DIY Factory Tow Package using OEM parts with Forscan As-built Data (without error codes)

[CCMDoc]

Thank you - I’ll check with them.

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[Jimmiee]

OK, long read:
I just installed the Tow-Pro using these parts:

T1Z15A416A Ford Module & 4-Pin Wiring Harness $125
Tow-Pro EBRH-ACC-V3-NA Kit $237
Tow-Pro TPH-007 Harness $22
Hopkins #41144 (Trailer 4-7 Pin Plug and Harness ) $50

If I had to do it again I would use the Curt parts as they come with connectors.

First I pulled the Headlight switch panel (which is the panel under the steering wheel), down. It hinges at the bottom so it stays attached to the dash. There are several clips that release when you pull outward on the panel. I used a plastic molding hook to pull it out. A metal hook will work too. Then I removed the headlight switch assembly which is just clipped into the panel. It comes out easily. I drilled a 10mm hole for the TowPro switch in the space to the right of the headlight switch. This is a perfect location and saves taking the console apart as well.
Next, I mounted the Tow Pro Module under the steering wheel on the backside of the metal plate, with double-stick 3M tape. It fits in there perfectly. Next plug in the harness from the module to the switch, and the harness from the module to the Customer Access plug next to the gas pedal. This is a very easy hook-up.
Note: Before installing the Tow-Pro harness to the Customer Plug I soldered in a 12 gauge pigtail to the blue wire. This is the wire that goes to the trailer brakes at the 7-Pin Connector. You could just solder in the blue wire but it's easier to do the pigtail IMO on the bench.

I didn't see any reason to take the interior apart on my truck so here's how I did it.

I Removed the Left and Right Rubber covers on next to the taillights on the rear door sides. I installed the Module behind the left taillight. There's a flat spot there where the Module sticks to the body panel and is very secure.

Next, I installed the trailer plug next to the trailer hitch and used the Ford aluminum foil around the harness as it's right next to the muffler. I ran the harness under the bumper and up to the wires hanging down from the Module.

Next, I soldered in the wires to the L&R Turn, Brake, Tail, and Reverse lights. For the right side, I ran the wire down into the bumper, across to the other side, and up to the light. As I said the Curt kit would be easier than soldering but I had already purchased the Ford kit using my points.

At this point, I ran the 2 - 12 Gauge wires,, B+ and Brake Control, from front to rear. I used Fish Tape and pulled the wires through the inside of the frame from front to rear. It's easier to run the fish tape from the front. I then ran the Blue Trailer Brake Wire up to the small Rubber Access Plug and through to the Pigtail on the Tow-Pro. You can pull the Access Plug out and drill a hole in it. Then install the Blue wire before installing the rubber plug back into the firewall. I ran the Red wire to the Battery where the 4 accessory posts sit. Did a clean job and wrapped the wire so it matches the other Ford harnesses with black cloth tape,.

So now it was just a matter of connecting together the 4 Wire Plug (Cut it off) to the 7 Wire Harness along with the Blue Brake Wire and The Hot B+ wire. I Checked the turn signals, brake, and taillights with a test light before cutting off the 4-wire connector, just to make sure the 4-wire module was working.

I didn't take a lot of pictures. Here's a couple:

 

[Blaylock1988]

I'm in the middle of doing the full install using Roverdudes guide. Wiring up the C201 and C105 plugs was kinda tricky but so far things tested correctly. I also have a BAMF hitch receiver so I'm trying to decide where I want the plug located.

 

[Jimmiee]

I'm in the middle of doing the full install using Roverdudes guide. Wiring up the C201 and C105 plugs was kinda tricky but so far things tested correctly. I also have a BAMF hitch receiver so I'm trying to decide where I want the plug located.

After mounting the plug in the stock position as seen in the picture above I can see it's going to get scraped off the first time I come off a steep decent. So I'm going to relocate it facing down on the backside of the bumper. I'm going to double insulate it as it's now going to be closer to the muffler. I'm probably going to fabricate a second bracket to move the plug into that position.

 

[Jimmiee]

Here's a link to the Bronco Nation Towing a trailer:



From what I can see here the Factory Trailer Tow Option gives you this feature on your screen under the Features Screen. Clicking on that shows the Trailer Sway Control and a Powerpoint which gives you a Towing checklist. When the Computer sees you have plugged in a trailer it deactivates the Cross-traffic and Blind Spot alerts.
I towed a trailer this weekend and of course, this alert didn't come up. I'd be interested to know if the Forscan tweaks add the Towing Feature and the Alert disabling.

 

[Blaylock1988]

After mounting the plug in the stock position as seen in the picture above I can see it's going to get scraped off the first time I come off a steep decent. So I'm going to relocate it facing down on the backside of the bumper. I'm going to double insulate it as it's now going to be closer to the muffler. I'm probably going to fabricate a second bracket to move the plug into that position.

I was thinking the same thing, on the driver side there's a couple bolts that will fit the bracket that came with my 7/4 plug well plug pointing straight down. Good excuse to get an aftermarket exhaust with a smaller muffler

 

[Blaylock1988]

I completed my install and did the forscan programming as well. There were maybe 3 or 4 lines that didn't have the same before-values like Roverdude had, so I skipped those for now. I have the 12V charge line working, and no error codes on anything so thats good. I forgot to check the dash to see if the tow option was now there. I have a friend that has a completely identical build to mine except his has the factory tow package so if I have any issues then I'll check his modules.

Here's a pic of where I decided to put the plug for now. I have heat reflective tape on order to help mitigate heat from the muffler. If I have any serious melting issues then I'll go with an aftermarket muffler or consider switching to the factory tow hitch and plug. This setup should be good to go for getting an ultra light camper trailer to Super Celebration West in a few weeks though.

 

[Jimmiee]

I completed my install and did the forscan programming as well. There were maybe 3 or 4 lines that didn't have the same before-values like Roverdude had, so I skipped those for now. I have the 12V charge line working, and no error codes on anything so thats good. I forgot to check the dash to see if the tow option was now there. I have a friend that has a completely identical build to mine except his has the factory tow package so if I have any issues then I'll check his modules.

Here's a pic of where I decided to put the plug for now. I have heat reflective tape on order to help mitigate heat from the muffler. If I have any serious melting issues then I'll go with an aftermarket muffler or consider switching to the factory tow hitch and plug. This setup should be good to go for getting an ultra light camper trailer to Super Celebration West in a few weeks though.

This is how I plan to mount my plug. It will get scraped off in the OE position. Let us know about the Tow Feature and Sway Control on your screen please.

 

[RoverDude]

I completed my install and did the forscan programming as well. There were maybe 3 or 4 lines that didn't have the same before-values like Roverdude had, so I skipped those for now. I have the 12V charge line working, and no error codes on anything so thats good.

Out of curiosity, what lines were different? or what values did you have? (you can PM me your vin so i can pull the asbuild data too if wanted.)

 

[Blaylock1988]

This is how I plan to mount my plug. It will get scraped off in the OE position. Let us know about the Tow Feature and Sway Control on your screen please.

Looks like it is enabled as expected.

 

[Jimmiee]

Looks like it is enabled as expected.

Great news!

 

[Blaylock1988]

You have the BAMF hitch too, have you

Great news!

You have the BAMF hitch receiver too, have you had any issues getting the hitch pin through the holes? On mine the coating is so thick I can't get the 2 different pins I have to go through. I might have to widen the hole

 

[Jimmiee]

You have the BAMF hitch too, have you
You have the BAMF hitch receiver too, have you had any issues getting the hitch pin through the holes? On mine the coating is so thick I can't get the 2 different pins I have to go through. I might have to widen the hole

I used a rat tail file to it. The powder coating makes it too tight

 

[JMP4]

Thank you Rover Dude!

Even with my first car being a Triumph (Lucas Electrical - the Prince of Darkness) and a Land Rover owner, I was hesitant to tackle this job and get into opening up a modern wiring harness and pinning additional wires. After studying your guide for a couple hours going back and forth between your pictures and steps I felt confident enough that I could attempt this. I currently have everything installed, wired up, and coded in Forscan. For some reason I can't get the U21000 DTC code in the TRM to clear, however everything is working including the 12V and the brake controller so I’m going to leave it for now.

For anyone looking to attempt this, it took me about 8 hours total doing it by myself. I was very hesitant to pull my interior apart and 2 body harnesses … if you read Rover Dude’s instructions it’s very doable. My most ambitious mechanic work prior to this would have been brake jobs and control arm and very minor electrical (fuses and relays). I usually would have a trusted mechanic do this work but other than Rover Dude’s write up there is no service manual to do this and most mechanics will not tackle this job. The hardest part was the addition of the 1 wire in position 40 of C105 and then the 5 wires in position 15-19 of C201. Luckily this is the area that Rover Dude did take lots of detailed pics and gave a detailed guide on how to do it. Pulling the panels took about 30 minutes and the only real catch are the 2 bolts that Rover Dude mentions on the drivers kick panel foot rest. If you have never done it before I would recommend searching and watching some YouTube videos on how to remove the tail light (detailing cape cod has a good one), how to remove the rear cargo panel (Overlanding4fun has a good video) and removing the rear bumper (Fishbone offroad).

You can learn forscan pretty easily from the master thread on B6g that has links to videos and explains what is needed. The bonus to this job is I have Forscan now and can personalize a bunch of functions.

I figure this cost me minimally more than If I had ordered tow from the factory and added the brake controller. I used some Ford Pass points and I’m probably about $850 into this including forscan, OBDII connector, wire, pins, some tools, etc… plus 8 hours of my time. What I got was worth more than that! I have the confidence and knowledge learned from tearing apart my bronco and wiring a tow harness to the factory harness and programming everything to work.

Thank you Rover Dude!

 

[RoverDude]

Thank you Rover Dude!

Even with my first car being a Triumph (Lucas Electrical - the Prince of Darkness) and a Land Rover owner, I was hesitant to tackle this job and get into opening up a modern wiring harness and pinning additional wires. After studying your guide for a couple hours going back and forth between your pictures and steps I felt confident enough that I could attempt this. I currently have everything installed, wired up, and coded in Forscan. For some reason I can't get the U21000 DTC code in the TRM to clear, however everything is working including the 12V and the brake controller so I’m going to leave it for now.

For anyone looking to attempt this, it took me about 8 hours total doing it by myself. I was very hesitant to pull my interior apart and 2 body harnesses … if you read Rover Dude’s instructions it’s very doable. My most ambitious mechanic work prior to this would have been brake jobs and control arm and very minor electrical (fuses and relays). I usually would have a trusted mechanic do this work but other than Rover Dude’s write up there is no service manual to do this and most mechanics will not tackle this job. The hardest part was the addition of the 1 wire in position 40 of C105 and then the 5 wires in position 15-19 of C201. Luckily this is the area that Rover Dude did take lots of detailed pics and gave a detailed guide on how to do it. Pulling the panels took about 30 minutes and the only real catch are the 2 bolts that Rover Dude mentions on the drivers kick panel foot rest. If you have never done it before I would recommend searching and watching some YouTube videos on how to remove the tail light (detailing cape cod has a good one), how to remove the rear cargo panel (Overlanding4fun has a good video) and removing the rear bumper (Fishbone offroad).

You can learn forscan pretty easily from the master thread on B6g that has links to videos and explains what is needed. The bonus to this job is I have Forscan now and can personalize a bunch of functions.

I figure this cost me minimally more than If I had ordered tow from the factory and added the brake controller. I used some Ford Pass points and I’m probably about $850 into this including forscan, OBDII connector, wire, pins, some tools, etc… plus 8 hours of my time. What I got was worth more than that! I have the confidence and knowledge learned from tearing apart my bronco and wiring a tow harness to the factory harness and programming everything to work.

Thank you Rover Dude!

I tried my best with the overview that I wrote up. I don't write technical manuals for a living so.... It was the best I could do.

On a side note, my first car was the 69' Spitfire. And I just sold my 85' Rover (thus Rover Dude) to make room in the garage for the bronco.

If you PM/DM me with a snapshot of what your current TRM module says/is I may be able to give some insight. I was able to clear that up when I did it myself. When that error cleared up, the battery charger wire /pin worked.

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