Installing hitch/wiring to tow with electric brakes (98-03) (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Jun 3, 2018
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Location
Salt Lake City, UT
My in-laws are giving us allowance to use their pop-up trailer during the summers (they live in SW Utah and it is too hot for them to camp) and I am trying to wrap my head around getting my '99 ready to tow. This is a totally novel concept to me and I really don't have a good grasp on what is required.

First, it's a smaller camper - 2,100 lbs dry weight - and it has electric brakes (7-pin pigtail).

Second, I understand that the 98-03 rigs didn't have a towing option, meaning there's no simple way to plug-and-play to get the electric brakes, which are important to me because I live in the mountains and I don't want to lean too heavily on my 21-year-old truck.

Third, my weld nuts are out of alignment (like many others) and I can't just slap a Draw Tite 75095 on. I've got my fair share of rust so I'd rather let someone else take care of things anyway. I'd be fine wth U-haul putting their hitch on, but they can't do the wiring.

Hopefully, someone with experience can walk me through the process - I can gather bits and pieces from various threads on here, but I'm starting from scratch and want to make sure I do this right the first time. The hitch problem is solvable. The wiring problem is giving me a headache. I have gathered enough to understand I need a brake controller plugged into the dash, but otherwise, I'm not exactly sure how it is going to work. With this old of a car, is the brake controller going to be automatic or will it be 100% manual? Who even does this kind of wiring - garage or RV place? I've had electrical problems in the past regarding shorts in my wire harness (that subsequently fried my dash, fuel sender, and fuel pump) so I don't want just anyone messing around back there.

Much appreciation to those that can help.
 
Well, you'll need to wire (or get wired) a 4 pin to (4 pin + ) 7 pin adapter.
You'll need to route a +12V line from your battery to your adapter.
You'll need to tap a reverse wire and route the wire to your adapter.

There are trailer brake controllers which make life much easier. You can get a "dash mount" unit and connect it to power, ground, a brake wire, and then route the output wire to your adapter. Or, you can get a Curt BT trailer brake controller (or equivalent), and it just plugs in between your 7 pin output on the truck and the 7 pin input for the trailer, and is controlled by a phone, tablet, or laptop (it doesn't need to stay connected to BT, just to make configuration changes). Neat device; I use one.

If you don't mind doing a bit of remedial wiring yourself, there are tons of threads on here for a DIY with simple tools.
 
'99 LX...

 
ramangain, that is great, thanks so much. The whole idea of hard wiring a brake controller has been less than ideal, but that sounds pretty darn good. I've started reading through some reviews of them and it seems like most people are super, super pleased, with a minority that seemingly can't figure out how to get it all to work. Any experience with the Curt Echo?
 
ramangain, that is great, thanks so much. The whole idea of hard wiring a brake controller has been less than ideal, but that sounds pretty darn good. I've started reading through some reviews of them and it seems like most people are super, super pleased, with a minority that seemingly can't figure out how to get it all to work. Any experience with the Curt Echo?
If they made the hardwired controllers with the ability to easily unplug/plug in then it would probably be a different story for a lot of us. People don't necessarily want something permanently mounted in their vehicles that they only use a handful of times a year. Plus add to that the fact that I was quoted $700+ to have an entry level (Not the P3) controller installed in my truck by a local shop, which did include running all new wiring, thing start to be come a bit cost prohibitive. So the extra cost of the Curt Echo vs. something like the Tekonsha P3 is negligible as you don't have to worry necessarily about getting something hardwired into your truck.
 
If they made the hardwired controllers with the ability to easily unplug/plug in then it would probably be a different story for a lot of us. People don't necessarily want something permanently mounted in their vehicles that they only use a handful of times a year. Plus add to that the fact that I was quoted $700+ to have an entry level (Not the P3) controller installed in my truck by a local shop, which did include running all new wiring, thing start to be come a bit cost prohibitive. So the extra cost of the Curt Echo vs. something like the Tekonsha P3 is negligible as you don't have to worry necessarily about getting something hardwired into your truck.

That was exactly my thinking. I've had some electrical issues and the less I mess with anything, the better. I am just curious to find out how well it all works.
 
If they made the hardwired controllers with the ability to easily unplug/plug in then it would probably be a different story for a lot of us. People don't necessarily want something permanently mounted in their vehicles that they only use a handful of times a year. Plus add to that the fact that I was quoted $700+ to have an entry level (Not the P3) controller installed in my truck by a local shop, which did include running all new wiring, thing start to be come a bit cost prohibitive. So the extra cost of the Curt Echo vs. something like the Tekonsha P3 is negligible as you don't have to worry necessarily about getting something hardwired into your truck.

The P3 unplugs and can be removed.

After just doing the P3 + 7-pin install, I see where the $700 comes from!
 
The P3 unplugs and can be removed.

After just doing the P3 + 7-pin install, I see where the $700 comes from!
But see that is the thing, they WEREN'T installing a P3, just some random other one.
 
If you do go down the road of DIY (not sure you sound psyched for it), and you need to wire this in - I have some thoughts!


First, I would pressure wash the underside of the truck. No one likes dirt falling in their eyes!

Maybe before washing the bottom of the truck, take the 10 gauge wire and lay it out flat in the sun so it is nice and pliable.

Also before washing, drop the spare tire. I guess that makes washing the truck third on the list, not first!

Figure out where the mid-point of the wire run is and crawl under the driver side your 100. Driver side b/c battery is there, brake controller will get wired there, and I put my 7-pin on DS to be away from exhaust side.

Start at the front of the fuel tank. On my LX, there was a hole at the seam in the tank that was perfect for a zip tie. Working my way back you can route the wire between the tank and the mounting strap, then over the cross-member. Keep working your way back and looking for places to route the wire that will keep it out oh harms way. At the back, I put an extra loop of wire in case I ever wanted to move the connector. I zip tied the loop to the fuel inlet pipe, up above the spare.

Now go back to the front of the fuel tank and plan your route forward, and then up to the battery. You want to stay away from the exhaust and the cat. There were some brackets that you can tuck the line over that will keep it in place with the help of some zip ties. Once it comes time to route the cable up. run on the inner fender, stay clear of the brake lines. Run the wire bundle out the top where the inner fender and firewall meet.

Now it is time to remove the outer wrap. This is the best place to do so because the black wire will run up to the battery (via circuit breaker), but the white wire needs to go into the passenger compartment via the rubber boot in the firewall.

I wish I had started at the midpoint of my LX. Instead I started at the back and ran forward. But I kept finding better places to run the wire. 2 10-gauge wires in a bundle are kind of bulky and cumbersome to keep moving around, so this took some time!

Hope this can help you...
 
If you do go down the road of DIY (not sure you sound psyched for it), and you need to wire this in - I have some thoughts!


First, I would pressure wash the underside of the truck. No one likes dirt falling in their eyes!

Maybe before washing the bottom of the truck, take the 10 gauge wire and lay it out flat in the sun so it is nice and pliable.

Also before washing, drop the spare tire. I guess that makes washing the truck third on the list, not first!

Figure out where the mid-point of the wire run is and crawl under the driver side your 100. Driver side b/c battery is there, brake controller will get wired there, and I put my 7-pin on DS to be away from exhaust side.

Start at the front of the fuel tank. On my LX, there was a hole at the seam in the tank that was perfect for a zip tie. Working my way back you can route the wire between the tank and the mounting strap, then over the cross-member. Keep working your way back and looking for places to route the wire that will keep it out oh harms way. At the back, I put an extra loop of wire in case I ever wanted to move the connector. I zip tied the loop to the fuel inlet pipe, up above the spare.

Now go back to the front of the fuel tank and plan your route forward, and then up to the battery. You want to stay away from the exhaust and the cat. There were some brackets that you can tuck the line over that will keep it in place with the help of some zip ties. Once it comes time to route the cable up. run on the inner fender, stay clear of the brake lines. Run the wire bundle out the top where the inner fender and firewall meet.

Now it is time to remove the outer wrap. This is the best place to do so because the black wire will run up to the battery (via circuit breaker), but the white wire needs to go into the passenger compartment via the rubber boot in the firewall.

I wish I had started at the midpoint of my LX. Instead I started at the back and ran forward. But I kept finding better places to run the wire. 2 10-gauge wires in a bundle are kind of bulky and cumbersome to keep moving around, so this took some time!

Hope this can help you...

Awesome write-up. You're right, I'd rather not do it myself, but having a detailed response like this makes it more palatable, especially if I go with the bluetooth brake controller. So did you just connect the black wire directly to the battery post with a ring terminal? Because that's not something I'd be worried about doing myself. I just don't want to tap into the wire harness honestly.
 
This kit came with great instructions from e-trailer as well: https://www.etrailer.com/p-ETBC7/Brake-Controller-7--4-Way-Installation-Kit---10-Gauge.html

Let me know if you want me to scan them and post them up!

Oh man, the etrailer guys are so good with their instructions. Again, I'm figuring this out as I go, but putting the circuit breaker in the power line was completely new to me. Their diagram just makes it so much simpler.

1595951184816.png


And they have a full installation video. I love YouTube.
 
Awesome write-up. You're right, I'd rather not do it myself, but having a detailed response like this makes it more palatable, especially if I go with the bluetooth brake controller. So did you just connect the black wire directly to the battery post with a ring terminal? Because that's not something I'd be worried about doing myself. I just don't want to tap into the wire harness honestly.

The black wire does go to the + battery terminal, but it does so via a 40 amp self-resetting circuit breaker, w/ crimp-on ring terminals.

I can gab a picture if that would be helpful?
 
ramangain, that is great, thanks so much. The whole idea of hard wiring a brake controller has been less than ideal, but that sounds pretty darn good. I've started reading through some reviews of them and it seems like most people are super, super pleased, with a minority that seemingly can't figure out how to get it all to work. Any experience with the Curt Echo?
Yes. The Curt Echo works fine for me. Since it probably has internal accelerometers/gyros to detect "braking", it may work best in certain installation configurations. I have my truck 7 pin pointing directly backwards, and the Echo works just fine when plugged in. I'm happy with mine.

I also mentioned that I can't get my trailer brakes to lock up. After checking the shoe adjustment (all were fine, as expected), I pulled the drum off and found my issue. The shoes seem to have slightly more meat on them on one end. Once this burns off, I'm guessing I'll have more shoe to drum contact and more substantial braking force. Wonderful Chinese parts!

If you want to install a proportional electric brake controller with the least amount of wiring hassle, I'd recommend the Curt Echo so far. I kind of anticipated using my trailer with both my LX and soon-to-be brother-in-law and his Audi Q7, so some portability is valuable to me. If my friend with a Sequoia wants to move around some stuff with my trailer, he's set too with just borrowing my Curt Echo.
 
Thanks for all the help everyone. I was getting myself all worked up to do the wiring myself until I called the RV place that my garage recommended. They'll do all the work for about $150 more than the parts so... yeah, that's an easy call to save myself some time. That includes hitch, wiring, and brake controller (this Draw Tite proportional controller that they like: https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Brake-Controller/Draw-Tite/5535.html) plus, of course, testing and a guarantee.
 

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