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Topic ClosedBrake wiring shorted and smoked.
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davidi View Drop Down
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Joined: 02 Jul 2017
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Posts: 8 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: Brake wiring shorted and smoked.
    Posted: 03 Dec 2018 at 3:35pm

I need to rewire the brakes. I am familiar with electrical wiring in general. Do you think it is a job best left for a dealer? What is the complexity of it?

Something shorted when the wires were cut under the trailer. Later, the emergency brake was pulled accidentally when the trailer was parked and the wire started to smoke melting the wire's insulation. I had to disconnect the battery to stop it.Shocked
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mcarter View Drop Down
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Joined: 07 Apr 2016
Location: Greenbrier, TN
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Posts: 3419 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Dec 2018 at 3:39pm
Is it under warranty? It is not more complicated than any other wiring, the materials are all available. I wouldn't suggest long trips without brakes. If you have wiring skills you can do it, issue will be finding the culprit.
Mike Carter
2015 178
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TheBum View Drop Down
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Joined: 26 Feb 2016
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Posts: 1407 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Dec 2018 at 3:49pm
Sounds like a short to ground, i.e. the frame. It should be easy to check with a multimeter, assuming there's any wire left after the insulation burned off.
Alan
2022 R-Pod 196 "RaptoRPod"
2022 Ram 1500 Lone Star 4x4
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davidi View Drop Down
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Posts: 8 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Dec 2018 at 4:54pm
Thank you all. It is not under warranty. I had a quick look under the frame and saw a couple of places where the insulation had gotten hot. So I was thinking to basically rewire the whole thing so not to miss any possible degraded insulation section. I think if I could get a wiring diagram it may be easier to do that. What do you all think?
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furpod View Drop Down
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Joined: 25 Jul 2011
Location: Central KY
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Posts: 6128 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Dec 2018 at 4:56pm
It is literally just a straight 12v circuit. Nothing tricky about it.
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GlueGuy View Drop Down
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Posts: 2654 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Dec 2018 at 5:18pm
+1 to what furpod said. There is just 12VDC going to the brakes. There is probably a junction/splice between the left and right side, but nothing more complicated than that.
bp
2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River
2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost
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mcarter View Drop Down
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Joined: 07 Apr 2016
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Posts: 3419 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Dec 2018 at 5:35pm
The brakes are two wire, and it doesn't matter which wire goes to where. Some diagrams show a blue wire and a ground. Get rid of any short areas and wire it. There is no 12V and ground side at the brake. You can hook them up either way. Pretty cut and dry.
Mike Carter
2015 178
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davidi View Drop Down
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Posts: 8 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Dec 2018 at 7:53pm
The short must have been in the wires coming from the emergency brake switch because it all started smoking when that pin was pulled? uhm....

Thanks again.
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furpod View Drop Down
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Joined: 25 Jul 2011
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Posts: 6128 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Dec 2018 at 7:19am
Originally posted by davidi

The short must have been in the wires coming from the emergency brake switch because it all started smoking when that pin was pulled? uhm....

Thanks again.




The short can be located anywhere in the brake wiring. When that breakaway switch is activated, it sends maximum amps to the brakes. It's job is to stop the camper as fast and hard as possible, in case it has become unattached. So it energizes the entire system fully.

So you have the wires coming from the battery to the breakaway, the wires from the breakaway to the brake wires, the wires running to the brakes themselves. As noted above, the wires coming out of the brake housings are polarity blind. It's just a simple electromagnet, and the current can run either way through them. So start at the brakes themselves, and start following/tracing/checking the wires back towards the front of the camper. Replace or repair any wires that look iffy or are damaged.

This is kind of a basic TT owner skill.. "Stuff" hits the bottom of a vehicle way more often then we realize, and a TT has a higher number of hits because the tow vehicle is so close and can pick up stuff we don't even see on the road and bounce it under there, hitting exposed wires, tanks, etc.

.
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davidi View Drop Down
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Posts: 8 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Dec 2018 at 8:23am
Thank you furpod!

Very much appreciated! So the brake controller pin must output different voltages from the brake controller... learn something new every day. 
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