how to wire a brake controller

[ej_san_fran]

I need to wire a brake controller on my 2004 Sienna.
What are good ways to route the wires?
The old site had lots of great info about that. Maybe that can be repeated here?

[pgartner]

yeah, the old site had TONS of good info

when i wired my p3, i ran the wires on the inside

- from battery to under the driver foot well i followed the wiring loom on the upper right of the steering columb when looking up from the foot well. there is a nipple that i cut to pass my wirest

- from the dash area to the rear hatch i when under the door thresholds on the drivers side

- i exited from the rear hatches via the gromets that are in the trunk well

this is exactly how it was posted on the old site

Paul

[scubajoe]

This is the same thing I did, though I still haven't found a great spot to mount the controller. There were some good ideas on the old site, but I wasn't a huge fan of them myself. I did set mine up to mount inside the lower bin, which would do the job for now, without leaving any visible marks if I decided to move it.

[rstanek]

I saw on the Tekonsha site a video showing the "plug and play" mounting in a Toyota Sequioa.

Does anyone know if this is possible in the 2nd generation Sienna? We have a 2006, and it has the towing prep package.

Has anyone done the entire install themselves? (brake controller, wiring, 7-pin pigtail).

This time around I plan to get the airbags for the rear struts. Any comments for the '06/2nd gen install?

[scubajoe]

I never found a plug for the brake controller. I have it all installed, except for the wiring harness for the controller itself. Since I am installing in two vehicles, I need to order a second controller for the Sienna, wire it to the brake pedal, and plug in the power from the battery and brake power (which are both already installed and ready to go).

[teachndad]

I have been researching wiring the brake controller myself just recently. I went to etrailer.com and there is a wiring video that shows how to do it. However, it's not a video on a Sienna, but on an older Ford Explorer. Still, it does show you how to wire it, especially around the battery. Here is the link http://www.etrailer.com/p-ETBC7.htm When you go to the link, there are several links for three videos. One explains the wiring kit, and two are for installations on two SUV's. These show you some routing tips. Put that together with the tips here, and I think it would be useful, especially if you have never done anything like that - like me. . There is also a video of how to hook up a T- connector wire harness to the car wiring - plug and drive, though you have to drill a grounding screw, but it shows exactly where to put it. http://www.etrailer.com/tv-wiring_in...ta_sienna.aspx

Cheers.

Rod Wylie

[ej_san_fran]

I've looked into the T-one wiring harness on etrailer.com
However, this converter has a very weak electrical specification of 4.2A for the tail lights.
I figure that the two tail lights plus 11 small rear and side lights on my pop-up trailer require 4.8A (at 14V).
So, a bit stronger converter is needed.

[teachndad]

I've looked into the T-one wiring harness on etrailer.com
However, this converter has a very weak electrical specification of 4.2A for the tail lights.
I figure that the two tail lights plus 11 small rear and side lights on my pop-up trailer require 4.8A (at 14V).
So, a bit stronger converter is needed.

Thanks

So, do you think they have that at etrailer.com, or does it have to be wired in directly meaning more$$?

Rod

[ej_san_fran]

I'm still looking. Let me know when you figure something out.

[Hyspeedz]

yeah, the old site had TONS of good info

when i wired my p3, i ran the wires on the inside

- from battery to under the driver foot well i followed the wiring loom on the upper right of the steering columb when looking up from the foot well. there is a nipple that i cut to pass my wirest

- from the dash area to the rear hatch i when under the door thresholds on the drivers side

- i exited from the rear hatches via the gromets that are in the trunk well

this is exactly how it was posted on the old site

Paul

Thanks for the help...how did you get the wire from the battery through the footwell in the driver's compartment? I am trying to mount a 2meter transceiver and haven't figured out how to run power from the battery into the compartment, nor have I figured out how to tap power inside the cabin. I don't want to use the cigarette lighter. Thanks!

[pgartner]

yeah, the old site had TONS of good info

when i wired my p3, i ran the wires on the inside

- from battery to under the driver foot well i followed the wiring loom on the upper right of the steering columb when looking up from the foot well. there is a nipple that i cut to pass my wirest

- from the dash area to the rear hatch i when under the door thresholds on the drivers side

- i exited from the rear hatches via the gromets that are in the trunk well

this is exactly how it was posted on the old site

Paul

Thanks for the help...how did you get the wire from the battery through the footwell in the driver's compartment? I am trying to mount a 2meter transceiver and haven't figured out how to run power from the battery into the compartment, nor have I figured out how to tap power inside the cabin. I don't want to use the cigarette lighter. Thanks!

on my 2005 with the 3.3 engine, if you look up from the driverside foot well, (put your head by the gas pedal) just right of the steering colume there is a bundle of wires that go to the engine compartment. you can see the bundle snake around in the engine compartment..

the bundle passes the firewall via a rubber grommet. there was a spare "nipple" that i snipped of the tip and passed the wire in.

on the 2007+/3.5 engine it might be different.

the club had a good writeup on this, and i think it was a 2007 model that was used. i printed it out to use as a referance for when i wired my 2005, PM me if you want me to send you a scan/PDF of the printout

Paul

[teachndad]

I've looked into the T-one wiring harness on etrailer.com
However, this converter has a very weak electrical specification of 4.2A for the tail lights.
I figure that the two tail lights plus 11 small rear and side lights on my pop-up trailer require 4.8A (at 14V).
So, a bit stronger converter is needed.

I looked at my trailer and found it had the 11 lights too, so...

What about removing the bulbs out of the three middle running lights on the rear of the trailer to reduce amperage load?

Or what about replacing some of the lights with these? http://www.etrailer.com/pc-LED~CPL120A.htm

I emailed etrailer.com to find out what the amperage of the linked light is - will post when I get a response.

Just some ideas. Thoughts anyone?

Cheers

Rod

[teachndad]

what about these?

They show the amperage at .051 amps

http://shop.easternmarine.com/?fuseaction=catalog.prodInfo&productID=6272&catego ryID=427

[brian_bp]

I saw on the Tekonsha site a video showing the "plug and play" mounting in a Toyota Sequioa.

Does anyone know if this is possible in the 2nd generation Sienna? We have a 2006, and it has the towing prep package.

No, it is not. The Sequioa, like most modern trucks and truck-based SUVs, has "prewiring" for a brake controller; the Sienna (both generations, any equipment level), like most passenger cars and other vehicles sharing their components, does not have such prewiring.

Has anyone done the entire install themselves? (brake controller, wiring, 7-pin pigtail).

Yes, I did, and this is relatively commonly done.

[teachndad]

I'm still looking. Let me know when you figure something out.

For you do it yourselfers out there and anyone researching this topic, I found this. Not sure if it helps. The pages shows a variety of converters with increasing maximums for amperage. http://www.accessconnect.com/trailer...ccessories.htm

Cheers

Rod W