- First Name
- David
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2020
- Threads
- 9
- Messages
- 350
- Reaction score
- 717
- Location
- Wauwatosa, WI
- Vehicle(s)
- '23 Bronco, '19 GTI, '88 R100GS, HPN BMW G/S
- Your Bronco Model
- Black Diamond
Sponsored
- First Name
- Ben
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2020
- Threads
- 17
- Messages
- 1,755
- Reaction score
- 2,486
- Location
- Interior of BC
- Vehicle(s)
- 2010 Kia Borrego, 2012 Chevy Cruze, 2022 Bronco
- Your Bronco Model
- Big Bend
Is it though? To date we've had absolutely zero straight talk from Ford on what they wanted vs. got.
Except, there is NO option on the First Edition for factory tow package. I would like to have at least the 4 pin and a hitch to tow my utility trailer.
- First Name
- CJ
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2020
- Threads
- 2
- Messages
- 41
- Reaction score
- 71
- Location
- Lago Vista, TX
- Vehicle(s)
- BRaptor and GMC Canyon AT4X
- Your Bronco Model
- Raptor
Hey folks...BIG thanks for all the input and research on tow parts and wiring installs. I have been struggling with the 'zero instructions' tow kit wiring harness as well and have been trying to figure out the best and least destructive way to get the wiring harness installed in my brand new Bronco.
So...a question (don't throw anything...legit question)....since the Bronco is built on the Ranger platform, in the same factory, is there any possibility that the rear wiring harness is the same? The reason is Curt Mfg has a T connector for the Ranger to make trailer wiring SIMPLE.
https://www.curtmfg.com/part/56431
Any of you insiders think this might work??? (I hope, I hope, I hope)
So...a question (don't throw anything...legit question)....since the Bronco is built on the Ranger platform, in the same factory, is there any possibility that the rear wiring harness is the same? The reason is Curt Mfg has a T connector for the Ranger to make trailer wiring SIMPLE.
https://www.curtmfg.com/part/56431
Any of you insiders think this might work??? (I hope, I hope, I hope)
OP
OP
- First Name
- Phil
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2020
- Threads
- 41
- Messages
- 4,296
- Reaction score
- 14,235
- Location
- IN
- Website
- www.ruxerparts.com
- Vehicle(s)
- Fords
- Your Bronco Model
- Badlands
- Thread starter
- #140
Played around with tow this weekend and have some good, bad and ugly to report.
Good: The wiring is what I thought it was and in the location the wiring diagram said it was.
Even better, the "deadhead" side of these is the correct mating connector. This means we can install a male terminal on a wire and use the connector instead of running additional wires from somewhere else. This should help reduce some time and overall cost.
The interior tail light connector is very accessible and standard Molex MX150.
Bad: I wouldn't say bad as much as some decisions need to be made on how to make the connections.
Option 1: Pull the female terminals needed for the lights, clip the factory end, use a pre crimped wire with a lead solders and insulated to it then reattach to factory wire. Will require at least butt connectors and crimper or soldering gun with some heat shrink and knowledge of what you are doing. Terminal will need to be removed which is not a big deal.
Option 2: Make up something like this for both sides that is a simple plug-unplug deal. A pigtail will still have to be added to the correct circuit and be run back to the trailer light converter. This will be expensive and time consuming. Have not found a Molex MX150 20 pin "T" commercially, would be a huge pita for someone not well versed in installing loose terminals not to mention time consuming, special crimper and connector housings. You would still have to add the pigtail like option #1.
Option 3:
These are my least two favorite but the most user friendly and simple. The drawback is these are prone to installation error which leads to connection problems and potential unintended damage to the wires.
or
The ugly: I'm not going to say ugly as in unexpected but ugly as in how to approach these.
First: The two 12V+ feeds coming back are hot all the time with key off. This means if you want a dedicated 12V+ for breakaway battery charging or power for accessory lights you might run into a battery draw problem with the trailer attached and vehicle not running. Probably won't impact most folks, especially those that don't need or want this. The only thing you would need to do is remember to unplug the trailer if it's going to sit, attached, for an extended time without running.
Second: There isn't a factory drain plug in a good area to take the 4 or 7 wires out to the hitch. There is a body plug located along the quarter time panel and where the floor meets. To use this it would require the trim to be notched slightly as well as the bottom of the floor panel. The trimming, if done correctly, would not be visible once all the trim is reinstalled. Also, you would need to protect the wires where they pass through the grommet. I wouldn't be comfortable using convoluted tubing.
There is a plastic filler panel below the tail light wiring that would be a perfect spot to take it out but looks like it will require a hole to drilled from the bottom with a step bit and install a grommet that will take it out in a very good location relative to the hitch.
I didn't get into it very deep at home since it was raining. Have a bunch of test drives going so put it back together and waiting to get it up on a lift.
Bottom line, this is very doable weather you want just a 4 pin or 7 pin. Obviously, this doesn't address trailer braking.
Good: The wiring is what I thought it was and in the location the wiring diagram said it was.
Even better, the "deadhead" side of these is the correct mating connector. This means we can install a male terminal on a wire and use the connector instead of running additional wires from somewhere else. This should help reduce some time and overall cost.
The interior tail light connector is very accessible and standard Molex MX150.
Bad: I wouldn't say bad as much as some decisions need to be made on how to make the connections.
Option 1: Pull the female terminals needed for the lights, clip the factory end, use a pre crimped wire with a lead solders and insulated to it then reattach to factory wire. Will require at least butt connectors and crimper or soldering gun with some heat shrink and knowledge of what you are doing. Terminal will need to be removed which is not a big deal.
Option 2: Make up something like this for both sides that is a simple plug-unplug deal. A pigtail will still have to be added to the correct circuit and be run back to the trailer light converter. This will be expensive and time consuming. Have not found a Molex MX150 20 pin "T" commercially, would be a huge pita for someone not well versed in installing loose terminals not to mention time consuming, special crimper and connector housings. You would still have to add the pigtail like option #1.
Option 3:
These are my least two favorite but the most user friendly and simple. The drawback is these are prone to installation error which leads to connection problems and potential unintended damage to the wires.
or
The ugly: I'm not going to say ugly as in unexpected but ugly as in how to approach these.
First: The two 12V+ feeds coming back are hot all the time with key off. This means if you want a dedicated 12V+ for breakaway battery charging or power for accessory lights you might run into a battery draw problem with the trailer attached and vehicle not running. Probably won't impact most folks, especially those that don't need or want this. The only thing you would need to do is remember to unplug the trailer if it's going to sit, attached, for an extended time without running.
Second: There isn't a factory drain plug in a good area to take the 4 or 7 wires out to the hitch. There is a body plug located along the quarter time panel and where the floor meets. To use this it would require the trim to be notched slightly as well as the bottom of the floor panel. The trimming, if done correctly, would not be visible once all the trim is reinstalled. Also, you would need to protect the wires where they pass through the grommet. I wouldn't be comfortable using convoluted tubing.
There is a plastic filler panel below the tail light wiring that would be a perfect spot to take it out but looks like it will require a hole to drilled from the bottom with a step bit and install a grommet that will take it out in a very good location relative to the hitch.
I didn't get into it very deep at home since it was raining. Have a bunch of test drives going so put it back together and waiting to get it up on a lift.
Bottom line, this is very doable weather you want just a 4 pin or 7 pin. Obviously, this doesn't address trailer braking.
Sponsored
Are all the wires in place in the connectors for the factory TRM? If so, what happens if you plug the one you ordered in? I wonder if one of those plus the plus a tow-equipped rear bumper harness would end up working after all like on other Ford SUV's seeing as the TRM connectors are in place on a non-tow unit.
Also, is the connector in place under the dash for an aftermarket TBC?
Also, is the connector in place under the dash for an aftermarket TBC?
OP
OP
- First Name
- Phil
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2020
- Threads
- 41
- Messages
- 4,296
- Reaction score
- 14,235
- Location
- IN
- Website
- www.ruxerparts.com
- Vehicle(s)
- Fords
- Your Bronco Model
- Badlands
- Thread starter
- #142
I have not seen the wiring that should be run back if it had TT. It come out from under dash to the module, back up front out through the firewall then all the way back. Too many modules involved I can’t “force” to work. Even if I could, the harness isn’t there and would be $$$$ to put the correct one in and hope it all jives.
The TT module uses a network signal to generate the trailer signal independent from the vehicle lights. I’m also assuming it somehow works in conjunction with the add on brake controls.
How bout this?
That doesn't look like the usual 6-pin ford TBC plug (see below)
Plug:
Adapter pigtail "standard" Ford TBC plug to Tekonsha TBC
Given the Bronco seems to be wired like the Ranger, you won't be able to use the brake switch input from this plug anyway. You have to use the translator box that comes with the Ranger/Bronco TBC kit and tap the 3rd brake light. Another reason why I'm not bothering with a hardwired TBC on the Bronco and using the Curt BT one. But I was interested in if the connector was present without having TT ordered and it appears it is.
The question then becomes what wires are present in the harness pigtails that would connect to the TRM if so equipped. The pictures of the empty TRM plugs that you posted weren't at an angle where I couldn't see all the attached wires to see if all the wires were present that were on the "with Trailer Tow" wiring diagram that you posted.
So here's the big question...were all the wires present on those plugs at the missing TRM module per the "with Trailer Tow" wiring diagram? In particular, the CAN wires.
TRM modules are usually pretty "dumb", not much is configurable on them, usually just VIN. The Forscan team is already working on adding Bronco functionality and it probably wouldn't take too much for them to add any configurable parameters for this module if someone can send them the logs for it. There are people who have figured out how to add SYNC 3 and FordPass modems to vehicles that they were not available on. And work is under way on retrofitting SYNC 4. This module should be a piece of cake in comparison to those projects.
Plug:
Adapter pigtail "standard" Ford TBC plug to Tekonsha TBC
Given the Bronco seems to be wired like the Ranger, you won't be able to use the brake switch input from this plug anyway. You have to use the translator box that comes with the Ranger/Bronco TBC kit and tap the 3rd brake light. Another reason why I'm not bothering with a hardwired TBC on the Bronco and using the Curt BT one. But I was interested in if the connector was present without having TT ordered and it appears it is.
The question then becomes what wires are present in the harness pigtails that would connect to the TRM if so equipped. The pictures of the empty TRM plugs that you posted weren't at an angle where I couldn't see all the attached wires to see if all the wires were present that were on the "with Trailer Tow" wiring diagram that you posted.
So here's the big question...were all the wires present on those plugs at the missing TRM module per the "with Trailer Tow" wiring diagram? In particular, the CAN wires.
TRM modules are usually pretty "dumb", not much is configurable on them, usually just VIN. The Forscan team is already working on adding Bronco functionality and it probably wouldn't take too much for them to add any configurable parameters for this module if someone can send them the logs for it. There are people who have figured out how to add SYNC 3 and FordPass modems to vehicles that they were not available on. And work is under way on retrofitting SYNC 4. This module should be a piece of cake in comparison to those projects.
OP
OP
- First Name
- Phil
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2020
- Threads
- 41
- Messages
- 4,296
- Reaction score
- 14,235
- Location
- IN
- Website
- www.ruxerparts.com
- Vehicle(s)
- Fords
- Your Bronco Model
- Badlands
- Thread starter
- #144
CAN wires are there but don’t know if there is signal from the SCM or BCM.
OP
OP
- First Name
- Phil
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2020
- Threads
- 41
- Messages
- 4,296
- Reaction score
- 14,235
- Location
- IN
- Website
- www.ruxerparts.com
- Vehicle(s)
- Fords
- Your Bronco Model
- Badlands
- Thread starter
- #145
Here is the diagram for the last pic I posted for the trailer brake customer access. Wires go over to left side bulkhead connector then out, non-interrupted (no connectors in between C201 and factory trailer plug). Since I can't find any wiring running back on this non TT vehicle along with the parts list showing multiple combinations of this harness with or without tow, I going to assume wires aren't in the C201 side of the circuit.
Sponsored
OP
OP
- First Name
- Phil
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2020
- Threads
- 41
- Messages
- 4,296
- Reaction score
- 14,235
- Location
- IN
- Website
- www.ruxerparts.com
- Vehicle(s)
- Fords
- Your Bronco Model
- Badlands
- Thread starter
- #148
Yea, not sure why they aren't picking up power at the connector factory TT plug here. Just a matter of crimping on one blade terminal and sticking in the plug. I planned on picking up the the turn wires inside. Also mounting the converter on the outside and running wires back in?
Do they also show the wire crossing from right to left side running along a crack on the floor with tape?
Yea, not sure why they aren't picking up power at the connector factory TT plug here. Just a matter of crimping on one blade terminal and sticking in the plug. I planned on picking up the the turn wires inside. Also mounting the converter on the outside and running wires back in?
OP
OP
- First Name
- Phil
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2020
- Threads
- 41
- Messages
- 4,296
- Reaction score
- 14,235
- Location
- IN
- Website
- www.ruxerparts.com
- Vehicle(s)
- Fords
- Your Bronco Model
- Badlands
- Thread starter
- #150
Yes, I'm going to pull the floor which involves removing the tie downs. The harness crosses over behind the rear seat fold down trim. Zip tie the wires to that harness so its protected. Running them like in the pic is OK but not as clean as my way. The quarter trim panels have to come off which means the floor too so why not just piggy back the factory harness?
Sponsored
