Help required electric brake problem

[passin'through Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close passin'through]

Hi, I have a problem. I connect my electric brakes from my trailer to my prado and while later the fuse for my dash lights blows. I have checked the wires for any breaks or shorts with out success.

Any idea's?

[croozza Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close croozza]

Re: Help required electric brake problem

Hi, I have a problem. I connect my electric brakes from my trailer to my prado and while later the fuse for my dash lights blows. I have checked the wires for any breaks or shorts with out success.

Any idea's?

The normal situation there is either crossed wires or broken wires or loose connections.
Have you checked inside the light housing of the trailer lights as that could be the problem, if there is nothing wrong then rewire the entire electric brakes. It is much easier and less time consuming, this has been proven in other threads in Electrical.

[infraredfotografy Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close infraredfotografy]

Re: Help required electric brake problem

If I were you, I will do like this:

- Buy a box of 100 (or 150) fuses which will cost you about $20, but you will have a lot of different types of fuse to use for a long time. This will be much better than that you spend only $5 to get less than 10 pcs of fuses.

- Replace the fuse that was blown with the fuse that has 5A higher.

For ex: your blown one was 10A, now replace it with 15A.

Actually this action will not damage your car or device in any case, that's the instruction from some good technicians then I followed. It worked any time for me.

- Test it. If the issue gone (that normally happens to me), you are ok.

- If the issue still happens and your new fuse is blown, don't replace fuse again. Now double check the wiring from the device that you just added.

In this case, you should screw out the electric light in yr trailer to make sure there will no short circuit there. There are many cases that water can come into your globes and make a short circuit, or loosen wire. Check the light at each step you do. Even if you have to rewire it again. Then it should work.

[ss--ss Member Find all posts View Profile Close ss--ss]

Help required electric brake problem

How do you know it's the electric brakes causing the problem. The brakes are usually pin 5 on the trailer connector. You could try with pin 5 or the brake controller removed to see if it is actually the brakes or lights causing the fuse to blow.

[passin'through Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close passin'through]

Re: Help required electric brake problem

Thanks to all that replied.

I have re wired the lights. I have rewired the electric brakes. I spoke to an auto elec and his advice was start at the plug and work on the trailer. So that has been done. I am hoping it was a loose connection somewhere and that I have fixed it.

So if your traveling north in NSW and you come across a very dark 4wd towing an either darker trailer you will now its me.

Thanks again for your idea's.

If all else fails I guess its off to the auto elec and let him work it out.

[infraredfotografy Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close infraredfotografy]

Re: Help required electric brake problem

nice to hear that you quickly solved the issue.
cheers,

Vuong

[fishfinder Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close fishfinder]

I have had exactly the same issue I had the ct on the back of the Prado yesterday and went to drive home last night no dash lights . Thanks to this forum I know exactly where the problem is .

[letsgoplaces Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close letsgoplaces]

I hired a ct a couple of weeks ago and there must have been a short as i lost my dash lights as well. The more concerning thing was that the fuse for the dash lights is the same fuse for the tail lights (on the 90) when your lights are on. So yes people will be driving up behind a very dark shadow on the road

[wooley Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close wooley]

dash lights are always(?) wired to the rear lights so that you know your tail lights have failed when the dash lights go out.

[letsgoplaces Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close letsgoplaces]

Yeah wooley that would make sense, but i can only speak for the 90 series. You could assume it is the same for the 120 and 150 and we all know that assumption is the mother of all f...ups :shock:

[cyclone Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close cyclone]

That is so incorrect and dangerous. The fuse is designed to be the weakest link and is to protect the wiring from overheating. Upsizing the fuse in anything weather it be a house or car will increase the risk of fire.
Sid
QUOTE=infraredfotografy;265918]If I were you, I will do like this:

- Buy a box of 100 (or 150) fuses which will cost you about $20, but you will have a lot of different types of fuse to use for a long time. This will be much better than that you spend only $5 to get less than 10 pcs of fuses.

- Replace the fuse that was blown with the fuse that has 5A higher.

For ex: your blown one was 10A, now replace it with 15A.

Actually this action will not damage your car or device in any case, that's the instruction from some good technicians then I followed. It worked any time for me.

- Test it. If the issue gone (that normally happens to me), you are ok.

- If the issue still happens and your new fuse is blown, don't replace fuse again. Now double check the wiring from the device that you just added.

In this case, you should screw out the electric light in yr trailer to make sure there will no short circuit there. There are many cases that water can come into your globes and make a short circuit, or loosen wire. Check the light at each step you do. Even if you have to rewire it again. Then it should work.[/QUOTE]