Trailer Brake Disconnected - Check Trailer Brake Wiring

[Andy+Mo]

Be careful how much dielectric grease you use. True dielectric grease is actually an insulator , not a conductor. Some,however , have conductive elements added. It’s main purpose is to seal connections to prevent contaminants and corrosion from degrading the connection. There are some sprays , like Corrosion-X specifically for these types of connectors.
Charlie

What’s kind of strange to me is that the trailer is a 2017 and I keep it garaged and the truck is a 2015 and it is garaged...really not much exposure to moisture. We tested the jack in the truck and all contacts seem hot. I will clean it all up and see what happens.

[Steven@147]

What’s kind of strange to me is that the trailer is a 2017 and I keep it garaged and the truck is a 2015 and it is garaged...really not much exposure to moisture. We tested the jack in the truck and all contacts seem hot. I will clean it all up and see what happens.

Maybe sometime a contact prong got bent or was not quite right new, now it makes intermittent contact. Had that on my car trailer, used a screw driver and bent the prong a little problem gone.
Just thinking out loud.

[Janiceknight1]

Had the same problem on my Reflection 303. After the dealer insisted it was the truck’s problem and it wasn’t, they finally found that the wheel bearing grease had leaked all over the wiring and kept shorting out the connection. It happened again a year later. That time the wire had fallen out of its holder inside the drum and was chaffing through.

[Onebadhawk]

Mine had the same message too. Ended up being a bare brake wire where it exits from the axle. The grommet was missing and the wire insulation had rubbed off.

+ 1 million..
The wire going through the axles from the manufacturer is cheap zip / lamp cord..
It dry rots quite quickly..
Back to basics.
That wire is leaking to ground..
If you put a meter on it it looks fine, you see the voltage that you should..
But when you ask for current to operate the brakes,
it is simply easier for the current to leak to ground then it is to operate the brakes..
This is not black and white..
As time goes by and the zip cord dry rots more and more the problem will get worse..
Pull high quality well insulated wire through the acles..
( I used some 14/2 plenum rated fire alarm cable I had )..
When you make your new splices,
Do not use insulation displacing connectors,
( those are the ones you merely clamp on and they cut ito the wire to make the connection )..
You must solder all connections and tae them up well..
You'll feel a big difference in the brakes right away..
You'll have to turn down your brake control just a bit..

Teddy

[MarioG9999]

I had the same problem. At first it was fixed by bending the plug connections inward. After a while, I started having the same problem again. Installed a new pig tail, but that didn't fix the problem. Found out my breakaway switch had burned out. Replaced the breakaway switch and I have not had the problem since (a couple of thousand miles ago).

[BreakfastinAmerica]

The first time I hook my ram up to the trailer, I got that message a lot. Look up a ram forum and used the dialectic grease
Never had another issue.

[BuddyLovesCamping]

Had a very similar problem on mine... turns out several of the wires in the trailer cord connector had come loose from their screw terminals inside the connector. It's a real pain to disassemble/reassemble the connector, but my son and I managed to do it, reattach all the wires, and tightened all the other screws too (all were loose-ish). Haven't had any problem since. This was on the connector that plugs into the truck bumper connector, but it could have happened on any of the various umbilical connectors.

[Andy+Mo]

Final Word: After trying a few different things without success I took my trailer in and the service tech discovered that the wire connection to the magnet inside the drum had failed. He replaced the magnet, clips and wiring and I am good. I did not have time to have him look at the other wheels/drums but plan to have the trailer back in for bearing repacking. Will have the others checked/serviced at that time. I have learned how fragile the wiring systems are on our brakes and wish I had the time and know-how to replace some of this lighter guage wiring and poor connections. In any event, "check trailer brake wiring" message is gone, brakes are working for now. Happy camper. One more trip before the end of the season.

[KB5SET]

I have 2018 RSTS 297 manufactured mid 2017. I bought it new. Every brake wire connection on both axles has failed. Two were not even crimped at the factory. Three more appeared to be over crimped severing the wire. It’s never been off the pavement or run over any road debris. On a road trip I found myself with no brakes. Not good in Houston traffic. I encourage you to have the connectors checked on your rig just in case. Better safe than sorry.

[MattShan]

How difficult is it to get to the wires in the axle tubes? What would be the procedure?

Thanks for your assistance.