Quote:
Originally Posted by JTMD
OK well if you read closely, you'd see that the brakes are working, just not strong enough.. Obviously it's connected.
Since I've not been able to verify what I should see on that line, I'm going to assume while a trailer is connected that the voltage should vary with the setting and at full gain it should be close to 12VDC?
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Yes… and No…
I’m no electrical expert, so I’m not someone who can diagnose your problem. But I do know that it’s not as simple as sticking a probe into the appropriate slot on your 7-way plug, and expecting to see a 12 volt readout.
While the brake gain adjustment does increase the output of the integrated brake controller… the output is also dependent on the speed of the truck.
If I go out to my truck right now with a volt meter… insert the probe into the brake output slot on my 7-way, and have someone else step on the brake pedal with my controller at its highest setting of 10… I’ll only see anywhere from about 1.9 volts on my meter, and not 12.
Why? Because my truck is sitting still… and via various sensors in the truck, the brake controller knows that. So it knows it doesn’t have to send much “force” (electrical output) to the brakes to stop.
However, if you increase the speed of the truck… the electrical output of the brake controller also increases. The only problem is, you can’t take a reading if the truck is rolling along at 55 mph… not safely, that is… unless you have some very specialized & usually expensive equipment.
If you really feel it might be the controller, then take it to the shop and have them check it out.
As an alternative… see if you can borrow a friend’s truck, hitch up one of your trailers, and see if the same ‘soft brake’ conditions exist. If not, you’ll know your issue is with your truck... but if so, then more than likely the issue is with your trailer.