Is my car delivering 12v during driving?
I have a suspicion that my Chevy Tahoe isn't providing 12v ("aux") power to my trailer while towing through the 7 pin connector. Let me start by saying that I don't know much about electricity. ...
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The Chevy manual states that for both the RV battery feed and the trailer brake, the "fuses for these two circuits are installed in the underhood electrical center, but the wires are not connnected".
So, I found a coiled up red cable somewhere in the engine compartment. I didn't see a 2nd cable coiled up (which I was expecting to find for the trailer brake). The manual states that the battery feed cable is red, so that looked good to me. I attached it to "#68 stud 1 (40A)" and started the car. My test light at the 7 pin didn't show any power and the when I plugged in the RV, the RV battery didn't show any incoming power either. (it was at 12.9V as it should be fully charged)
Out of curiosity, I connected the cable to the stud next to it: "#63 stud 2 (30A)". I started the car and my test light at the 7 pin lit up for the "1 o'clock pin" which is the battery feed! I connected the RV and checked the battery: it was receiving 14.3V.
Per the manual, stud 2 is for "Trailer brakes". I don't get it. Does this mean it's working as expected??
P.S. The manual also states that "if charging a remote (non-vehicle) battery, press the Tow/Haul mode button. This will boost the vehicle system voltage and properly charge the battery". So, I guess we will keep the Tow/Haul button pressed in the Tahoe, even though our trailer is so light the Tahoe barely notices it's there so technically we don't need to push it for driving comfort.
So, I found a coiled up red cable somewhere in the engine compartment. I didn't see a 2nd cable coiled up (which I was expecting to find for the trailer brake). The manual states that the battery feed cable is red, so that looked good to me. I attached it to "#68 stud 1 (40A)" and started the car. My test light at the 7 pin didn't show any power and the when I plugged in the RV, the RV battery didn't show any incoming power either. (it was at 12.9V as it should be fully charged)
Out of curiosity, I connected the cable to the stud next to it: "#63 stud 2 (30A)". I started the car and my test light at the 7 pin lit up for the "1 o'clock pin" which is the battery feed! I connected the RV and checked the battery: it was receiving 14.3V.
Per the manual, stud 2 is for "Trailer brakes". I don't get it. Does this mean it's working as expected??
P.S. The manual also states that "if charging a remote (non-vehicle) battery, press the Tow/Haul mode button. This will boost the vehicle system voltage and properly charge the battery". So, I guess we will keep the Tow/Haul button pressed in the Tahoe, even though our trailer is so light the Tahoe barely notices it's there so technically we don't need to push it for driving comfort.
