Anyone out there have experience in installing a brake controller in an '05 Odyssey for use in towing a camper with electric brakes? I am used to having a pre-wired adapter from the factory to plug into my brake controller. It is my understanding that the '05 Odyssey does not come with an adapter and the wiring must be spliced in manually. Sounds like a good way to void your warranty. Any thoughts?
Brake controller installation
nonnie92
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A brake controller senses the deceleration of the vehicle and applies a proportional amount of current to the electric brakes on the trailer. The faster you decelerate, the more current applied to the trailer brakes and the harder the trailer brakes are applied.
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Help with wiring a brake controller
Can anyone help me with tying the brake controller signal line into the Odyssey's brake? When you wire-up a brake controller you need to tie the controller into a signal from the vehicle that tells it when the brake is being applied. This is typically done by splicing into the return line (HOT when brake is applied, COLD when it is not) from the brake pedal switch. On the '05 Odyssey there are 4 wires coming from the harness plug. Does anyone know which of these wires is HOT ONLY when the pedal is pressed? Anyone have access to a wiring diagram for this portion of the '05 Ody? I could probably use a volt meter and check this myself, but I don't own one so I would have to buy or go searching for a loaner.
Can anyone help me with tying the brake controller signal line into the Odyssey's brake? When you wire-up a brake controller you need to tie the controller into a signal from the vehicle that tells it when the brake is being applied. This is typically done by splicing into the return line (HOT when brake is applied, COLD when it is not) from the brake pedal switch. On the '05 Odyssey there are 4 wires coming from the harness plug. Does anyone know which of these wires is HOT ONLY when the pedal is pressed? Anyone have access to a wiring diagram for this portion of the '05 Ody? I could probably use a volt meter and check this myself, but I don't own one so I would have to buy or go searching for a loaner.
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I spliced my controller to a brake indication in the rear of the van. This wire is part of the Honda trailer wiring that was installed as with the Honda trailer. It is in the driver side rear enclosure where the jack is stored. I never looked for any connection under the dash primarily because I also ran this signal to the trailer for a third brake light.
Look for a picture in the link I posted earlier in this thread. I also show how I ran power for the controller through the firewall.
Look for a picture in the link I posted earlier in this thread. I also show how I ran power for the controller through the firewall.
It seems that people have wired their brake controller directly to the battery with a fuse. This would supply continuous power to the brake controller. Is there a reason for this? I can understand doing that for trailer power, but wouldn't you want to have a switched circuit so the brake controller only comes on when the ignition is on?
Just want to see that I have everything straight. Towing a popup camper. Here is what I have.
Honda factory hitch and harness package with coolers, etc.
Tekonsha brake controller
4-7 pin adapter kit (both from etrailer.com)
From the 7-pin plug
1) 4-pin plugs into the 4-pin from the honda harness
2) White wire with loop screws to a ground source. Screw this to the frame some place?
3) Black wire goes to 30 amp fuse and then directly to the battery +
4) White wire from the 7-pin plug labelled 'Brake' goes to the Blue wire on the brake controller.
5) There is a purple wire that say 'Reverse or Aux'. The generic diagram shows plugging into the vehicle wiring harness. Do I need this?
For the brake controller.
1) White wire connects to a ground source. Screw this to the frame.
2) Red wire connects to the Honda control unit by the jack put in with the tow package. Connnect red wire from brake controller to black/white wire coming out from the control unit.
3) Black wire goes to 20 amp fuse and then directly to battery +
4) Blue wire was connected to the white from the 7-pin plug.
Honda factory hitch and harness package with coolers, etc.
Tekonsha brake controller
4-7 pin adapter kit (both from etrailer.com)
From the 7-pin plug
1) 4-pin plugs into the 4-pin from the honda harness
2) White wire with loop screws to a ground source. Screw this to the frame some place?
3) Black wire goes to 30 amp fuse and then directly to the battery +
4) White wire from the 7-pin plug labelled 'Brake' goes to the Blue wire on the brake controller.
5) There is a purple wire that say 'Reverse or Aux'. The generic diagram shows plugging into the vehicle wiring harness. Do I need this?
For the brake controller.
1) White wire connects to a ground source. Screw this to the frame.
2) Red wire connects to the Honda control unit by the jack put in with the tow package. Connnect red wire from brake controller to black/white wire coming out from the control unit.
3) Black wire goes to 20 amp fuse and then directly to battery +
4) Blue wire was connected to the white from the 7-pin plug.
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Everything you list there sounds about the same as the way I ended up installing my controller. I had the same concerns about connecting the power supply directly to the battery, but the Tekonsha automatically turns itself off after so many minutes of inactivity, so there is no reason for a separate shut-off switch.
Your wiring color scheme sounds a bit different for your 7-pin adapter. I thought my "Reverse or AUX" wire was yellow. In either case I was confused about that too. I called the manufacturer's "help line" and they weren't too helpful. They said if it was not needed that you can just tape it off and leave it tucked out of the way somwhere. That was what I did.
In your "brake controller" section, item 1, I ran the white directly to the negative battery terminal. I'm not always confortable relying on the vehicle body to provide a good grounding connection. For Item 2, I tied my signal line directly into the harness behind the brake pedal. Just be sure you choose the wire that is hot when the pedal is applied. There are four wires there. I THINK the right wire is the white one with the brown line on it. I installed this thing 4 months ago, so you should confirm this with a volt meter before making the tie-in.
Everything else you have there looks good. I towed the pop-up trailer 3 times since I installed the controller. Everything work great. I really like the Tekonsha Prodigy controller. I mounted it in the small, upper glove box. The door still closes, so you never see the thing except when you need to...
Your wiring color scheme sounds a bit different for your 7-pin adapter. I thought my "Reverse or AUX" wire was yellow. In either case I was confused about that too. I called the manufacturer's "help line" and they weren't too helpful. They said if it was not needed that you can just tape it off and leave it tucked out of the way somwhere. That was what I did.
In your "brake controller" section, item 1, I ran the white directly to the negative battery terminal. I'm not always confortable relying on the vehicle body to provide a good grounding connection. For Item 2, I tied my signal line directly into the harness behind the brake pedal. Just be sure you choose the wire that is hot when the pedal is applied. There are four wires there. I THINK the right wire is the white one with the brown line on it. I installed this thing 4 months ago, so you should confirm this with a volt meter before making the tie-in.
Everything else you have there looks good. I towed the pop-up trailer 3 times since I installed the controller. Everything work great. I really like the Tekonsha Prodigy controller. I mounted it in the small, upper glove box. The door still closes, so you never see the thing except when you need to...
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78 Posts
Klumley,klumley said:
Do you know what brand/model #/part number of solenoid was used in your set up? I have a Duralast F496 unit I got from my local Autozone and it's pretty heavy duty looking. I'm having trouble finding a circuit with enough amps to trigger it and am thinking I may have gotten one that's too big for the job.
Also, are you able to tell which wiper motor wire was tapped into? The wires I have on my 06 EX are blue, white, green, black and yellow. The schematic in the OEM maintenance manual indicates the yellow and blue wires control the high and low speed respectively and would seem to be the most promising with regard to highest amprage.
Thanks for any time you spend answering these questions.
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78 Posts
Klumley replied to me in several PM's and gave me the go-ahead to post them here for other reader's benefit.
quote:
Originally posted by LuvMy06EXL
Do you know what brand/model #/part number of solenoid was used in your set up? ...
Also, are you able to tell which wiper motor wire was tapped into? ...
Thanks for any time you spend answering these questions.
I'm sorry not to be of much help to you - we had our wiring installation done at a local RV shop 2-years ago now, and I can't say as I've been following the posts on this forum since.
Unfortunately, I couldn't tell you the make or type of solenoid used, and where the power supply was spliced into the wiper circuit is nicely taped up. Without a manual, I couldn't suggest which wire to tap into, but I doubt it would be the blue or the yellow - you'd need to tap into the appropriate [hot] wire leading to the switch.
If you're absolutely stuck, PM me again and I'll try to get some close-up pics of the solenoid & wiring installation.
Cheers,
Ken
quote:
LuvMy06EXL wrote on 04-08-2007 07:34 AM:
... I knew it was a long shot in you being able to recall or look up any additional details ...
By the way, I take it your Ody's trailer wiring has worked as advertised ...
Having looked at it in daylight, there is nothing discernable on the solenoid that would lead me to a part # or manufacturer. However, the power supply is tapped into the GREEN wire for the wipers. As I mentioned in my posts, the Honda tech was no help at all as they won't undertake any liability for aftermarket meddling.
Yes, the installation has worked 'as advertised' coming into the 3rd season, though I'm noticing some corrosion on the exposed bits at the 7-pin hitch receptacle. On reading through the subsequent posts on this subject, I'm impressed with the effort & detail some of the DIY'ers are going to for a 'clean' installation.
Cheers,
Ken
LuvMy06EXL wrote on 04-08-2007 09:09 PM:
Thank you very much for checking your wiring and noting the green wired had been used. It caused me to re-review the wiring diagram and I see now why the green wire was selected for the relay. It is, in fact, in the main ignition circuit. I simply overlooked the little, black dot that indicated it was part of that circuit.
Regarding the solenoid, I'm going to call numerous trailer wire kit installers to find out which solenoid they use.
quote:
Originally posted by LuvMy06EXL
Do you know what brand/model #/part number of solenoid was used in your set up? ...
Also, are you able to tell which wiper motor wire was tapped into? ...
Thanks for any time you spend answering these questions.
I'm sorry not to be of much help to you - we had our wiring installation done at a local RV shop 2-years ago now, and I can't say as I've been following the posts on this forum since.
Unfortunately, I couldn't tell you the make or type of solenoid used, and where the power supply was spliced into the wiper circuit is nicely taped up. Without a manual, I couldn't suggest which wire to tap into, but I doubt it would be the blue or the yellow - you'd need to tap into the appropriate [hot] wire leading to the switch.
If you're absolutely stuck, PM me again and I'll try to get some close-up pics of the solenoid & wiring installation.
Cheers,
Ken
quote:
LuvMy06EXL wrote on 04-08-2007 07:34 AM:
... I knew it was a long shot in you being able to recall or look up any additional details ...
By the way, I take it your Ody's trailer wiring has worked as advertised ...
Having looked at it in daylight, there is nothing discernable on the solenoid that would lead me to a part # or manufacturer. However, the power supply is tapped into the GREEN wire for the wipers. As I mentioned in my posts, the Honda tech was no help at all as they won't undertake any liability for aftermarket meddling.
Yes, the installation has worked 'as advertised' coming into the 3rd season, though I'm noticing some corrosion on the exposed bits at the 7-pin hitch receptacle. On reading through the subsequent posts on this subject, I'm impressed with the effort & detail some of the DIY'ers are going to for a 'clean' installation.
Cheers,
Ken
LuvMy06EXL wrote on 04-08-2007 09:09 PM:
Thank you very much for checking your wiring and noting the green wired had been used. It caused me to re-review the wiring diagram and I see now why the green wire was selected for the relay. It is, in fact, in the main ignition circuit. I simply overlooked the little, black dot that indicated it was part of that circuit.
Regarding the solenoid, I'm going to call numerous trailer wire kit installers to find out which solenoid they use.
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347 Posts
Here's my posting on the installation of a brake controller that I did recently: http://www.odyclub.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=37745
BTW, I could easily be mistaken, but I don't think it's a solenoid - it's a relay. A solenoid is what locks the door, a relay is what switches electricity on and off.
BTW, I could easily be mistaken, but I don't think it's a solenoid - it's a relay. A solenoid is what locks the door, a relay is what switches electricity on and off.
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1 Posts
Hi there, I was REALLY looking forward to seeing your post on the oddy brake controller wiring, but the link is dead. Is there any way of me seeing the info please? Thx, Nick.
You do realize that the post you are referring to is from 2005?
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