Start Towing with 114K miles on my Yukon?

[randyg]

Thanks! Very Helpful. I may need a pro to help as I have a 2nd battery running a Dometic Refrigerator/Freezer in the back of the Yukon and I'd want to make sure I'm not messing with that at the same time. I appreciate the photo. Someone mentioned the trailer brake controller not being hooked up from the factory. I'm assuming that's what goes to the other terminal you mention.

I'm wondering if the dealer hooked up the wire for the factory brake controller to the wrong battery. I've been getting the warning light "Service Stabilitrack" off and on for a few weeks now. I can't tell if the dealer might have run the wire to my 2nd (AGM) battery that has an isolator and runs a fridge in the back. I looked for a red wire with a black stripe. There is one red wire that goes into a green wire and an inline 15a fuse that looks new, and it goes to the AGM battery. I don't see anything additional on the chassis battery positive junction except my Battery Tender wire. Any thoughts or do the photos help?

 

[Fless]

For the fuse box connections, go to the video below and jump ahead to 3:25 or so. He explains which posts power which functions (trailer brakes, trailer aux 12v). Yours are most likely running from the chassis battery, but hard to tell without knowing how it's wired.

https://videos.etrailer.com/static/images/video/install-brake-controller-2008-chevrolet-tahoe-90885.webm

 

[swathdiver]

Just thought of this: The trailer dealer had to hook up the factory controller to the battery...but he hooked it up to a second battery I have (an AGM) that runs a fridge in the back. It has a battery isolator switch, and I'm wondering if that might be why I'm getting the "Service Stabilitrack" warning light once in a while (not continuously). Do you know if there is enough wire to reach the Chassis battery and I can hook it up there? Thanks.

That doesn't sound right at all. The factory integrated trailer brake controller is already wired up and ready to use. If he connects the existing wires under the dash to a power source, that's just a waste of time, might be an electrical/fire hazard too.

The wire in your photo are this post, the one connected to the right post is the wiring to power your trailer through your factory 7-pin connector. This was previously wrapped up under the brake booster as I described earlier. All that extra stuff running off the other battery, I have no idea.

@intheburbs

 

[wsteele]

I'm wondering if the dealer hooked up the wire for the factory brake controller to the wrong battery. I've been getting the warning light "Service Stabilitrack" off and on for a few weeks now. I can't tell if the dealer might have run the wire to my 2nd (AGM) battery that has an isolator and runs a fridge in the back. I looked for a red wire with a black stripe. There is one red wire that goes into a green wire and an inline 15a fuse that looks new, and it goes to the AGM battery. I don't see anything additional on the chassis battery positive junction except my Battery Tender wire. Any thoughts or do the photos help?View attachment 344804View attachment 344805

The Red/Black wire you have the arrow on asking if it should go to the chassis battery, is going to the chassis battery. The post it is connected to is wired to the positive terminal of the chassis battery.

The integrated trailer controller is already wired up at the factory, not sure what your trailer guy was doing with the integrated trailer brake controller wiring.

I think your truck has sway control as part of the Stabilitrak software, so there might be some linkage of issues. Perhaps if the integrated trailer brake controller wiring was somehow ******* up, that may lead to a problem with the Stabilitrak.

Edit: Sorry, I didn’t see you had another thread going on the Stabilitrak issue.

 

[randyg]

The Red/Black wire you have the arrow on asking if it should go to the chassis battery, is going to the chassis battery. The post it is connected to is wired to the positive terminal of the chassis battery.

The integrated trailer controller is already wired up at the factory, not sure what your trailer guy was doing with the integrated trailer brake controller wiring.

I think your truck has sway control as part of the Stabilitrak software, so there might be some linkage of issues. Perhaps if the integrated trailer brake controller wiring was somehow ******* up, that may lead to a problem with the Stabilitrak.

Edit: Sorry, I didn’t see you had another thread going on the Stabilitrak issue.

Thanks for the look. I think the towing and Stabilitrack issues may have merged, since it didn't start showing the warning light until after I started towing. I may have to ask the dealer if they remember what they hooked up. Some wire was bundled under the fuse box and I had read that in some cases the trailer brake controller was not hooked up from the factory.

 

[randyg]

That doesn't sound right at all. The factory integrated trailer brake controller is already wired up and ready to use. If he connects the existing wires under the dash to a power source, that's just a waste of time, might be an electrical/fire hazard too.

The wire in your photo are this post, the one connected to the right post is the wiring to power your trailer through your factory 7-pin connector. This was previously wrapped up under the brake booster as I described earlier. All that extra stuff running off the other battery, I have no idea.

@intheburbs

Thanks. I think the other stuff on the AGM battery is for the isolator, which keeps the AGM from "crossing over" or drawing on the chassis battery after the truck is off.

 

[wsteele]

Thanks for the look. I think the towing and Stabilitrack issues may have merged, since it didn't start showing the warning light until after I started towing. I may have to ask the dealer if they remember what they hooked up. Some wire was bundled under the fuse box and I had read that in some cases the trailer brake controller was not hooked up from the factory.

If you have the integrated brake controller (code JL1 in the glove box sticker), the bundle of wires under the dash don't need to be hooked up. That bundle is for installing an aftermarket brake controller if your truck didn't come with JL1.

I have never heard of an integrated brake controller (JL1) not being hooked up at the factory. Frankly, that doesn't make sense. It sounds like internet confusion with people who install an aftermarket brake controller and had to hook up the Red/Blk wire to the post on the front of the fuse box (+12V chassis battery terminal).

 

[randyg]

For the fuse box connections, go to the video below and jump ahead to 3:25 or so. He explains which posts power which functions (trailer brakes, trailer aux 12v). Yours are most likely running from the chassis battery, but hard to tell without knowing how it's wired.

https://videos.etrailer.com/static/images/video/install-brake-controller-2008-chevrolet-tahoe-90885.webm

Very helpful! Thanks. Looks like the dealer hooked up everything correctly and not to my AGM battery. I was hoping the problem was something simple, but I have an Appt Friday with the Chevy dealership to determine what's going on. Thanks again.

 

[randyg]

If you have the integrated brake controller (code JL1 in the glove box sticker), the bundle of wires under the dash don't need to be hooked up. That bundle is for installing an aftermarket brake controller if your truck didn't come with JL1.

I do have the integrated controller and tow package, so he was hooking up the power to it, which was bundled under the hood. I had power to the trailer but the controller was unhooked from the factory. I had hoped the Stabilitrak light issue was because of how they may have hooked it up, but it looks like it's something else. Thanks again! Very helpful.

 

[wsteele]

I do have the integrated controller and tow package, so he was hooking up the power to it, which was bundled under the hood. I had power to the trailer but the controller was unhooked from the factory. I had hoped the Stabilitrak light issue was because of how they may have hooked it up, but it looks like it's something else. Thanks again! Very helpful.

I may be wrong about this, but I don't think you need to hook that Red/Blk wire to the fuse box post to energize the Intergrated Brake Controller. I think the +12V that is supplied to the +12V on then receiver hitch plug is already there when you have JL1. That line is to power an on board battery in the trailer (usually used for emergency brake application is the trailer brakes away and also dome lights in the trailer, etc.).

You might try disconnecting that Red/Blk on the fuse box terminal and check and see the integrated brake controller is still operational. Also, I would make sure all the pins on the plug socket on the receiver hitch were still functional, if so, it may be that hooking up that aftermarket +12v line is screwing with your Stabilitrak sw.