Need 7 pin tow harness info

[happycampingcouple]

Dang Trekgurl, Hope you got it figured out... I guess I shouldnt complain about paying $260!!

I am pretty handy, but I think I am gonna pay up and have it done... I dont need it done right now, so... maybe I will wait to winter when its rainy and cold.. maybe get it done a little cheaper??

[carringb]

Originally Posted by trekgurl

Kinda funny how I was on here 6 months ago asking almost the same thing and I get nothing but crickets,,,,,,, Trailer place wants $450 dollars to do almost the same thing + add a electric brakes device.

Guess I didn't hold my mouth right.

I'm sorry. I never saw that post. Just unlucky timing maybe. I only land on the new posts page, and never browse the actual forums. On your van, do you have both 4 way and 7 way connectors in the driver side frame rail, above the rear axle? Not all vans do, most only have the 4-way wiring. It is definitely more work to add the trailer charge/brake/backup wiring from the cab if you don't have that already installed/

[oldbonesclimber]

I also don't always see all posts and may have been away at that time. As Carrington says not all vans have the pre wiring. $450 is steep but retail on the controller is also not cheep. What I have is the 4 wire connector to plug in under the dash to the prewired 7 pin harness so you can add a brake controller. You need to have the prewired 7 wire harness from the trailer tow option. This plug comes in a box when you get the vehicle delivered new. If you don't have the prewiring it can get expensive to do it right with a new stand alone harness.

Paul

[NattyT]

Perhaps this might help? Sounds promising, though I haven't tried it myself...

https://www.etrailer.com/faq-Ford-Fu...ontroller.aspx

Edit: The above link covers 1992-2008; sounds like OP has a 2009

[gahamby]

What can I say? Six months ago I wasn't working on my trailer so I wasn't thinking about trailer stuff. I can't address that price quote but it's not that surprising.

[trekgurl]

Alot of what you'all are saying make some sense as I've been wrassling with this on and off for about a yr. I had a friend who was helping but unfortunately he passed away suddenly. I was pretty upset ( still am)as he was only in his late forties. It just plain s--ked and I don;t think I'll ever get over this one. Things just don't seem to have the same excitement now but that's another story.

I have a 2013 E250 RB Super duty. I have all the workshop, and maintenance manuals (8K pages worth) on my laptop and I have the build sheet from the factory. This is a previous (2) owner van and the build sheet says the van came with the trailer tow package. When I got it it didn't have the rear step bumper, trailer hitch or the trailer 7/4 pin pigtail. What I later found out was,,, at some time there as a "tommy lift" on this van and you can't have the rear bumper, and trailer hitch, pigtail as it wouldn't be very useful so they either took it off at the dealer, or ordered it not installed? Who knows.


I installed a class IV 10K hitch, ball and bar. I thought well I'll just go online line and order the OEM part trailer pigtail and easy peasy right? NOT. I ended up with (2) OEM trailer pigtails I was "told" would work for online Ford part houses and I almost has a third one from a local Ford dealer but I told them to send it back. So everyone tells me its the right part but its not and I ended up with $300 in trailer pigtails. So I got discouraged then. I did all the reading I could online (here ) and the Ford Enthusiast board but most of the posts were old or getting out of date now as its coming up on 10 yrs old.

I found out even though a van may supposedly have the trailer tow package it sometimes wasn't wired from the front to rear. Most would have a 4pin plug dead ending at the left rear side (inside frame) near the spare tire. That I think could be used for a trailer with 4pin pigtail.

In my case I need the electric brakes and I want the OEM pigtail 7/4 device that mounts on a metal bracket, ( it's weatherproof) and a nice connection.

Trouble is I'm missing (3) wires from the front of the van to that left rear side. I was told what they but don't remember exactly what they were of the color. I have sorta found out most of the time the dash most always pre-wired for the brake controller and fused at the fuse boxes for the other 3 wires and there's a fuse panel under the driver side dash and another one in the driver side hood area which all have some notation of being connected in some way to the tow package??

I just haven't been able to get a clear idea of what I'm supposed to do though and while I have some mechanical electrical abilities,, I don't want burn the van up, or make it where it won't. Running 3 wires from the front to the rear doesn't seem like a insanely difficult thing to do... working under the dash is a little intimidating,,, and a brake good controller is about $200? but $450 seems high to me ( at the trailer/RV place)and the guy was telling me his parts were better than the Ford OEM parts etc,, so there's where I start to have some doubts and they see a sucker coming. I know most labor is around $80 -$100 hr around here so it may not be far off. I've been taken for a ride several times before so I am starting to learn. So I'm supposed ot have this done in about 2 weeks but I'm not feeling to good about it.

First (2) pics are where the wiring harness "dead ends" on my van. That plug with the white face (I'm told is the 4pin connector). That other section of the wiring harness that hooks into the black plastic/rubber looking block is a relay for the fuel pump? Remember what I said about making the an not run? I read where some guy was trying to figure out what it was and he unhooked it and the van would't run. Plugged it back in a van would run. So when you think something is obvious it isn't.

The other pics are the trailer I'm trying to get set up and the last (2) pics are ford pics of the trailer pigtail and the 7/4 pin connector.

well I'll stop now and I need to re fresh my memory on all this as I've been disgusted with it so many times I've about given up.

Thanks for nay feedback.

[trekgurl]

This set of pics is one of OEM pigtails I have and I'm trying to make work. I think what I have may be to a F-150? or this pigtail has a plug end for rear sensors ( I don't have the sensors).

The third pic will plug into the van wiring harness where is dead ends and could possibly make the 4 pin work?

One thing is I don't know what the correct 7/4 pin pigtail for a E250 looks like?

If I knew what it looked like then I can start to reverse engineer it?

Anybody have a pic of what one looks like connected a the connectors etc?

[trekgurl]

oh,,,,, Happycampingcouple.. I didn't mean to hijack your thread, it all sorta blurted out before I thought about it.

I have already learned one thing from this thread and thats the (3) wires that need to run to the back. (trailer charge/brake/backup) and after looking a the (2) fuse panel/boxes diagrams again I see where some of those fuses and relays are now.

[happycampingcouple]

no worries trekgurl,

I think I am gonna slap a brake controller on and drop it off at the shop. I hate to spend the money, but I think it is what is gonna happen!

[carringb]

trekgurl - The dealer who order your parts should have done so by VIN. However, it seems like most parts counter workers just assume common chassis parts are the same as the F-series, and I suspect that's how you ended up with with the wrong parts.

If you peel back the tape at the connector inside the frame, can you see the wire colors? Mainly, do you see 3 larger wires that are Red, Blue, and either orange, yellow, or black with an orange stripe? If you don't see these heavy-gauge wires, your van probably does not have the heavy-duty 7 way wiring pre-installed. The other are to check is behind the coin holder on the dash. If there's a similar looking rectangle plug, connected to the back of the coin holder, that's the other end of the trailer brake wiring.

Without the factory 7-way harness, you'll have to run the missing 3 wires, then use one of those universal 7-ways to connect to your 4-way plug. The e-trailer kit is a good one to start with, and they have good instructions.

As for the brake controller... nobody makes an aftermarket one that is better than stock. There are several good accelerometer-based proportional units, such as the Prodigy P3. These don't a "leveling" knob like the old pendulum units. Stay away from the Timer based controllers. They're worthless.

The factory brake controller can be added if you have the fill factory 7-way wiring, but its a little $ because you have to swap the brake master cylinder as well, on your year.