RE: new used trailer with bad lighting
The lights are hard to see in the daylight. Are the insides of the lenses dirty, try taking them all off and washing. The connection between the TV and TT may be corroded. Look at the contacts and clean or replace as required. Open up the connectors on the TV and TT and look at the back, mine were corroded inside where the wires connect.
Do the lights get dimmer toward the back of the camper? Do the running lights dim with the turn signals? This was my problem on my Shasta. If so, then you have a wiring problem. The problem is corrosion at every connection. Running new wires is probably not needed. I had to remove every light and clean the connections. I chose to solder the connections back together. My fixtures were also corroded and the plastic was falling apart due to UV damage. I chose to replace all of my running and tail lights. I replaced my running lights with LEDs from Wal-Mart. If you replace with LEDs you need to be aware that they do not have the built in reflectors on the lens. To be legal you will have to add reflectors at each of the corners on the sides.
RE: Brake controller - better than Prodigy
I towed for 12 years with the Voyager. When it was set properly for highway speeds it was grabby at low speeds. I changed to the P3, one setting works well for both highway and low speeds. Braking is now very smooth instead of grabby.
The primary advantage of the P3 over the Prodigy is the display and the diagnostics. The display is much easier to read. The Prodigy diagnostics provide a display of applied voltage, trailer disconnect, short, and overload. The P3 adds battery voltage, brake light voltage, and brake current. The brake current was why I chose the P3. This gives much more information than just applied voltage. A 4 brake trailer should require 11-12 amps when the brakes are manually applied. If the current is less than expected then the brakes are weak due to a bad connection or an open magnet.
RE: Which Prodigy is the one to buy?
I went with the P3. From what I could find out the performance of the two controllers is the same. I chose the P3 because of the additional diagnostics.
Both controllers display applied voltage, but the P3 also has a display of current. The voltage is only half the information needed to asses the brake performance. The current permits you to see if your brakes are partially failed.
Normal brakes require about 3A per magnet (both of my 4 brake trailers dispaly 11A). If the current is significantly different than this there is something wrong with the brakes. An increase in current shows something is partially shorted (a complete short will cause an error message on both the P3 and Prodigy). A reduction in current shows that there are bad connections or a magnet has failed.
RE: Brake Controller
The P3 is worth the extra money because the extra diagnostics. The Prodigy can only display voltage to the brakes. The P3 has the ability to display voltage and current. The current display permits you to see a change in performance of your brakes. For instance, if one brake failed, but did not short, the current would suddenly drop from normal.
RE: Tekonsha P3 warning
The P3 manual has 5 warnings listed, none of them are “warning short to battery”, if you really received this error than the P3 has an undocumented feature and the rest of what I say here probably will not help.
I assume that you mean “Warning! Output Shorted”. I received this message from my P3 when I was not towing. I pulled out my ohm meter, disconnected the connector at the back of the P3 and measured the brake wire (blue) to ground and found a short in my trucks wiring. Assuming your Dodge came prewired for the controller I would start looking for the short at the rear connector. Open the cover and see if there is any moisture, corrosion or debris in there, if not disassemble the connector and look on the back side. If there is nothing there then look at the connector on the back of the P3 and where the harness plugs into the truck. Also disconnect the pigtail from the P3 and the truck and measure resistance from the blue wire to each of the other wires, if there is anything but an open replace the pigtail. If the short is not in the connectors or pigtail then it must be in the factory harness. If this is the problem your 2007 Dodge should still be under warrantee, take it to the dealer.
From the P3 manual:
Warnings & Cautions
The P3 has built in troubleshooting/diagnostic features.
Situation: screen flashes Warning! Open Ground
Probable Cause: Trailer is connected and P3 loses
connection to battery ground.
Situation: screen flashes Warning! Overload
Probable Cause: P3 detects an excessive current
overload condition during operation.
Situation: screen flashes Warning! Output Shorted
Probable Cause:
1. Detects brake output wire shorted to ground
short during idle condition.
2. Use of some test lights or non-Tekonsha testers
can cause this problem.
Situation: screen flashes Caution! Power Loss
Probable Cause: Power to P3 interrupted during
braking or stop lamp active while connecting power
to TBC.
Situation: screen flashes No Trailer Connection!
Probable Cause:
1. Trailer not connected to tow vehicle.
2. Trailer connected with open circuit on
brake line.
3. Trailer connector disconnected or corroded.
4. Loss trailer brake magnet ground.
RE: Are these good products?
I recommend avoiding the Voyager. I never liked my Voyager, it was grabby at slow speeds when I had it adjusted correctly for highway speeds. I upgraded to a Tekonsha P3 and I love it. The Voyager provides no information on the brake performance. The P3 can tell you brake voltage and current. The P3 also has diagnostics for shorts or opens. This saved me this summer when I pulled out for a trip and 10 miles down the road my P3 told me the trailer brakes were shorted. I was heading to the Smoky Mountains, not a good place to tow with no trailer brakes. Another advantage of the P3 is auto leveling, this will compensate for slopes. The Voyager must be manually leveled, this means that when towing on anything but flat land the Voyager is not properly leveled and its performance is compromised.
The Prodigy is the same as the P3 except the Prodigy does not have the brake current reading and the Prodigy display is harder to read. The P3 is worth the extra money over the Prodigy for the display and current reading. The display of voltage only that the Prodigy has tells you what is applied to the brakes, but does not tell you what power the brakes are using. With the current reading you can tell how much power the brakes are using. Most two axle trailers need 11 – 12 amps when you manually apply the brakes. If you see less than this you know you have had a partial brake failure. If you drive with the current display selected you can learn what is normal for your trailer and driving habits. Then a change indicates a problem.
