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Topic ClosedBrake Controller

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GlueGuy View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Brake Controller
    Posted: 12 Nov 2019 at 7:51pm
One of the reasons I like the OEM brake controller in our F-150 is because it doesn't care about level. It is tied into the OBD-2 system, and gauges brake pressure directly by how hard you're pressing the brake pedal. You can watch it on the trailer status display when you're sitting still, in park. As you press harder on the pedal, the trailer brake increases gain.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Nov 2019 at 1:55pm
 I did a internet search and the Tekonsha P-2 does have a Pendulum and I think GlueGuy you are maybe right and I have it mounted at too much of a angle never had this problem before and maybe I did hit it with my knee and the pendulum got stuck. I don't know but it is mounted in a fixed position maybe a jolt caused the pendulum to get stuck. It seems strange after several years this happened I may need to replace it like Furpod said it is not worth the risk of something serious happening.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Nov 2019 at 1:39pm
If there is a moving part in the controller (I don't know, I'm speculating), the controller needs to be mounted horizontally to prevent it from "sensing" deceleration. If it's mounted in such a way that you might push it up with your knee or something, it might be fooled into thinking there is deceleration.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Nov 2019 at 1:26pm
Originally posted by furpod

The P2 and P3 are pretty much the standard, and don't fail often. I don't know that they have a pendulum, I thought they had accelerometers. Since they are not expensive, I would probably replace it.
  I just picked up camper and the brakes were checked and they are OK thankful for that, another tech gave me the same answer about the pendulum when I was picking up camper. Perhaps they are both wrong I don't know they do a very big trailer business that's all they do. The second tech said he has known it to happen before. So if it has a pendulum or not it is working now. I am thinking perhaps I should buy another brake controller to be safe. My first thoughts when it happened was what if they caught on fire and the trailer caught fire they were hot and had a burning smell. But I think it must of just happened as I was approaching the rest area I think I would have felt the brakes on if I was driving down the interstate. Campers seem to have more problems than automobiles but yet campers are less complicated. Everything is working now hope it stays that way for a while.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Nov 2019 at 12:34pm
My Hopkins InSIGHT Flex-Mount controller has performed very well. Since it separates the manual control and display from the control unit, the control unit can be placed where it won't be kicked and the other parts put where they make sense for the driver.

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Nov 2019 at 12:21pm
The P2 and P3 are pretty much the standard, and don't fail often. I don't know that they have a pendulum, I thought they had accelerometers. Since they are not expensive, I would probably replace it.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Nov 2019 at 10:59am
 On our way down to Florida our brake controller malfunctioned it is a Tekonsha  Prodigy P-2. We pulled into a rest area I checked wheels and they were very hot and there was a humming sound coming from the wheels apparently the brakes became engaged by the malfunctioning brake controller. It is in shop now having bearings repacked and brakes checked for ware or damage. The service tech said there is a pendulum that swings in the brake controller and for some reason swung and got stuck he removed the brake controller and shook it and reconnected it and started working normal again. Has anyone heard of this happening before? I finished the rest of our trip with brake controller turned off about 200 miles without trailer brakes keeping a safe distance from vehicles in front of us. Now I am deciding if I should take the chance of it happening again or replacing controller with a new one. We have had our current brake controller since about 2009 when we bought our 2009 r-pod.
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