Curt Echo (51180) brake controller

[jvh]

hello All,
Just joined here... but have been reading good stuff here for a while already!

We recently upgraded our rig to a Passport 199ml with a Husky centerline weight distribution hitch and towing this with a 2019 Ford Ranger.
Love it... quite the upgrade from our Palomino Popup.

Ok, unfortunately the Ranger, even though it says comes with a tow package, does NOT include a brake controller. To hardwire one in is a pretty crazy install since it includes hooking up to either the rear brake lights, or the so called 3rd brake light on the back of the cab. (See this ref: ranger-brake-control-towing-pack)

After some reading, I opted for the Curt Echo 51180 mobile brake controller that you use with a bluetooth app on your phone.

So, most of the time this setup works great.
However, intermittently like approx. 5% of the time, after releasing my foot off the brake pedal in the truck, the app shows that the trailer brakes are not released. The first few times I saw this, I would safely pull over, and after releasing my foot of the brake after pulling over, the app shows all good. (ie: trailer brakes released). After a while, I realized I could just tap the brakes in the truck and everything would release properly. Needless to say this is "Not Good".

So, now I'm trying to find the cause of this issue and fix it.
I'm not sure if the problem is the truck, controller or trailer.
I've been mostly concentrating on the controller and trailer and I have already tried:
- a different brake controller (same Curt 51180 model)
- cleaning all the frame grounds and added di-electric grease at the front of the trailer, which did look a little suspect TBH.
- tested that the trailer brakes engage and dis-engage properly with a direct connection to a 12V battery
- tested out the grounds at the trailer brake/signal lights with a multi-meter
- checked all the trailer brake wiring (at the back of the wheel hubs) for shorts/frays to the frame

I've also contacted Curt tech support, and they are suspicious of the frame grounding and possibly some current leaking back from the trailer brake/signal wire grounding. This is why I did a lot of work scrubbing the front frame grounds. But to 100% cover their suggestion, I don't know exactly where those trailer lights are grounded. The bulb socket shows a white ground wire going into the trailer... but I'm not sure where it goes from there.

So, I would really appreciate any help on this investigation.
Q1: where are those trailer tail light grounds?
Q2: any other ideas how to solve this??

[chuckster57]

Welcome to the forum

ALL trailer grounds are connected to the frame. To eliminate a bad ground at the trailer tail lights you could run a ground from the light to the frame and see if that fixes the issue. Make sure the battery lead ground is clean on the frame. You may want to take the screw out, remove any paint and then install with a “star” washer, then paint over that.

[jvh]

Thanks @chuckster57. I will try your suggestions.

And btw... I did come across this similar situation in another trailer forum here: curt-51180-echo-wireless-electric-trailer-brake-controller. Ie: checkout post #12 there by richmo.

[jvh]

So, I undid some of the belly pan, and was rooting around underneath the back of the trailer tonight to see if I could find the ground point for the signal/brake lights. I can see what I think are the single red & brown signal wires that come from the front for left & right signal lights and go up behind the shower wall at the back, but I don’t see how the lights are grounded. The wires on the bulb sockets are also different colours, so I think there is some connections in the wall for this Is that correct?

I can run a temporary ground wire on the outside for a test trip, but if I want to fix this permanently any suggestions?
For example what am into if I unmount the signal fixtures that are screwed onto the back outside wall?

[chuckster57]

If you take a tail light assembly off, you’ll find the 3 wires including the white ground wire. You may be able to drop the coroplast and fish a new ground to the frame.

[Max23]

I personally would be very curious to see sticker numbers and a cat scale readout of this setup. Sounds like a lot of trouble to get this controller to work on a questionable setup. Just curious, everything may be just fine. Questionable.

[jvh]

Hey @Max23,
The trailer is 4147lbs empty and truck is rated to 7500.
Can you elaborate on what you feel is questionable?

[JRTJH]

JVH,

Have you considered that you "might have" (not do have) a vehicle "computer system" that is not compatible with any brake controller? I'm not saying that you "DO HAVE" that problem, but have you ruled it out?

Here is a link to another member's dilemma with his "new vehicle" and things he went through to install a brake controller in his new Ford. While your Ranger may not have the same computer system programming as his, it may have similar programming that simply "won't work with an aftermarket brake controller" without affecting other parts of the computer programming.

Even back as far as 2010, installing a "OEM brake control" on a Ford truck required a "computer reflash at the dealership service department"...

Might be that your Ranger computer system has similar requirements ???

Here's the link to that discussion: https://www.keystoneforums.com/forum...174#post536174

[Max23]

Originally Posted by jvh

Hey @Max23,
The trailer is 4147lbs empty and truck is rated to 7500.
Can you elaborate on what you feel is questionable?

Im simply asking the question. I have no idea the capacities of a Ford Ranger. Thats why I ask. I know my TT is 5300 Bone dry. My F150 had a "Towing Capacity" of 10400#. However, my GAWR was below what my trailer put on the truck when I added water to it, that info came straight off the CAT scale. It also sent my truck over on payload capacity. See, towing capacity means absolutely nothing. What is the hitch capacity the axle weight rating and the payload capacity of (your) ranger. In parenthesis because they all differ. Again, not trying to assume anything at all, I just am simply asking the question because I have no idea the capacities of a Ranger and I have been there. Large towing capacity but under on everything else.

[jvh]

Originally Posted by Max23

Im simply asking the question. I have no idea the capacities of a Ford Ranger. Thats why I ask. I know my TT is 5300 Bone dry. My F150 had a "Towing Capacity" of 10400#. ...<snip>

Ok. Thanks for clarifying. I'm not sure what the axle ratings are but the max tongue load is 750lbs. And I'm way below that.

[jvh]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

JVH,

Have you considered that you "might have" (not do have) a vehicle "computer system" that is not compatible with any brake controller? I'm not saying that you "DO HAVE" that problem, but have you ruled it out?

Here is a link to another member's dilemma with his "new vehicle" and things he went through to install a brake controller in his new Ford. While your Ranger may not have the same computer system programming as his, it may have similar programming that simply "won't work with an aftermarket brake controller" without affecting other parts of the computer programming.

Even back as far as 2010, installing a "OEM brake control" on a Ford truck required a "computer reflash at the dealership service department"...

Might be that your Ranger computer system has similar requirements ???

Here's the link to that discussion: https://www.keystoneforums.com/forum...174#post536174

Hmmm... Thanks for the reply JRTJH but I'm not sure if you're following how this 51180 brake controller is hooked up. It's not wired in under the dash, so it not connected to the trucks computer system at all. It's connected at the back of the truck directly into the 7pin connector and the trailer plugs into it.

This website has a good illustration of the hookup: https://clrgarage.com/product/curt-5...ke-controller/

[jvh]

Originally Posted by chuckster57

If you take a tail light assembly off, you’ll find the 3 wires including the white ground wire. You may be able to drop the coroplast and fish a new ground to the frame.

hey @chuckster57... so I did some more investigation of the wiring.
I disconnected all the trailer frame ground wires from the front and did a continuity check from the frame to the tail light ground - no connection.
So it turns out there is actually a separate ground wire that is connected to the tail light grounds and terminates in the Epicord junction box (on the white ground terminal) on the front tongue frame.
I think this is great, since it means that the tail lights are not reliant on the frame grounds after all.

But now I'm back to square one, and I'm not sure what's causing the controller to think the brakes are intermittently not released.

Any other ideas??

[chuckster57]

Unless I’m off base, ALL grounds are connected together at some point and to the frame. Otherwise you would have “hot skin”.

If you disconnected all the grounds from the frame, then one would expect to see no continuity.

[jvh]

Let me try to clarify.

In the drawing below you can see what I found out.
Even though I cannot see the entire length of it, there must be a wire that goes from the tail light grounds to the Epicord junction box. And yes, there is another wire that goes from that same ground terminal in the junction box back to the frame to "ground" the trailer.

So I temporarily disconnected the frame ground wire (pic: Ground wire #1) and tested that I have continuity from the tail socket grounds back to one of the white wires (pic: Ground wire #2) that shows up in the junction box. It was also connected to terminal 1. But I disconnected it temporarily to check continuity. And while that frame ground wire is not connected, I don't have any continuity from the tail socket grounds to the frame.

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by jvh

Hmmm... Thanks for the reply JRTJH but I'm not sure if you're following how this 51180 brake controller is hooked up. It's not wired in under the dash, so it not connected to the trucks computer system at all. It's connected at the back of the truck directly into the 7pin connector and the trailer plugs into it.

This website has a good illustration of the hookup: https://clrgarage.com/product/curt-5...ke-controller/

I can see SO many things going wrong with that. "Wireless" control of your trailer braking system "radio signals"....oh boy, what could go wrong with that. You're trying to pull a travel trailer with a Ford Ranger with a questionable brake controller? IMO I would be rethinking that.

[chuckster57]

I have installed 3 of these systems and haven’t seen a single issue once:

https://www.trailerjacks.com/Tekonsh...mpaign%20Group

Link for illustration only.

[chuckster57]

Originally Posted by jvh

Let me try to clarify.

In the drawing below you can see what I found out.
Even though I cannot see the entire length of it, there must be a wire that goes from the tail light grounds to the Epicord junction box. And yes, there is another wire that goes from that same ground terminal in the junction box back to the frame to "ground" the trailer.

So I temporarily disconnected the frame ground wire (pic: Ground wire #1) and tested that I have continuity from the tail socket grounds back to one of the white wires (pic: Ground wire #2) that shows up in the junction box. It was also connected to terminal 1. But I disconnected it temporarily to check continuity. And while that frame ground wire is not connected, I don't have any continuity from the tail socket grounds to the frame.

Attachment 44851

I think you’re overthinking this. Your junction box probably has multiple white (ground) wires and as long as you have continuity when they are ALL connected and connected to the frame, that’s not the issue.

[jvh]

Originally Posted by chuckster57

I think you’re overthinking this. Your junction box probably has multiple white (ground) wires and as long as you have continuity when they are ALL connected and connected to the frame, that’s not the issue.

yeah... most likely I am.
I was just trying to prove that I have good ground from the tail light bulb sockets. I was assuming that they were grounded to the frame at the back of the trailer somewhere, which they are not.

I agree, since I now know I have good grounds, that this is not the problem.
I'm doing all this to trouble shoot what the Curt tech asked me to investigate.

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by chuckster57

I have installed 3 of these systems and haven’t seen a single issue once:

https://www.trailerjacks.com/Tekonsh...mpaign%20Group

Link for illustration only.

Hopefully there wouldn't be any issues at installation. The Tekonsha product looks more robust than the Curt unit. The Curt depends on just plugging into the 7pin receptacle and then extends 7-8" from that plug in, hanging in the air, then the trailer umbilical plugs into that - the Tekonsha is much better built. Those umbilicals have longevity problems plugged directly into a supported OE 7 pin connector on a truck. Putting that umbilical into a 8" extension plugged into the truck 7 pin connector, just hanging in the air, bouncing all over the place, can only be problematic the way I see it. And, it depends not on physical wiring connectivity, it depends on that long adapter maintaining constant, solid contact in the receptacle while trying to support the weight of that umbilical bouncing around.

Something like that is fine if you are only worrying about internet connectivity to play games or other non essential "stuff". Relegating your, your family's and others lives to the dependability of that bouncing plastic stick, hoping it keeps connection with a dependable, or not, smartphone is just not a good situation for anyone. It's a way to get some kind of brake controller into a vehicle that wasn't meant to have one...

[jvh]

After more discussion with Curt tech support this week, they threw up their hands and put up the white flag. They basically told me that they don't know what's causing this now. Great!

And after giving this more thought, I decided that I had enough with wireless controllers. It's not worth the frustration nor (more importantly) the safety risks.

So, I ordered and rec'd my Ford OEM hardwired controller from my local dealer. It's the one I linked in my original post, which is really the Redarc Tow Pro Elite with the extra Lumen module that enables all the Ford safety and other brake features like AEB (Automatic emergency braking) etc by connecting into the 3rd brake light (CHMSL).
Installed this yesterday. I really took my time at it, since I didn't want to break any of the trim pieces. But I'll say there are a lot of resources out there that helped pave the way. The included instructions are ok but... specifically this:

Harles Garage youtube video

and this Range5g-multi-page-post were extremely helpful.

After my first test spin with the trailer this is now behaving "properly". After completing the calibration, the brake action in auto-mode is super super smooth. It's like the trailer isn't even there... even though I can feel the trailer brakes being applied. Will give it more of a shake down, but I'm very impressed and relieved with this so far.

The controller user interface (ie: the little Redarc control knob) is a little too small & simple for my liking. For something this pricey and OEM from Ford, I'd prefer something that hooks into the truck's display or comes with it's own OLED. But at least it WORKS!