[fredflintstone]

New to the forum, however have been reading posts for well over a month before my purchase of a 2011 EX with RES. I had the Honda installed hitch with 7 way power/lighting connection hook up.

However I need to purchase a Tekonsha Prodigy Brake Controller. However I don't know where/how to hook it up to this model vehicle. I have browsed through this forum and can only find items related to fairly old model vehicles. As this is my first Honda/Ody I'm unfamiliar with previous models and limitations and or similarities that may exist.

So if there is an easy way or most direct way to hook this up can anyone advise? Preferably with photos. D

Thank you,

Fred

 

[Shazzam]

I have experience with that product but not on an Odyssey. My 2004 Dodge Ram 2500 had a place to connect the controller in the wiring harness. I doubt the Odyssey has this interface (given the low towing limit) so you might want to check installation compatibility and instructions on the Tekonsha website.

 

[RinconVTR]

About 3/4 of the way down the list of Ody install videos...but not for 2011 yet.

Review and Installation Videos | etrailer.com

 

[dalx]

I recently had a Prodigy P2 controller (that I had purchased on eBay) installed on my 2011 Odyssey by an independent RV shop for $130. This included the replacement of the 4-pin flat electrical connector with a round 7-pin. I am happy with everything except that the new 7-pin connector hangs down a couple inches below the receiver. I would be interested to know what the correct mounting of the 7-pin connector is. If you have one installed an could share a photo of the end result; that would be great.

New to the forum, however have been reading posts for well over a month before my purchase of a 2011 EX with RES. I had the Honda installed hitch with 7 way power/lighting connection hook up.

However I need to purchase a Tekonsha Prodigy Brake Controller. However I don't know where/how to hook it up to this model vehicle. I have browsed through this forum and can only find items related to fairly old model vehicles. As this is my first Honda/Ody I'm unfamiliar with previous models and limitations and or similarities that may exist.

So if there is an easy way or most direct way to hook this up can anyone advise? Preferably with photos. D

Thank you,

Fred

 

[manualman]

Anybody else do a brake controller yet? Brake controllers on our vans require splicing into a wire near the top of the van's brake pedal. That wire is connected to a switch at the top of hte brake pedal and sends current to the van's brake lights when you hit the brakes. Tapping into that wire is how the brake controller knows when you are braking the van so it can activate it's logic for deciding how hard to brake the trailer.

Anybody got a pic or at least can tell me the color of the wire that was tapped into near the van brake pedal switch? Even if you had a shop do it, could you go have a look and tell me which wire was tapped?

Thanks!

 

[Spanky McButter]

Just wondering if you ever figured out which wire you needed for your brake controller? I'm in the same position now. I have a '13 EX and I'm just about done installing everything but not too sure on which wire to use from the brake pedal.

 

[manualman]

Still haven't done it yet! Been using the 03 for camping duty, but need to figure it out soon. I might have to break down and test with the voltmeter this weekend because vacation is coming up and I'm not towing with the 03 in the mountains anymore (original trans!).

I'll report back if I figure it out.

 

[Spanky McButter]

Yeah, we were towing with an '05 Ody. I think all the towing finally killed it this spring. It already had a cracked manifold and was burning oil. Finally one of the cylinders went, 30 psi compression vs. the 120 psig or so it should have had. The dealer told me the most humane thing to do would be to put it out of its misery. At 180K miles it was probably time to replace anyway. We bought a '13 EX. I already installed the tranny cooler and started on the brake controller. I just need to figure out this brake feedback thing. I also really hate the thought of putting the new Ody through the whole towing thing but if you have a camper you must tow it!

I'm planning to take the voltmeter to it tonight. I tried it last night but was getting some "weird" readings. The wire I was testing indicated 0 volts with no brake pedal, then when I would apply the brake it would read "OL" (over load?). I was asking around work today to see if I'm missing something. I'm going to try again tonight. I'll let you know if I find anything out.

 

[k5wlr]

I'm planning to take the voltmeter to it tonight. I tried it last night but was getting some "weird" readings. The wire I was testing indicated 0 volts with no brake pedal, then when I would apply the brake it would read "OL" (over load?). I was asking around work today to see if I'm missing something. I'm going to try again tonight. I'll let you know if I find anything out.

Make sure the voltmeter is set higher than the voltage you are trying to read. If it is autoranging, it should display the voltage after a few seconds.

Hope this helps...

 

[Spanky McButter]

Make sure the voltmeter is set higher than the voltage you are trying to read.

Thanks. That's the first thing I'm going to check. I was pretty sure I had it set right, but it had been a long day messing with the rest of the install and it was getting late....

 

[Spanky McButter]

So last night I checked this again. This time things seemed to work. I actually started the car (I'm either an idiot or genius...). I'm pretty sure that with the ignition turned all the way to the II position (electrical systems on but the car isn't running) the brake lights work. That's how I did it over the weekend. Last night I actually started the car and had my daughter work the brake while I held the multimeter probes. I'm not sure what ultimately rectified my problems, but I was getting good data now.

Anyway. There are at least 6 wires coming out of the brake switch connector. If you look closely two pairs of those wires are each connected to the same terminal in the connector. In otherwords when you pull the connector and look inside it there are actually only 4 copper spades. So I checked them all with the multimeter grounded to the vehicle chassis. The pair that seemed only to read voltage when the brake pedal was applied were the ones that are kind of a light blue or aqua color. One has a stripe on it, the other does not but as I mentioned, they both connect to the same terminal in the connector. I was going to try and get a picture but the light was fading by the time I got around to checking.

If anyone else has checked theirs and also decided these are the correct wires I would like to know before I start tapping into them. It actually looks like I could wedge a spade connector into the plug alongside the wires coming out of it (the same place I was probing with the multimeter) and get a pretty good connection. Once it was in there I would tape it up with electrical tape. If all works well and I'm 100% positive these were the correct wires I could either go back and tap into one of the wires or I could leave it as-is. If it failed later on I could go back and make a permanent tap. Risky... Not the way I like to go, but I also REALLY don't like the idea of tampering with the wiring on this vehicle...

 

[manualman]

Here's a confirm on the light blue / aqua wire being brake signal. Did the job last weekend. Instead of using one of those Scotch-Loc tap fittings, I filed some barbs on a 12 gage solid core wire end, coated it with diaelectric and jammed it into the plug. Locked up nice and tight with the barbs!

To get through the firewall, I pushed 3 wire Romex around the outside edge of the grommet where the main wiring bundle passes through the firewall.

I'm a bit unconventional for trailer wiring as I like to have it inside the van rather than exposed to weather underneath. I just slam the wires in the tailgate weatherstrip and it works fine. No winter salt coating that way! From front to back I tuck things under carpet and/or plastic trim pieces.

The brake control I mount on a custom cut piece of wood that goes on the floor wedged between the console and the bottom of the dash. It's secure and removable. Sits on the garage shelf between trips.

 

[Spanky McButter]

Thanks for the post. I meant to come back here and confirm that the light blue/aqua wires were correct after I finished the install, but, alas, I forgot. :rollingeyes: Anyway, I did what I had mentioned in my post above (which is similar to what you did). I filed down a spade connector until it was just narrow enough to fit into the plastic connector along side the wires. The ends of the copper wire connectors for the brake wires are exposed there so you can get a good connection. The spade was a bit too think so I ground it a bit thinner, just until I could force it into the connector body without fearing I would split it. Once done it was in there very well and would have been difficult to pull out. Then I taped it up a bit with electrical tape for insurance.

I installed my brake controller inside the lower tilt-out storage compartment in the center stack. It is the same compartment that holds the cooler on the Touring level model. I mounted it to the top of the compartment so it does not take up any space inside and the tilt out feature still works normally. In fact you can barely even see the controller when you tip open the door. If you didn't know it was there you might miss it. It worked out perfectly because there is already a small hole in the side of the enclosure (but not in the tip-out section itself, it's a bit hard to explain what I mean here, but you'll see it if you look). It comes out on the drivers side. I ran the wires through there and connected everything up. It's a little tight, make sure you mount the controller back as far as you can so the door closes. Other than that it is pretty easy. The tilt out compartment operates freely, never interfering with the wires and you can still load it up with stuff when needed.

 

[bobwalters]

I am working on brake controller install for by 2011 touring.. I like your idea of floor mount..I had controller in my 2005 touring in a bad place, always hitting my knee, removed it between use...I am going to try your wood floor mount..any photos?

Bob Walters

 

[Spanky McButter]

Someone else had done the wood floor mount. I mounted mine inside the lower tip-out compartment in the center stack. It's completely out of sight and out of the way of any accidental bumping.

 

[kimjh0]

I am trying to mount the brake controller at the same location. How did you run the cables out the back of the brake controller? Were you able to find space to route the cable easily? I have a 2015 Touring model with the cool box. I might have to take the side trim panel off and take a look, but I don't see any place to run the cables easily. It's probably designed that way to seal for the cool box function. If you could share your experience, I would appreciate it.

Thanks for the post. I meant to come back here and confirm that the light blue/aqua wires were correct after I finished the install, but, alas, I forgot. :rollingeyes: Anyway, I did what I had mentioned in my post above (which is similar to what you did). I filed down a spade connector until it was just narrow enough to fit into the plastic connector along side the wires. The ends of the copper wire connectors for the brake wires are exposed there so you can get a good connection. The spade was a bit too think so I ground it a bit thinner, just until I could force it into the connector body without fearing I would split it. Once done it was in there very well and would have been difficult to pull out. Then I taped it up a bit with electrical tape for insurance.

I installed my brake controller inside the lower tilt-out storage compartment in the center stack. It is the same compartment that holds the cooler on the Touring level model. I mounted it to the top of the compartment so it does not take up any space inside and the tilt out feature still works normally. In fact you can barely even see the controller when you tip open the door. If you didn't know it was there you might miss it. It worked out perfectly because there is already a small hole in the side of the enclosure (but not in the tip-out section itself, it's a bit hard to explain what I mean here, but you'll see it if you look). It comes out on the drivers side. I ran the wires through there and connected everything up. It's a little tight, make sure you mount the controller back as far as you can so the door closes. Other than that it is pretty easy. The tilt out compartment operates freely, never interfering with the wires and you can still load it up with stuff when needed.

 

[Spanky McButter]

I am trying to mount the brake controller at the same location. How did you run the cables out the back of the brake controller? Were you able to find space to route the cable easily? I have a 2015 Touring model with the cool box. I might have to take the side trim panel off and take a look, but I don't see any place to run the cables easily. It's probably designed that way to seal for the cool box function. If you could share your experience, I would appreciate it.

My Odyssey is an EX, not the Touring, so the configuration of the cooling box area may be different (the EX does not have the cooling feature, just the tip-out compartment). On my vehicle there is already a small hole in the side of the enclosure (but not in the tip-out section itself, it's a bit hard to explain what I mean here, but you'll see it if you look). It comes out on the drivers side. I ran the wires through there and connected everything up. It's a little tight but do-able. It's been a little while now so the details are fuzzy. Since you have the cooling feature maybe there isn't a hole there? It might let out the cold air. I had to pull off the side panel that you mentioned to do the installation. The best thing to do is get it off there and have a look around. It makes for a really nice install if you can manage it as you don't have to look at the controller all the time and it isn't constantly banging your (or the wifes) knee. Let me know if you have any other questions.