Jump to content

Need help w/Prodigy install in '97 Suburban

Dave H.

By Dave H.
in The Off-Topic Bar

Recommended Posts

Dave H. Enthusiast

Dave H.

Posted
Posted

Hi guys,

 

I need some help with the installation of a Prodigy brake controller in a '97 Chevy Suburban. Tekonsha's instructions for the '97 GM vehicles say to find the wire for the brake lights in the main bundle of 40+ wires located adjacent to the courtesy panel on the firewall under the emergency brake. You are supposed to be able to locate 5 white wires, 4 "light gauge" wires (16ga.) and 1 "heavy gauge" (14ga.)  wire in the main bundle. There are at least the claimed 40+ wires in the bundle in this vehicle and probably 35 of them are 16 gauge. They say to probe the 4 "light gauge wires" until  you find the one that is only hot when the brake pedal is depressed and is not hot when the emergency flashers are activated. There is no way I'm going to stick a test light probe through the insulation of 30 or 40 wires while laying upside down under the dash and trying to work the brake pedal with my shoulder. I'm not going to probe that many wire regardless of my level of comfort or discomfort.  There's got to be a better way. Do any of you know from prior experience what color wire I might be looking for or if there is another place tap into it. I tried to trace it back  from the brake pedal switch, but wasn't able to do this either. The switch is up on top of the brake pedal and almost completely inaccessible without pulling the entire dash out of the truck. This is not my first time installing a brake contol, or a Prodigy, but this is the first time I ever ran into anything like this. The truck belongs to a buddy of mine and I finally gave up for the day. Tekonsha's directions are usually fairly accurate, but I'm not having much luck with this installation. It really blows my mind that they'll sell you a truck that is supposedly equipped with a "tow package" and then make it almost impossible to install a break controller. I called Tekonsha, but they're closed until Monday. Thanks in advance for any light you might be able to shed on this for me. It was a really frustrating afternoon.

 

Dave

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Latest Articles

  • Posts

    • Chuck FB
      Tire psi

      By Chuck FB · Posted

      I will admit I haven't experimented much with pressure drops beyond the numbers I put in and part of that is that the numbers I used are fairly low and then found out it would trigger regardless at that 35 psi. Having said that I had tried before had changed the placard pressures and being that I have a 1 ton set to 80 on the placard for the rear I believe it triggered close to 60, the front I don't recall now for sure but thought maybe it could get close to 45 from that factory 60 placard pressure. So I never did figure out if it was a number of psi from placard pressure to the alarm or a percentage of the total placard number as some figured it was like a 25% drop from placard pressure would trigger it. So as to try and answer your question, I believe I set the placard pressure on the front to 47 or so and while I run the front tires at 40, they have dipped below that some if its colder and I haven't put "winter air" in yet and never once have had the front alarm go off. I would say that the answer your looking for is no, that if you set your placard pressure to 45, you have a certain amount of room to drop below that pressure before the alarm will go off.    The pressures you decide to run in your truck, that ends up being what makes sense to you based on what your carrying in your truck or if towing, then have to bump them back up to something that will carry the load in the rear and the fronts typically left at the same pressure. It all comes down to that chart I put the link to and using an accurate roadside scale to be your guide, both unloaded and then loaded to know your minimum safe pressures.    I just wish GM would allow a person to change the readings for the tire pressures to the English system of pounds as I have to look at that goofy metric reading that will never ever jive in my head and will go over and change it just to figure out what they are if need be and then change it back. 
    • TrueBlue
      No Software Updates - Old Build

      By TrueBlue · Posted

      That part I understand, that the dealer can do it. But I'm not understanding why updates that were available to the truck since it left the factory, or the dealership originally, would not still be available to it without dealer intervention.   I'm thinking along the lines of recalls. They stay available until they are completed. Why not updates as well, especially since some of those can be safety related also?
    • jgaudet99
      Tire psi

      By jgaudet99 · Posted

      That's good to know, but I don't think I'll even be running them under 45 in the rear  unless it's on the sand or something but will only be for a short distance anyways!    I didn't read all the instructions in the booklet yet, but do you know let's say I set the rear psi on the placard to 45, will the warning light come on soon as it drops under 45 or is there a percentage it has to drop from the set value before the warning light is triggered?
    • newdude
      Would this CV Shaft be bad?

      By newdude · Posted

      That's bad.  Like, its probably destroying the stub axle the CV slides into.   Do you have a proper lift installed with differential lowering brackets?  Did you install AT4/Trail Boss factory CV axles?  
    • PunchT37
      Would this CV Shaft be bad?

      By PunchT37 · Posted

      Hot? New Jersey? Today? I was working on my old 2000 Silverado 1500 today. Believe me, it was boiling hot today. As it has been.

  • GM-Trucks.com Clubs

  • Popular Contributors

×
×
  • Create New...