Prodigy overload condition

[Yazoo]

This weekend I hooked up and away we went everything worked as it should. I usually keep the controller on boost level 3 and around 6.0. When I hooked up to come home I was getting 3 different indications with the brake controller. Sometimes it said 0.L (overload condition), then I got S.H (for a short) and other times I got the usual numbers and the brakes worked. I tried my other 7 pin receptical near the bumper and got the same results. The only changing factor was the weather, it rained like crazy that night. Any suggestions as to where I start looking for the problem?

[thook]

I had a similar problem on our 3400. I was showing an intermittent short that showed up at highway speeds. I found that one of the wire nut connections where the hot from the controller picks up the four brakes was rubbing against the inside of the rim on one of the left side wheels.. At rest and no wind, the connection would move away from the wheel, but when traveling the wind blew the connection against the wheel. It had warn down the insulation and into the copper wire. I taped up the connections and then taped the several leads into a bundle and secured them away from the wheel. It appears that the hot from the controller connects on the left side of the trailer and then is paralleled with the right side. The short appeared on the left side so it took out the entire brake system. Hope this is your problem. It is an easy fix. I think I read in another thread sometime ago that this problem had occurred a few times before to others.

[Charlie]

Not sure if Dexter fixed the problem but there are several of us on the forum that experienced a clip failure on the curb side rear wheel brake. The clip would come loose and the wire would get caught under the magnet and short out the brake system. Mine showed up as an overload on the controller. Pulling a 3295RK as you but a year older.

[Yazoo]

thanks for the feedback, this is one of those issues I just gotta get fixed. Your answers give me a starting point.

[Illini Trekker]

Yazoo take a look at this past post
http://montanaadministrator.forumco....C_ID~10978.asp
Hope this will help See-Ya

[old turbo]

On a differenst trailer site this cure came up for this problem. It may be your problem, it may not. The problem was at the connection from the wheel to the trailer. If you look under the trailer by your wheels, you will see the wires, and they are connected by the old plastic nut process, which is cheap and easy. Some owners are takeing the platic connectors off and soldering the wires, and useing shrink wrap to keep the connection sealed. The area in the nuts has a void for water and dirt to collect and cause the wires to corrode,causeing a bad connection at times. It is easy and cheap to check. Also finding the same problem in the pin box wire connection box. Guys said it changed numbers on their brake control. Like I said its an easy check.

[campbud]

We had this trouble also it was the magnet...happened while still under warranty. We have the prodigy and that is how ours was reading too.

[Yazoo]

thanks for the additional input. Last night I plugged into the rig and everything seemed to work as it should. I could hear a hum at each wheel when the brakes were applied. I did pull open the wiring at the pinbox and clean up those connections and re-wrap them and I plan to clean-up and solder the connections at the wheels. We'll see if that fixes it or if I do have an intermittend problem once I get on the road. Again thanks for the advise.

[markwick]

I had the same problem. I pulled all 4 wheels and bearings off and found the same as a previous post. The clip holding the brake wires onto the magnet armature had come off and rubbed the insulation off. It was the rear curb side also. I noticed that the wires coming out of the magnet have some protection on them but it does not extend to the rest of the wiring inside the brake drum. Maybe there should be a minor fix/upgrade at the factory (Dexter) to have these wires totally protected.

[sreigle]

Besides the external connections and wiring, several of the reported problems were inside the drum. I think markwick's post covers at least one of those. So if you don't find the problem, look outside. It seems to me the majority of the problems in the drum have been in the door side rear wheel.

[rames14]

We had the same issue. Of course, when the dealer worked on it, it was the very last wheel. I believe ours was inside the drum, as Steve mentioned. We, ironically, started showing an O.L. condition after heavy rains. When I contacted prodigy, they said it was more than likely a magnet issue and that the reason it happened after we drove and not when it was sitting was the heat genereated from stopping. They suggested driving and then doing a continuity check across several of the pins to verify a bad magnet (wire). Good luck. Our dealer was great and it should be covered under the Dexter warranty which I believe is five years. Good luck.

[Yazoo]

I finally found the problem and as others noted, I had a wire that was rubbing inside the drum and wore off the insulation. I called Dexter and they are sending me a new magnet. Once again the value of others experience pays off

[Illini Trekker]

Yazoo you'll need to cover the wire with wire wrap to keep this for happening to that wheel and the others. This happened to two different magnets and covering the wire to stop the rubbing is a must!
See-Ya