Loss of power pulling trailer
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Registered User
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 96
Likes: 0
From: Johnson City, TN
Loss of power pulling trailer
Can anyone help this guy out? He has an 05 3500 QC DRW and posted the following on rv.net:
"We get about 30 miles from home and the truck starts acting up, it feels like it doesn't have enough power and from a stop the RPM's have to be up around 2,100 just to get the truck MOVING. At this point I'm not mad... just worried about my transmission! BUT I know where the closest dodge dealer is and head that way. We get there and the service dept is CLOSED on the weekends The salesman is really nice and call's all the dodge dealer's in the surrounding area's but they too are all closed on the weekends.
I had no choice but call my father in law to come out with his GMC 2500 to pull the TT home for me to avoid further damage to a busted truck.
After I unhooked from the TT we noticed right away that the truck is back to normal. On the way home a few times I smashed the skinny peddle to the floor and the cummins came alive and planted us in our seats! WHAT GIVES?... We get home and hook back up to the TT and my truck is a total DOG again
I cycled the key from on to off stopping on the ON position on the 3rd cycle to get the codes and look them up on the internet. They all refer to low or high voltage. I give my truck a good look under the hood with my multimeter and its all good.
FINALLY I found the problem... a fuse... ONE STINKIN FUSE. And no the fuse was NOT bad. It was GOOD! I pulled the fuse that supplies 12 volts to the TT. Now I can tow my TT all day long without a problem."
And this too:
"***UPDATE***
Today I pulled my TT over to my friends house (yeah believe it or not I have friends) he has a chevy 1500 and a 19 or 20 foot hybrid TT. I dropped my TT and he hooked up to it. Took his truck and my TT for a ride, everything was fine other than the WD setup could use some adjustment. SO I then hook up to his hybrid TT and IT pulls fine. I pulled over and put the fuse back in under the hood that supplies 12 volts to the TT, start the truck up and the check engine light comes on and my big bad dodge couldn't hardly pull his little 19 foot trailer. Same thing I experienced while pulling MY TT (see my OP)
So we pull the fuse back out and start the truck up and head back to his place with no problems towing at all.
Some of you that posted thought maybe it had something to do with the brake controller and that I was dragging the brakes. Soooooo I hooked back up to my TT and put the fuse back in, start the truck and jacked up the TT so the wheels were off the ground. Guess what? the wheels spin easily and freely.
I think that clears up any question to the error being on my part, or the TT, or the brake controller.
My options are to either just run without the fuse... who really needs it anyways???? my TT batteries always have a charge since we plug in at home before we leave and we plug in at the CG.
OR track down where the problem lies within the truck."
I don't have any idea what the problem could be and was hoping someone on here might have a suggestion.
"We get about 30 miles from home and the truck starts acting up, it feels like it doesn't have enough power and from a stop the RPM's have to be up around 2,100 just to get the truck MOVING. At this point I'm not mad... just worried about my transmission! BUT I know where the closest dodge dealer is and head that way. We get there and the service dept is CLOSED on the weekends The salesman is really nice and call's all the dodge dealer's in the surrounding area's but they too are all closed on the weekends.
I had no choice but call my father in law to come out with his GMC 2500 to pull the TT home for me to avoid further damage to a busted truck.
After I unhooked from the TT we noticed right away that the truck is back to normal. On the way home a few times I smashed the skinny peddle to the floor and the cummins came alive and planted us in our seats! WHAT GIVES?... We get home and hook back up to the TT and my truck is a total DOG again
I cycled the key from on to off stopping on the ON position on the 3rd cycle to get the codes and look them up on the internet. They all refer to low or high voltage. I give my truck a good look under the hood with my multimeter and its all good.
FINALLY I found the problem... a fuse... ONE STINKIN FUSE. And no the fuse was NOT bad. It was GOOD! I pulled the fuse that supplies 12 volts to the TT. Now I can tow my TT all day long without a problem."
And this too:
"***UPDATE***
Today I pulled my TT over to my friends house (yeah believe it or not I have friends) he has a chevy 1500 and a 19 or 20 foot hybrid TT. I dropped my TT and he hooked up to it. Took his truck and my TT for a ride, everything was fine other than the WD setup could use some adjustment. SO I then hook up to his hybrid TT and IT pulls fine. I pulled over and put the fuse back in under the hood that supplies 12 volts to the TT, start the truck up and the check engine light comes on and my big bad dodge couldn't hardly pull his little 19 foot trailer. Same thing I experienced while pulling MY TT (see my OP)
So we pull the fuse back out and start the truck up and head back to his place with no problems towing at all.
Some of you that posted thought maybe it had something to do with the brake controller and that I was dragging the brakes. Soooooo I hooked back up to my TT and put the fuse back in, start the truck and jacked up the TT so the wheels were off the ground. Guess what? the wheels spin easily and freely.
I think that clears up any question to the error being on my part, or the TT, or the brake controller.
My options are to either just run without the fuse... who really needs it anyways???? my TT batteries always have a charge since we plug in at home before we leave and we plug in at the CG.
OR track down where the problem lies within the truck."
I don't have any idea what the problem could be and was hoping someone on here might have a suggestion.
Registered User
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 307
Likes: 1
From: Michigan
check the voltage at your batteries without the trailer hooked up and then again with the trailer hooked up. it really sounds like something is not hooked up correctly and when you hook a trailer up it causes a huge current draw on your truck. have you recently checked the plug on your truck and used a multimeter to find out how much voltage is going to the plug and which pins are getting the voltage. not every pin is suppose to get power to them. good luck, i didnt think it would be your brake controller.
Registered User
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,915
Likes: 0
From: Beaverton, Oregon
Did your truck come with the TT package already installed or did the dealer or the Trailer dealer install the Brake controller and or wiring for the controller. The problem is in your trucks TT wiring, it sounds like the TT 12VDC battery charging voltage is going straight to ground when plugged into a TT. The 7pin connector is probably wired wrong. Check voltage at the plug, make sure you check polarity. Make sure the fuse is plugged in.
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