friend of mine has a 2005 navigator with tow package. he tows a camper as he is retired. he just got the navigator and i found the relay, fuse and wiring harness to plug in under the dash in the rear well of the truck. i plugged in the relay, fuse (appeared to be where it showed in the owners manual) and wired the tekonsha (cheaper model that was also used in his previous Tahoe) to the ford wring harness and plugged it in. all lights worked according to test light but no way to test brakes before he hooked up and hauled @55 on another road trip. when he got back, i noticed a lot {a LOT} of brake dust on those navvy rims and asked about the towing. he said that the electic brakes never worked but he had no problems pulling the trailer or stopping. anybody got any ideas???

 

First check to make sure that when the brake controller is turned all the way up and the brakes are being applied there is power to the trailer plug. (12 volts) When looking at the truck it is the 5 o'clock postion pin in the 7 pin connector.

If that is working you know that there is a problem in the trailer.

The 2 most common causes of brakes not working on trailer is poor or no trailer ground as well as torn or wire shorts. These are usually located right behind the brake backing plate behind the tire. It seems that because this is one of the lowest positions of the trailer, wires get drug on stuff.

This is obviously a place to start, but by no means the end of what should be check out.

 

Thanks C.O. I appreciate the rapid response and i will check the things you mentioned.