and campers, and every single one was electric. If you don't need the hydraulics maybe it's time to modernize? (The thought of having to tap the vehicle's master cylinder for this line and avoiding having this hookup leak give me the shivers.)

I'm very married to this controller because it came plumbed into the master already. My understanding was that the hydraulic portion is what was used to sense the brakes being applied, but I don't know for sure. I am going to read that post again and see what I can glean.

EDIT: I just stuck my head under the dash and had a look. Red wire looks to be connected (with scotchloks) to the cold side of the brake switch (LG wire). The black wire is connected to the LG/R H wire also with scotchloks. The LG/R H wire is the hot side of the brake switch I believe.

It may not be a model 2016, that just the closest I've been able to find, but either way is sounds like I need to rewire the hot side to not be on the brake switch.

When I got the truck I think there was some 12GA that ran from the battery, along the AC lines to the driver side fender. This went through a circuit breaker that I don't remember the size of. If I remember correctly the blue wire went through a different circuit breaker of unknown size and both went down the frame rail.

The wires were all cut off down by the bumper, and the heavy power wire was cut at the battery because the PO couldn't figure out why the breakers were tripping. I think the cut harness at the bumper was shorting on the frame and tripping the one.

I pulled out all this wiring without documenting where it went because everything else wiring related I'd see was messed up.

Thanks,

There should be four wires... Power, ground, brake in, trailer brake out. If there's only three, something's missing. Unless it's grounded through the chassis?

From what I understand it grounds through the hydraulic line

ratdude747 wrote

There should be four wires... Power, ground, brake in, trailer brake out. If there's only three, something's missing. Unless it's grounded through the chassis?

Its grounded through the metal brake line.

I would wire it up as was posted from Etrailer.
That blue out put wire to the trailer brakes I would install a breaker on it as I would the power in wire.
That power in wire should go to the battery NOT the hot side of the brake light switch.
The 3rd wire to the brake light switch dose not need a breaker.

Now that controller IIRC (been a long time since I played with that controller) dose not have the sensitivity for loaded & unloaded trailers so a adjustable resister needs to be added to the blue out put wire.
This resister looks like 2 large springs with a metal bar between the springs that slides up & down the springs. This is mounted under the hood. With the campers we pulled they were loaded all the time so once set it did not need to be adjusted.
But if you have say a car trailer were the load changes all the time you would need to adjust it.

I do think it has "ramp up" adjustment by turning the knob. That would change how far the knob moveds with the pedal. Little pedal little controller or little pedal a lot of controller.

Because itis tied into the brake lines the line where it ties in to the controller has to be bleeded for it to work right. And like a wheel cyl. it can leak, but I only remember 1 ever leaking. I dont think they sell that type of controller and that I believe it is because of ABS systems on new stuff.
Back in 86 I dont think I could get this type for my new 86 K5 Blazer so I have been using the newer types.
Dave ----

In the documentation is a set of instructions for a Kelsey-Hayes hydraulic actuated controller (mine) the wire colors sound the same, and there were only 3 wires originally.

Here is the link: https://www.garysgaragemahal.com/KELSEY-ELECTRIC-BRAKE-CONTROLLER-INSTALLATION-INSTRUCTIONS.html

This one didn't have any springs, there's a thumb wheel on one side that I think controls the bias. I'll for sure be adding a breaker to the black wire that is on the hot side of the brake switch and move the connection out to my bus bar.

I'll also add a new breaker for the blue wire and run new wires down to the back of the truck.  I also plan on running a breaker and some heavy wire from the battery down to the back bumper.  I believe this is normally used to charge the batteries on the trailer, but I could be wrong.

Thanks!

I saw this post when I was searching, but I wasn't sure if the wiring would be the same.  I'll have another look and see.

Here's the pictures of my unit.











This new phone is very awkward to get photos with.

None of these wires look all that heavy gauge either.

Little late up date.
It looks like your unit is little newer than Bill's and what I have dealt with.
On Bill's you turn the knob that maves when you step on the brakes.
Yours has that wheel that dose the same thing.

The spring I was talking of dose not come with the controller it is an extra.
Depending on what you pull you can try with out it and see what happens.
If the trailer is unloaded or is light on weight and locks up the trailer brakes then you will need the spring resister.
I tried Etrailer looking for it but did not find it?So maybe you will be ok?
Dave ----

FuzzFace2 wrote

Little late up date.
It looks like your unit is little newer than Bill's and what I have dealt with.
On Bill's you turn the knob that maves when you step on the brakes.
Yours has that wheel that dose the same thing.

The spring I was talking of dose not come with the controller it is an extra.
Depending on what you pull you can try with out it and see what happens.
If the trailer is unloaded or is light on weight and locks up the trailer brakes then you will need the spring resister.
I tried Etrailer looking for it but did not find it?So maybe you will be ok?
Dave ----

The main trailer I'll be using at first is a UHaul Auto Transport and they only have the 4 pin flat connector.

I'm installing the 4 flat/7 blade combo so that I have the option of hauling other stuff later.  The UHaul has automatic surge brakes so my controller wont even be needed.  I just wanted to have it wired correctly since it was already plumbed into my system.

Good luck with it, I despise surge brakes and I am not a huge fan of the all electronic controllers.

85lebaront2 wrote

Good luck with it, I despise surge brakes and I am not a huge fan of the all electronic controllers.

I dont like the surge brakes either.
I have grown to like the all electronic controllers but you have to get the good ones, read $$$ that use a pendulum not the junk timed ones.
Dave ----

I didn't pay all that much for my electronic brake controller (not a timer unit!). Tekonsha Primus IQ. Got it in barely used condition for $50 if memory serves. Available new for just over $100. Very good bang for the buck.

Dave, I bought a Kelsey-Hayes Genesis for my 2009 Flex Limited, Darth still has my old $60 new Kelsey-Hayes hydraulic operated controller.