2018 Tundra with 4.6 engine trailer brake install

New to this forum, and I dont own a Tundra, but I am an installer and thought some of you might like a little info on a possible location to help with a hardwire install of an aftermarket trailer brake controller. If you have a 4.6l V8 truck then factory electric brake is not standard equipment to my knowledge. A 5.7l truck it would be. Well, to help facilitate installation of an aftermarket controller, look in the passenger kick area of the A pillar post and look for a white plug that has 2 10-12 gauge wires, black and blue, along with multiple small gauge wires. The blue is the feed back to the 7 round, and the black is +12 volts. You can pick up the brake sense at the brake light switch, beige in color, and ground to chassis. Hope it helps......

 

Thank You! for sharing and YES very useful!
If you don't mind where would be best to tap into light switch?
Thank You again!

 

What exactly are you trying to hook up? I assume you mean headlamp switch? Are you trying to get marker lights or headlamps? Little more detail, maybe i can help.

 

Thank You!... I am about to install a Tekonsha Brake controller (my bad I should have said brake light switch above), I saw your pics regarding wire locations and found them extremely helpful!
Passengers kick panel Blue = Feedback to 7 round
Black = 12 volts
I can ground on chassis
BUT I was just wondering the easiest location to tap into the brake light switch wire to complete the installation. (2018 Tundra 4.6)
Your pictures were extremely helpful and Thank You in advance for any advice

 

Well as I mentioned in my original post, you should be able to find brake sense at the brake light switch above the brake pedal. I believe beige in color. Now here is the kicker. First verify that wire with a dvom not an incandescent test light. Second, some brake controllers if not all will have a slide switch on them to activate the trailer brakes independent of vehicle service brakes. This is to help with a jack knife situation and/or a trailer that gets to swaying uncontrollably. Now on some brake units, when this slide switch is applied the brake controller will output +12 volts on the brake sense wire. Not all, just some models. This is generally ok on older vehicles, but on newer ones you have to be cautious. Sometimes the vehicle brake switch is just a low current sense tied into BCM, where as BCM sees switch applied and itself turns on brake lights on vehicle. So you have to be careful and do some good research. Now I've only experienced one of these trucks so far, so my knowledge is still limited on them, so please do good research. Clear as mud? Hope it helps........

 

Wow! No crystal clear !
Thank You so MUCH for your advise.
Do you remember if that 2018 tundra 4.6 you did had 12v at the brake switch or was it just a continuity sensor to the BCM?
I have the exact truck you installed that brake controller on
Thank You !!

 

Pretty sure it was +12volt. Just in case I would suggest some inline diode blocking on the brake sense lead.



Heres some wiring schematics Pay close attention, this is for a 2018 with a 4.6. Either from August 2017 or before August 2017 production date notice the beige wire at the stop light switch.

 

Wow! Thank You Again!
wealth of info here

 

Hello DaemonJeep,
Just wanted to reach out and say Thank You again for taking the time to share those pics.
I just finished installing my brake controller (Tekonsha P3) on my 2018 Tundra 4.6, your pics and advise saved me some headaches.
Works like a charm and did a nice clean install.
Thank You! again

Alex

 

Hello guys,

I'm assuming you just spliced into the brake sense, 12v power, and and feed back? I plan on using Scotchlock splices. I am waiting on the controller before I pull the kick panel out but from what I can see from above there is another connector attached to it from below. I am sure I am looking at the correct connector but the pic above shows the upper end of the connector and not the lower. I assume power is coming in on the black and the blue is headed out to the 7 round?

Thanks

 

that is correct. works fantastic

 

Hello again,

I got my Tekonsha P3 hooked up and everything is working but I noticed a couple of things. My brake lights do come on I apply the trailer brakes with the slider so I’m going to have to add a diode. Another thing is when I have the key on and the truck in park and when I hit the brakes I hear a click from the column. I believe it is the shift lockout and I don’t ever remember hearing it before. Granted I have only had the truck a few days and may have never hit the brake with the key on and it in park. Normally the key is off and I hit the brake and turn the key on to start then shift. When I do this there is no click from the column. Any ideas on this?

Thanks,

 

Let me start by saying forgive my ignorance but I have the same truck and looking to do this in the near future. I assumed it was easy as plug play when hooking up a newer brake controller.. am I wrong?

 

A 2018 with a 4.6 doesn't have the plug and play plug in the dash like the older ones

 

Well that's not cool...thanks for the info

 

I've got the p3 control and the ESP dash panel but haven't taken the time to wire it I'm going to grab power from brake lite switch and use it to trigger a relay so I don't backfeed power

 

I have a 2019 tundra with the 4.6 and tow package. I can't find any service connector wiring behind the panel to the right of the steering wheel. Does this mean it needs to be hard wired in? There is a couple of connectors back there but they are small guage wires. Any help would be appreciated thanks

 

Scratch that, I just found out I don't have the tow package. I figured it was the same as my Tacoma when it had factory hitch and 7 pin connector installed it had tow package.

 

Thank you @daemonjeep for taking the time to post instructions. It made it very easy for me to install my brake controller and get everything setup. All the instructions are correct. When looking for the white connector on the passenger side, you have to kind of look up towards the side of the door to see it.

 

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a white plug that has 2 10-12 gauge wires, black and blue, along with multiple small gauge wires. The blue is the feed back to the 7 round, and the black is +12 volts. You can pick up the brake sense at the brake light switch, beige in color, and ground to chassis. Hope it helps......

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Are you saying to cut the blue and black wires from that plug and wire into the brake controller harness or is there a plug adapter?

 

Get the tekonsha harness. This is the exact one you need with the additional ground wire. Take the tekonsha harness apart and then take the wires out of it and push the 2 wires into the factory harness and just use lelecteixwk tape to hold them in. They should plug in snug. The other end of the harness will plug into the controller. Ground the ground cable and then run your brake sense wire to the brake light switch tan wire.

Tekonsha 3031-P Trailer Brake...

$17 Tekonsha Trailer Brake Controller Harness, Compatible with Select Toyota Tacoma, Tundra

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0781KTCPT?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

 

Thanks for the answer. I ordered the

$17 Tekonsha 3031-P Tekonsha Trailer Brake Controller Harness, Compatible with Select Toyota Tacoma, Tundra

Tekonsha 3031-P harness you suggested. I’m assuming it’s the RED wire from the harness that is connected to the TAN brake switch wire. Is that correct?

 

That's correct. You'll have to extend the red wire to the tan wire on the switch. I just used a scotch lock and spliced to it and was done with it. One you have it all hooked up you can get another person to step on the brake pedal and use a multimeter to check the voltage on the 7 pin connector in the back.

 

Thanks for the very good advice. I’ll be confident in completing the job this weekend thanks to you.

 

huge help to me too...will finish installing this weekend...thanks to everyone who contributed...

 

Sorry to keep asking questions. I have the harness but “taking it apart” is proving difficult for me. Care to elaborate on your advice?

 

The harness is held together by a clip. If you look at it carefully you will see you can take a small pick and unsecure the clip to get the wires out. Look on the back side where the wires go into the white harness clip

 

Step 1 complete. Wires and, more importantly blue and black, still stuck. Please forgive my ignorance.

 

SUCESS! There’s a tab that must be pushed away from the wire with a small flat screwdriver on the inside of the plug. Hope this helps others

 

Now just plug the black and white wire I to the factory harness. It should plug in very snug and I just used electrical tape around it to hold it. Then run the red wire by extending it to the tan wire in the brake light switch using a T tap. Also don't forget to ground the a ground wire loop.