Trailer Brake Control for CRD - Tekonsha Prodigy?

buoychaser · **Joined:** Sun Jul 30, 2006 9:25 pm **Posts:** 8

is the Tekonsha Prodigy just a plug-n-play device for the CRD? need it to pull a horse trailer. can't find Jeep listed on the manufacturer's website http://www.tekonsha.com/tbsabrakeconwireharn.html

WWV · **Joined:** Mon May 15, 2006 1:01 pm **Posts:** 121

my previouse experience and post...........hope it helps.

All,
What a royal pain to get to that brake wire! Thanks to "LibertyCRD", I was finally able to locate it. If anyone is looking to install, let me know and I'll try to walk you through it as LibertyCRD did for me. Maybe I can help you avoid my mistakes and wasted hours locating things...........ah what the heck here it is for future reference.

1) two screws remove bottom plate above brake and gas pedal. Just lower down, don't try to snap off padding next to firewall.
2) panel underneath steering wheel snaps off at top of panel and pivots down towards you.
3) There's a blank rubber plug to the right of steering column in the firewall that you can punch through to get power wires to battery and frame.
4) White box that controls lights on top of brake pedal lever will come off with twist and pull. You'll have to remove some elec tape to get to brown and white wire. Once there, easy to splice into that cable.
5) Panel to your left that goes around hood release comes off pretty easy, just pull straight out from top. Remove floor carpet before hand, that little bit of clearance makes a difference. This panel will have one connection to the interior trim at bottom of door. It all snaps a part easily.
6) The white box is all the way towards the front of vehicle next to firewall. It is longer up and down than it is wide. There are three snaps but only the bottom two are really connected to anything. The top one is for looks but there is electrical tape right near the top that has to be cut(be careful, wires nearby!!!). Once you get that box open, there is a wire with white tape marked "Elec Brake". That's the holy grail wire you want. I believe it's red but the tape is the give away.
7) There is a hole in the bottom of the bottom cover that you can run all the wire through.
Cool Pick up 30 amp circuit at Checker auto or other. Should run about $4. This goes on your power (+) wire to battery.

Hope this helps somebody.

It was an adventure. Smile

buoychaser · **Joined:** Sun Jul 30, 2006 9:25 pm **Posts:** 8

can't believe that Jeep doesn't make it easier than this...what year CRD do you have???

RTStabler51 · **Posted:** Mon Jul 31, 2006 8:31 am

I just installed my Prodigy last week. I thought it was pretty straight forward. IMO, the hardest thing was splicing into the stop light switch. My brake wire was right on top and had a label sticking off it. There just isn't 'nice' place to mount the brake controller though. And I just used my for 1200 miles this past weekend and it was awesome.

kb61751 · **Posted:** Mon Jul 31, 2006 8:52 am

I mounted mine under the dash left side on the black plastic piece that covers the area above the pedals. This peice is held on by two screws. I mounted the mounting bracket between the left most mounting screw. works perfectly there.

jinstall · **Posted:** Mon Jul 31, 2006 9:11 am

here in Germany there is a brake MC in the tongue of the trailer. I have not seen any electronic brake control systems here as of yet. As you brake the tongue of the trailer compresses and activates the brakes. It works very well.

Cowcatcher · **Posted:** Mon Jul 31, 2006 10:54 am

Had I known what I was doing I could likely have done it a lot more quickly but it wasn't that bad a job to install the Prodigy and there is no other controller that would install any more difficult or more easily either. The Prodigy is kind of the top of the line but really not that exspensive.

I didn't find the brake light wire as difficult to install. After you snap down the knee bolster you can 1/4 turn/twist the brake light switch out of the mount bracket to more easily reach and splice into that wire. For me the routing of the power and ground through the firewall and digging the brake wire out were the more difficult jobs. If I were younger and bent a little better...........well that is another story. :lol:

buoychaser · **Joined:** Sun Jul 30, 2006 9:25 pm **Posts:** 8

RTStabler51 wrote:

I just installed my Prodigy last week. I thought it was pretty straight forward. IMO, the hardest thing was splicing into the stop light switch. My brake wire was right on top and had a label sticking off it. There just isn't 'nice' place to mount the brake controller though. And I just used my for 1200 miles this past weekend and it was awesome.

i have a wiring schema diagram directly from the manufacturer if anyone is interested...this is the response I received from them...

"Thank you for contacting Tekonsha Technical Service. There won't be
a plug-n-play type wiring harness for this vehicle. Jeep stopped
offering a tow plug in their vehicles back in 2002. What they did do
was, run a light blue wire for the electric trailer brakes. This wire is
lactated behind the driver side kick panel. You will connect the blue
wire from the controller to this wire, and then you will have to hard
wire the remaining wires from the controller into the vehicle. Attached
is a wiring diagram which will explain how to do this. If I can be of
any other help let me know, thank you and have a great day."

Amber Olmsted
Technical Assistant
Cequent Electrical Products
(888) 785-5832
Fax (517) 767-4707

RTStabler51 · **Posted:** Mon Jul 31, 2006 12:01 pm

My trailer wire is red, in searching the switched from one to the other.

Dave, I figured out the bolster fold down thing after cursing for 45minutes. :-)

That made it 100X easier.

LibertyCRD · **Posted:** Mon Jul 31, 2006 1:08 pm

My hidden wire was red also, but it had a flag labled "Brake" on it so it was easy to single out. Good luck. Trailer brakes are a MUST on these Jeeps due to their short wheelbase.

jamese35 · **Joined:** Mon May 10, 2010 5:16 pm **Posts:** 65

I just tried to Hookup my break controler and I put it in just as was said on here but the trailer breaks stay locked up. Any one know anything pleas help

Roostre · **Joined:** Sun Oct 24, 2010 3:57 pm **Posts:** 195

You have it wired incorrectly would be my guess. It is also possible that the unit is bad.

Is it a P2 or P3?

If your tied the Red stoplight wire to the wrong side of the switch the controller would think you were always trying to stop and apply the trailer brakes all the time.

jamese35 · **Joined:** Mon May 10, 2010 5:16 pm **Posts:** 65

I checked if about 20 times its wired the wright way so I'm thinking its the controler has him bad. Thanks for the help

Joe Romas · **Posted:** Sat Jun 04, 2011 8:02 am

jamese35 wrote:

I checked if about 20 times its wired the wright way so I'm thinking its the controler has him bad. Thanks for the help

For giggles disconnect the wire going to the brake light switch and see if the brakes are still applied :BANANA:

If so then you have it on the wrong lead :JEEPIN:

DOC4444 · **Posted:** Sat Jun 04, 2011 7:10 pm

Another thing you can do is go to any trailer place, U-Haul, etc. They have a tester they can plug into the tow vehicle or trailer which will diagnose wiring issues.

DOC

jamese35 · **Joined:** Mon May 10, 2010 5:16 pm **Posts:** 65

Yea I tried disconnecting the trailer ligh wire and they are still locked up.

Trailer Brake Control for CRD - Tekonsha Prodigy?

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