Ram 3500 question

[ctbruce]

Try a truck 7 pin connector that is the same manufacturer as your trailer cable.

[Bolo4u]

Originally Posted by Scout179

It is a 2017 Ram with the connection on the bumper and was factory installed. However, the goose neck ball was not and they may have loosened a connection. I will check it out tomorrow. Thanks for the idea!

If they installed the in-bed plug, it installs at the bumper with a T style junction (plug and play) then runs up the inner fender well and through a hole in the bed. If they didn't install the in-bed plug, check all the harness from the plug backwards. A wire may have been pinched. Since the spare has to be taken out to access the frame where the gooseneck installs, part of the harness may have been caught and pinched or pulled. Theres not much room between the spare and the section of bed at the inside of the bumper.

[JRTJH]

While you're checking and have the back side of the 7 pin connector apart, that's a great time to fill that cavity with di-electric grease to prevent future corrosion and moisture problems.....

[Scout179]

I tried the dielectric grease and I think I actually made the problem worse. I discussed the problem with the owner of V&E Hitch in Lone Grove, Ok, and he said dealers had been sending him problem cases like mine for years. He said in most cases too much dielectric grease had been used and had to be cleaned out to allow a metal to metal connection. He said to use denatured alcohol and high pressure air to remove excess grease. I haven't pulled the RV yet, but will post results when I do. During our last trip, with lots of dielectric grease, we got almost constant alerts of disconnection. RV marker lights stayed on, without interruption.

[Scout179]

It has been almost a year since I posted about this issue & we have made several trips, mostly with the same problem. Still looking for a logical reason so, during our last trip I duct taped my RV wiring harness to the bumper. Thinking perhaps the weight of the harness was causing a disconnect in some of the connections. We made a 2 hr haul with no notifications of any disconnect. On the return home, I did the same thing and had only 1 notification.
Thanks to all who have helped me apparently resolve this issue.

[Scout179]

After making two trips without incident, I believe I may have answered this very perplexing question. After having the RV checked by an Rv repair service ( it was in for something else) and the vehicle checked again by the dealer, the problem was still there. Intermittent signal interruption between RV and vechicle.
As a last resort, I pushed about a foot of the lighting/brake cable into the gap between the bumper and bed of my truck. Surprisingly it stayed there. And, I have now made multiple trips with no signal of disconnection. Apparently the weight of the cable pulling on the connection point was enough to cause the disconnect.
Thanks to all who comment, I tried everything. Such a simple Fix..

[dadams1911]

Yes, I had the problem with my 2005 2500 series Ram and my 2013 Keystone Laredo. The problem was a bad connection with trailer pigtail that accepts the pin connector. I dismantled and cleaned both parts with an electrical solvent and sand paper and it has been many years without that issue.

[rhagfo]

Originally Posted by Scout179

After making two trips without incident, I believe I may have answered this very perplexing question. After having the RV checked by an Rv repair service ( it was in for something else) and the vehicle checked again by the dealer, the problem was still there. Intermittent signal interruption between RV and vechicle.
As a last resort, I pushed about a foot of the lighting/brake cable into the gap between the bumper and bed of my truck. Surprisingly it stayed there. And, I have now made multiple trips with no signal of disconnection. Apparently the weight of the cable pulling on the connection point was enough to cause the disconnect.
Thanks to all who comment, I tried everything. Such a simple Fix..

Do you not have a trailer connector in the bed of the truck? If you got the puck system you should have it there, if not the receptacle can be bought as a plug and play connection.

[NJ High Country]

I have a Chevy 3500 and had similar issues. Once I get my camper back from the dealer I will install the polak connector and upgrade the trailer wiring junction box connections. http://https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2020/MC-10173714-9999.pdf