[mstaffor]

Has anyone else had trouble finding the red and white brake light wire in the bundle under the driver's door trim? I tapped that wire, like outlined in the photos, and I don't think my trailer brakes are working. My tester shows the trailer brakes are on with it plugged in but the brake controller is not showing red. There are several red/white wires in that bundle but only one that is about 12 gauge, all the remaining ones are very small wires. I guess I can use a tester on the wire and hit the brake pedal but am concerned that if I hold the positive on the wire and the negative to a ground the electronics may not like it. Any help would be nice. Also, I ran the wires underneath and would just take the interior apart if I had it to do over. Underneath is hell. A final thought, getting the wires through that boot was a bear even with the battery out.

 

[mstaffor]

As an addendum to my comment above, the trailer controller shows green with a trailer connected and red when the brake pedal is depressed.

 

[CodaMo]

@mstaffor the red/white wire I tapped was not 12 gauge it was much smaller. Best way to figure out the right one is with a multimeter like you mentioned. 12V when the brake pedal is pushed.

A multimeter only takes what it needs from a circuit and will not damage anything, when used properly. Typically all power within any given system will try to find the easiest path back home to ground. A multimeter, when set to read voltage, has an impedance somewhere in the megaohms. That much resistance won't put a noticeable load on the circuit even with these tiny wires.

 

[mstaffor]

I finally got the correct wire tapped to the brake switch. It is indeed white with a red stripe and is located in the driver's side panel where shown. It is not the larger white with a red stripe wire. It is one of the smaller (say size 18-22) sized wires. Also, I used the Teksosha PN 7865 connector to my trailer brake connector as it has the diode you need already installed. This connector will mate directly to several Tekonsha, Draw-tite, Reese Towpower and Reese brake controllers.
I do have one question about the backup light connection. DanLnco replied that he made this connection and I was wondering if just hooking up to the backup light wire was sufficient or if a relay was required. If I can attach a photo to this reply you will see the small brake wire I tapped for the brake controller and to the left the larger wire I mistakenly tapped as it has gouge marks from the tap.

 

[CodaMo]

Great addition, thanks for the info @mstaffor. It's great to see the wire in comparison to the bigger one you originally tapped. I think hooking straight up to the car's backup light wire will do just fine. I imagine a relay is useful if your reverse lights draw a lot of power, but for the trailer size we're limited to on our RAVs I can't imagine that being an issue. If it's too much it'll pop your reverse fuse and then you can look into adding a relay.

 

[Paca57]

Question: I am having a tow hitch with 7-pin installed at U-Haul on my 2019 Adventure. I did not ask for trailer brake controller or wiring as I figured I'd wait until I buy the travel trailer. Since we're 90% sure we'll be getting the trailer, am I making a mistake in not having everything done at the same time? Thank you!

 

[Dr. Dyno]

The electrical work of the harness/brake controller is completely independent of the mechanical work of the hitch receiver so I'd do them separately.
Also gives you time to choose the brake controller that's best for you. After installing & using several Tekonsha models my current favorite is the Curt TriFlex. But those are in my F250s. We used a different make (can't remember which one) in my BIL's Tundra because it fit perfectly in the space his dash had for it. Your choice may depend on what fits your RAV4 mounting options. I'm sure others will chime in as to their preference.

 

[CodaMo]

Question: I am having a tow hitch with 7-pin installed at U-Haul on my 2019 Adventure. I did not ask for trailer brake controller or wiring as I figured I'd wait until I buy the travel trailer. Since we're 90% sure we'll be getting the trailer, am I making a mistake in not having everything done at the same time? Thank you!

If it were me, I'd have them install the wiring for it and leave the 4 ends tied up under the console (and buy a controller later). It's a separate system but they'll be lifting it and pulling interior panels in the rear, so might as well have them do it all. May be worth it to ask what their cost difference is doing them separately vs together. When you find your trailer you won't be held up by this either. If you go that route ensure they fully test it with one of their controllers. My local U-Haul couldn't find the wire to tap after multiple attempts, so I'd ask them about that beforehand. Maybe print this writeup and give it to them for a reference

 

[Paca57]

If it were me, I'd have them install the wiring for it and leave the 4 ends tied up under the console (and buy a controller later). It's a separate system but they'll be lifting it and pulling interior panels in the rear, so might as well have them do it all. May be worth it to ask what their cost difference is doing them separately vs together. When you find your trailer you won't be held up by this either. If you go that route ensure they fully test it with one of their controllers. My local U-Haul couldn't find the wire to tap after multiple attempts, so I'd ask them about that beforehand. Maybe print this writeup and give it to them for a reference

Appreciate your input, will do!

 

[Paca57]

The electrical work of the harness/brake controller is completely independent of the mechanical work of the hitch receiver so I'd do them separately.
Also gives you time to choose the brake controller that's best for you. After installing & using several Tekonsha models my current favorite is the Curt TriFlex. But those are in my F250s. We used a different make (can't remember which one) in my BIL's Tundra because it fit perfectly in the space his dash had for it. Your choice may depend on what fits your RAV4 mounting options. I'm sure others will chime in as to their preference.

Thank you!

 

[Dave Marchetti]

We had the dealer install the oem hitch and 4 pin wiring on our 2018 rav4 adventure. I was surprised how much the tech had to take apart - rear bumper, rear seats, and all the plastic panels in the trunk area. Plus he ran a wire(s) to the engine compartment/battery. We didnt know we would need the 7 pin until we just recently bought a used popup camper. With all that work done, do we really need to run a wire to the battery again? Thanks for your help.

 

[CodaMo]

We had the dealer install the oem hitch and 4 pin wiring on our 2018 rav4 adventure. I was surprised how much the tech had to take apart - rear bumper, rear seats, and all the plastic panels in the trunk area. Plus he ran a wire(s) to the engine compartment/battery. We didnt know we would need the 7 pin until we just recently bought a used popup camper. With all that work done, do we really need to run a wire to the battery again? Thanks for your help.

Yes, you will need additional runs. The battery>7pin wire is used to charge your camper's battery while in tow. It ensures your trailer's battery is sufficiently charged so your breakaway system will have enough power to hold the brakes and stop the trailer if disconnected. I think it's even a law in some states. Also just nice to have a full battery in the PUP when you get to site.
You'll need to run a wire from battery>driver and another one from driver>7pin as well.

 

[Dr. Dyno]

The three extra pins that a 7-round connector has in addition to the 4-flat ones are for backup lights, live power as CodaMo says and electric brakes.
The backup light connection if you want it can be connected in the rear of the vehicle at the lights themselves.
The wire that was installed up to the battery was probably for a taillight converter but if it's large enough (12AWG) it could also be used for live power.
The additional wire that may have to be run is for the brake controller and to do it properly it should be routed behind the same panels except it goes to a dash mounted brake controller not the battery. However the controller will also need live power but that could be supplied by splicing into the other wire already run to the battery.
If you got real lucky and the installer had some foresight he may already have run the second wire for the brakes while the car was all apart.

 

[Dave Marchetti]

The three extra pins that a 7-round connector has in addition to the 4-flat ones are for backup lights, live power as CodaMo says and electric brakes.
The backup light connection if you want it can be connected in the rear of the vehicle at the lights themselves.
The wire that was installed up to the battery was probably for a taillight converter but if it's large enough (12AWG) it could also be used for live power.
The additional wire that may have to be run is for the brake controller and to do it properly it should be routed behind the same panels except it goes to a dash mounted brake controller not the battery. However the controller will also need live power but that could be supplied by splicing into the other wire already run to the battery.
If you got real lucky and the installer had some foresight he may already have run the second wire for the brakes while the car was all apart.

That's what I am hoping. I took pictures of the battery connection and the underside steering column area and fuse box but I don't know what I'm looking at. The wire they connected to the battery has a 15 amp inline fuse.

 

[Dave Marchetti]

Yes, you will need additional runs. The battery>7pin wire is used to charge your camper's battery while in tow. It ensures your trailer's battery is sufficiently charged so your breakaway system will have enough power to hold the brakes and stop the trailer if disconnected. I think it's even a law in some states. Also just nice to have a full battery in the PUP when you get to site.
You'll need to run a wire from battery>driver and another one from driver>7pin as well.

Thanks for your reply.
I'm confused by what you mean by "Driver".

 

[Dave Marchetti]

Also, you mentioned the "The battery>7pin wire" did you mean 7pin connector? Thanks.

 

[CodaMo]

Thanks for your reply.
I'm confused by what you mean by "Driver".

Pardon, I shorthanded a few words, such as the driver's position and yes, the wire that runs from the battery to the 7-pin connector. If you look at pg7 of my PDF, I referenced a wiring diagram for the 7-pin system that highlights the additional parts needed to be added to an existing 4-pin system. Driver's position will be the "Brake Control" area. Also as Dr. Dyno mentioned you may be able to use your previously installed battery supply wire from your 4-pin in place of that "12 Volt Hot Lead," just ensure you have sufficient wire gauge.

 

[Dave Marchetti]

Thanks.
I just ordered this.

CURT 57672 Dual-Output 4-Way Flat Vehicle-Side to 7-Way RV Blade Trailer Wiring Adapter

CURT 51500 Electric Trailer Brake Controller Wiring Kit

Tekonsha 90160 Primus IQ Electronic Brake Control

 

[rayray4433]

I had a company install the 7 pin on my 2020 Rav TRD. I do not believe they put a diode inline with the brake wire. So now when I hit the manual button on my Drawtite brake control it has disabled the pre-collision and it's displayed on my dashboard. I called the company and they said to take it to the dealer and flash the ECM is this going to fix the issue of not having a diode in place.

 

[Dr. Dyno]

Is there a reason you should have to pay your dealer to fix their error. I think not!