05 Jeep Grand Cherokee (WK) Prodigy Brake Controller?

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cpuwhiz22

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Jun 19, 2013
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Hey guys.  I will be picking up my TT in the next couple of weeks and I believe I need a brake controller.  I have been reading a lot, and from what I understand, the trailer has brakes, and my Jeep's tow package includes wiring for brakes, but not the brake controller.  Does this sound typical?

If so, does anyone have any experience with installing a Prodigy unit in a Jeep with a towing package?  My concern is that from what I can find about installing the controller, I will need to splice some wires.  However, http://www.wkjeeps.com/wk_towing.htm states:

The Trailer Tow Package includes a 4 and 7 pin wiring harness located at the rear underbody of the vehicle. Connect trailer lighting and brakes using factory harnesses only. Do not cut or splice wiring to the brake circuits. The electrical connections are all complete to the vehicle (including wiring for a brake controller) but you must mate the harness to a trailer connector.
Click to expand...

So what exactly is required?  I want to make sure this is ready before I go to pick up the rig.

Thanks!
 
Sounds typical, however can't help you with the install.  Tekonsha Prodigy is a good unit.  Tekonsha is the town (In south Central Southern Michigan, near US-27/I-69 and M-60) I grew up in.
 
Wiring up your brake controller is fairly simple.  Mostly it involves hooking up a hot power lead, a ground wire and a signal wire that is energized by the same circuit that tells your brake light to light up when you step on the brake.  Using a test light you can find the hot side of the switch on your brake pedal when you depress the brake.  Other than that you need a fairly heavy blue wire that runs all the way back to your trailer connector.  This wire may or may not be already in place.  The tow package for a Jeep Cherokee probably has both a 4 way connector and a 7 way connector under the rear bumper.  You will need the 7 way because the 4 way does not have the brake wire.  If you have a 7 way recepticale, try to follow the blue wire back to the front.  You may find it easier just to run a new blue wire from the output of your brake controller back to the 7 way.

Hope this helps,  be sure and also read the instruction with the controller, but I think that this at least was an overview.

edit:  I just reread your quoted instructions about not splicing the brake wire,  so just follow their instructions, guess I am one of those guys that jumps in a does it and then reads the instructions.  Good Luck
 
Don't know if anyone cares but I thought I would update.  I read the manual and found a diagram specific for my Jeep.  It is the same as the Prodigy diagram I got with the controller, but told me which pin was for the brake switch, and which wire went back to the 7 way.  For reference here is the diagram:

http://www.wkjeeps.com/trailer/electric_brake_inst_wk.jpg

I used a Scotch Lock type connector to tap the brake switch wire since I didn't want to cut it.  The toughest part for me was getting the power and ground wires from the battery to the controller's harness.  I know a lot of people said they didn't bother going to the battery for power, but I figured since the manual said to I would do it.  I also installed the circuit breaker mentioned in the manual though most people I have read do not bother.

Anyhow, job done.  I paid $65 for the controller (used), and another $17 for wire and connectors.  Not bad!
 
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