Truck Repair: 1997 Dodge Ram, trailer brake controller, electric brakes


Question
Hi Van, this may be out of your league but here goes,  I have a 2500 1997 Dodge Ram.  I just bought a enclosed trailer which I beleive has an 8 prong round plug, this plug fits directly into the socket in the truck without any adaptor.  Here's the problem, all the regular lights work (turn signal,running lights and stop lights on the trailer.  But there are 12 volt internal lights in the trailer that do not work as well as the electric brakes on the trailer not working.  I know these components are OK because they all worked when hooked up the the sellers truck.  Is this going to require major rewiring or am I missing something here?

Answer
Hi Doug,
That is not going to require any major rewiring. You just need to make sure the connectors are wired the same.
If you don't have a trailer brake controller in your truck, the pins to operate the brakes will not transmit power to the brakes.
You don't want them connected to your stop lights, or you will fully apply them every time you touch your brakes, and possibly even when your turn signals blink.
They just need to be wired correctly, and even from scratch, that isn't a major job. A place like "U Haul" could do it in just a little while.
If you do already have a trailer brake controller, I would suspect the ground wire, but a check of all wires is a good idea.
As for the internal lights, there is a accessory pin in the plug that needs connected to battery power, but again, a bad ground could be the problem there, if that pin is powered.
Good luck,
Van