onemoretruck

I am looking into installing a brake controller onto my 1994 2500.It appears the truck came with a factory hitch so I guess it had the towing package.After reading so many archived threads on the subject it is still unclear if my 94 could then came out with the factory wirings to the rear pluggin for a brake controller or not.

Looking under the dash area there are two female pluggins sockets tied up just at the edge of the lower dash just at the right of the steering wheel.They look factory stuff..one is blue in color and shows 4 terminals to wich run 4 wiresne white/black stripe,one full violet,one full pink and one black/grey stripe.
The second one just an inch further ,also tied up at the under dash edge,is a black colored female socket with only two terminals but with four wires running to it:2 are white/purple stripe,one full red and one red/purple stripe.

I have looked for a blue wire ,loose around /near the steering column but couldn't see any.

Now the pluggin at thr rear of the truck shows 6 terminals around the terminal plus one in center ...is this a 7 pins pluggin?

The location of the two pluggins under dash,just at hand on the right side,makes me think they could be for a brake controller connections..could somebody confirms this if I am right?

There is another small pluggin just underdash at its edge looking also as factory stuff but at the left of the steering colummn but this one has only a small black wire to it..what is it for? Female receptacle also.

thanks for helping,
Ron.

dslpower

94-96 does not have the convienient plug in connection like the newer trucks.

Look real hard at the bundle of wires that come through the firewall right above the metal bracket to the left of the steering column with all the connectors on it.

There will be a light blue single wire that is 90% hidden (feel around for it) it is there, folded up beside the bundle close to where it goes through the firewall. Mine had a tag on it that says no more than 15 amps brake +.

Then you have to run power and ground from the battery, and tap the white wire w/orange stripe on the brake switch.Check though with a light or meter to make sure that its the "cold " side of the brake light circuit.

onemoretruck

Thanks for the infos...Tell me a bit more please as electricals is not my strongest! I would have thought the famous blue wire to be the 12v. feeding the juice to the trailer brakes but I am confused here as ,from your instructions,once the blue wire found I will have to run both a posit. and ground from the battery...?!So should I conclude the blue is the one running current to the rear?If so that is considerable work written off already.

Do you have any ideas what the two sockets I have found are for?

thanks again.Ron.

JKM

Ron , As far as i know , 94/95 trucks did not have the plug in for a trailer brake controller , i had to look REALLY hard to find the light blue wire on my truck when i put my controller in, it was taped on the back of the big harness going into the firewall , i could not see it , i found it by feel , i can take a picture tomorrow and post it if you want me to.

I don't know what the 2 prong plus is for , but that 4 prong one actually does sound like the one for the brake controller

samboats

I put a controller on my 96 three or four weeks ago. The local trailer parts man sold me an adapter harness which I plugged in under the dash and all I had to do was mount the controller then. The plug (female part) was way back next to the firewall and beside the parking brake pedal. It was a pain to reach for average sized hands.

JKM

Samboats , that plug is NOT on 94/95 trucks , it started in 96, previous to that , we were provided with a blue wire only, the rest was up to the installer.

I got bored , so i went outside (it is -10 here) and took some pictures , as best i could, first is of the blue wire , and roughly where it goes into the wiring harness ( it is impossible to see , but feel for it , and you will find it.







This picture is of the other two plugs i think you are seeing , they are for comptuer diagnostics (pre OBD II)



I hope this helps.

onemoretruck

Jayme thanks,

I have called the PO to check if he ever had somekind of brake controller on the truck he said he didn't...this 4 prongs terminal attracks my attention...I have read many posts about the subject before posting my question and it seems everyone is in accord about non existing connectors,factory installed ones ) before 96...could it be mine was exception?..This socket has what looks like absolute factory wires coming into it and the way it is anchored to the lower plastic dash edge is same as many other typical wiring attachements to the truck:a kind of barbed plastic anchor going through a small hole wich is actually part of the socket itself..this sure doesn't look aftermarket installation.

Anyway with your pictures (many thanks) I'll look again and should find the bugger!

thanks to all for the help.
Ron.

dslpower

Ron the blue wire is for trailer brake + only, and yes it already runs to the 7 way socket. Sorry.. when I said run power and ground from battery I meant to the controller. The 7 way socket is grounded through the harness.

Those 2 sockets JKM took a pic of I think are for testing the airbag system, and the single black one by the park brake is for ABS diagnostics.

JKM

You can see my power and ground wires (straight from the battery) hanging down in the first picture , for a signal wire look for a gray one with a red tracer , that should be the brake light, check it with a test light to be sure.

If that 4 pin connector is mounted to the bottom of the dash , it is not the right one for a brake controller, i have never heard tell of any pre 96 truck having the correct plug (it is blue in colour IIRC)

Any trucks i have put controllers in , the connector was stuffed way up in by the parking brake somewhere, dodge hid there extra stuff really good under there.

onemoretruck

O.K. have found the blue wire exactly where it was supposed to be...I guess the engineering people there could have done better..and I got a far better understanding of how it gets installed now..

jayme I don't know how to post pictures here so I have pm you a picture of the blue socket under the dash but mostlikely,as explained by dislpower they are for another purpose..

have you used a fusible link of some sort on your positive from the battery?I've read about a 30 amps resettable fusible link right? Isn't that high since the blue is for 15 only?
thanks,Ron.

JKM

IIRC i put a 20 amp circuit breaker on mine , in the positive wire.

This is the controller i had ( it wasn't much , but it was free)

http://www.draw-tite.com/

( i guess you can't directly link to the product , it was the activator if you want to look it up)

Here is the install instructions:

http://www.draw-tite.com/fitguides/pdf/N5100.pdf