Functions of Each Wire Color on Tekonsha Brake Controller and Installation On a 2012 Chevy Silverado

Question

Question:

I need to know the wiring for the Tekonsha Envoy specifically,... is the black wire Positive??? This is contrary to ALL I have learned, RED is always positve?

asked by: WILLIAM

1

Helpful Expert Reply:

On the Tekonsha Envoy and all brake controllers the four wire colors will be, white is ground, black is 12 volt power, blue goes out to the trailer connector, and red is in from the stop light circuit on the brake switch. I am including a link to a FAQ page on trailer brake controllers.

On your 2012 Chevrolet Silverado, if you have the factory 7-way connector on your vehicle you will just run the brake controller wires to a bundle of 4 or 5 blunt cut wires that are located under the left side of the instrument panel to the left of the steering column. The wires can be identified by a white label and the color of the wires. The wire colors are,

(1) Red/Black wire connects to black wire on brake controller
(1) White wire connects to white wire on brake controller
(1) Light Blue/White wire connects to red wire on brake controller
(1) Dark Blue wire connects to blue wire on brake controller
possible (1) Orange wire is not used

You will also need to connect two wires under the hood of your Silverado to make the tow package functional. I am including a link to a tech bulletin that will describe how to install a brake controller to a 2007 to 2012 Chevrolet truck and it will show you where the two wires are located under the hood that will need to be connected.

If you do not have the factory 7-Way connector on the rear of your vehicle you will need to add the Pollak Replacement 7-Way Connector, part # PK11916, to your vehicle before you install the brake controller as mentioned above. I am including a link to a video of the # PK11916 connector being installed on a similar vehicle.

expert reply by: Jeff D

1

Answer 1

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Answer 2

In order to determine the torque rating for the lug nuts on your trailer you will need to know check out the chart I attached that shows all of the torque specs for all the trailer lugs available based on stud size, wheel material and wheel size.

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Answer 3

There are a few troubleshooting steps to help you figure out why you have no power. I would start by making sure that there is not any corrosion or debris blocking your connection points. If they are clean or still no power after cleaning, I would…

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Answer 4

You are correct, you should only be getting output when the brake is applied, or the override switch is activated. It sounds like the controller might be bad, but to make sure, you should probably bench test it before tossing it. Use a circuit…

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Answer 5

To cover the easiest things first, make sure that the brake controller output or gain is turned up. If the power is low then the voltage on the blue wire will be low. When testing for voltage make sure to use the manual override and not the brake…

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Answer 6

First you will need to remove the old hydraulic equipment. Remove the surge coupler or actuator, remove all the lines, and finally remove the brake assemblies. If you have 10 inch diameter hub and drums, you may need to replace those as well. If you…

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Answer 7

Traditionally, trailer manufacturers did not use electric brakes on boat trailers because the brake magnet wiring and trailer wiring did not always have the best insulation or water protection. These days, more and more manufacturers are using…

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Answer 8

To convert your trailer from surge o electric brakes, you'll need new electric brake assemblies like #23-105 and #23-106 If you have 12" hub and drums. Or, #K23-473-00 and #K23-472-00 if you have 10 x 1-1/2" brake assemblies. You'll…

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Answer 9

Self-adjusting brake assemblies are the way to go like with the #AKEBRK-7-SA which do fit your 7k Dexter axles. The only real reason to go with manual adjust is really just cost. At one point the self adjusting models were much more expensive but now…

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Answer 10

If your 2001 Ford F-150 has the factory 4-Way flat trailer connector then you can use harness #118242 to add a 7-Way. Once plugged in in place of the 4-Way harness and after the included relays and fuses are installed then it will be fully functional…

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Answer 11

You can convert surge brakes to an electric over hydraulic braking system. To do this, you will need an electric over hydraulic actuator and a brake controller. For an electric over hydraulic actuator, I recommend looking at the Carlisle HydraStar…

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Answer 12

Although the #30717 will work, I have a better suggestion for you. If your F150 is the New Body style, use part #118247. If you have the Old Body style, use #118242. Either connector will plug inline with your existing trailer connector, allowing you…

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Functions of Each Wire Color on Tekonsha Brake Controller and Installation On a 2012 Chevy Silverado

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