Brake wiring shorted and smoked.
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URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=12457
Printed Date: 25 Jun 2025 at 12:58pm
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Topic: Brake wiring shorted and smoked.
Posted By: davidi
Subject: Brake wiring shorted and smoked.
Date Posted: 03 Dec 2018 at 3:35pm
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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. |
Replies:
Posted By: mcarter
Date Posted: 03 Dec 2018 at 3:39pm
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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 " I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability." |
Posted By: TheBum
Date Posted: 03 Dec 2018 at 3:49pm
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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 Three cats |
Posted By: davidi
Date Posted: 03 Dec 2018 at 4:54pm
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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? |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 03 Dec 2018 at 4:56pm
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It is literally just a straight 12v circuit. Nothing tricky about it.
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Posted By: GlueGuy
Date Posted: 03 Dec 2018 at 5:18pm
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+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 |
Posted By: mcarter
Date Posted: 03 Dec 2018 at 5:35pm
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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 " I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability." |
Posted By: davidi
Date Posted: 03 Dec 2018 at 7:53pm
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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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Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 04 Dec 2018 at 7:19am
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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Posted By: davidi
Date Posted: 04 Dec 2018 at 8:23am
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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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Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 04 Dec 2018 at 9:19am
Your brake controller outputs a variable voltage base on how hard you are braking.. That's why it's called a "proportional controller" and the voltage is provided by the controller and TV. There are "timed controllers" also, hopefully no one sold you one of those... The breakaway is powered by the Pod's battery, and that's why it's unsafe, (and against the law in many/most places) to tow without a battery in place. It has no proportion or controller, it just, when that pin is pulled by the separation of the TV and trailer, sends everything it can to the brakes, so hopefully, it doesn't crash into anyone/thing. ------------- |
Posted By: davidi
Date Posted: 04 Dec 2018 at 10:07am
This is what I came up with... |
Posted By: mcarter
Date Posted: 04 Dec 2018 at 10:44am
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You are correct, probably will have a tougher time working from back of TV plug. You have the TV inside on your diagram. ------------- Mike Carter 2015 178 " I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability." |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 04 Dec 2018 at 7:44pm
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If you go under your pod, at the front, driver's side, you will see where the umbilical terminates and ties into the trailers wiring harness.
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Posted By: davidi
Date Posted: 04 Dec 2018 at 7:48pm
 Sure do have the wrong pic... I'll get under it and look for the terminations. Thanks again
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Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 04 Dec 2018 at 7:51pm
It's OK.. as long as you get it sorted out. Also.. while those colors are "standard" they may or may not be what you find actually under your Pod.. ------------- |