Trailer wiring help please

[MadFish]

Im trying to hook the brake controller up. But, where is the brakelight switch? I found a switch on the pedal assy. but it moves with the switch and has about 5 wires going to it. Is the brakelight switch part of the cruise switch? This is on my '98.

 

Also, where are the wires for the trailer connector hided at? Would it be easier to find them, if I took out the spare tire?

[whitesnake01]

Im trying to hook the brake controller up. But, where is the brakelight switch? I found a switch on the pedal assy. but it moves with the switch and has about 5 wires going to it. Is the brakelight switch part of the cruise switch? This is on my '98.

 

Also, where are the wires for the trailer connector hided at? Would it be easier to find them, if I took out the spare tire?

This may be different with more modern Chevy products, but in my 93 Suburban I first used a Tekosha Voyager controller. That product tapped into the brake signal for the truck to feed itself. I found out the hard way that this setup has the side effect that if you slow down on a hill and turn on the hazard lights, the hole truck starts pulsating as the trailer brakes modulate with the hazard lights...

 

I have detailed shop manuals for my truck and could not find a way to re-wire the brake controller to avoid this problem. There was basically no separate brake circuit that could be tapped into. That may have changed in your vintage.

 

In the end I switched to a different controller, the Ultima 2020. It works like a dream. It uses a mechanical feed from the brake pedal to output variable power to the trailer brakes plus it does not cause pulsation with hazard lights. With the old controller, my trailer brakes would be at full stopping power when I stood at a stoplight. With the new one, I can back off power with my foot pedal to just hold the truck and trailer in place. This saves on the magnets in the trailer brakes.

[95 Silverado]

the factory wiring for the trailer plug connection is probably taped to the harness above the spare tire, mine was on my '95, it had a large blue wire (brake) and a large orange wire (power) which run to the front near the power/ fuse center under the hood.

  the brake light switch should be on/near the brake pedal. usually the power side is orange, the brake light wire will be white. this wire goes from the brake light switch to the turn signal switch connector at the steering column. after this point it is combined with the turn/hazard lights and won't work for the brake signal to the controller. if your truck has a high mounted stop light the wire to it could also be used because it only works with the brakes, and not with the turn/hazard lights.

[todddd41]

I don't know about your '98, but on my 2000, there was a harness that came with the truck that plugged into an electrical panel next to the emergency brake. It was specifically intended to hook up a brake control, so all the wires were right there.

 

Note- Do Not attempt to hook up a mechanichal unit on your 98. It will screw up your ABS.

[MadFish]

Thanks, guys. I got everything wired up and working now. Thanks, again.

[96 Vortec]

A little off the subject, but how is everything going?  I don't visit this site much and I just bought a house, so I pretty much have no free time now.