If you know you will not be towing your TT for a few weeks or month's do you remove fuses for brake controller and tail light signal converter to increase longevity? This was suggested to me as my Prodigy P2 brake controller has two tiny LED lites that burn constantly and may partly be causing my battery to drain sooner than it should. BTW the Prodigy P2 has performed flawlessly ever since I installed it. Very adjustable and smooth .

My TV is my daily driver. All equipment that is mounted on or in the truck stays all the time. I only remove the big heavy hitch head. Brake controller stays. Never know when I might want to tow someone else's trailer with brakes.

The lights on the Prodigy controller will stay for about 15min and then go out until you press on the vehicle brake pedal.

phenrichs wrote:My TV is my daily driver. All equipment that is mounted on or in the truck stays all the time. I only remove the big heavy hitch head. Brake controller stays. Never know when I might want to tow someone else's trailer with brakes.X2 - I don't see where "longevity " comes in by removing something you're not using.Unless your manual says to remove the fuses (doubtful) leave them in.You probably would break or weaken the fuse holders by removing and reinstalling the fuses instead of just leaving them in and replacing blown ones.

No, I don't disconnect any of it.

WHAT IS YOUR OPINION? | Good Sam Community

16 Replies

64thunderbolt
Explorer II
Jan 08, 2014
all the sensors in the trailer will cause the arc.
ScottG
Nomad
Jan 08, 2014
Those tiny LEDs turn off after 15 mintues.
The battery lead will have an arc when you touch it together because of parasitic draws like the memory in the radio and also because you "wake up" the computer by doing that in many makes.
Old-Biscuit
Explorer III
Jan 08, 2014
Is car being driven long enough/frequently enough for alternator to recharge battery?

Is alternator charging?

Is battery holding a charge?
Water level correct?
Specific gravity good/
Terminals/cables clean/tight?

These are all things I would check before worrying about parasitic drains.
wa8yxm
Explorer III
Jan 07, 2014
Those tiny LEDs will run your battery down in.. Oh, perhaps 10 years or so (Self discharge is much faster).

YOu may remove if you like but frankly. I do not think it is worth the effort, also if the thing is lit up even when the ignition is OFF. it is likely not properly installed.
downtheroad
Explorer
Jan 07, 2014
My opinion...which I realize is worthless is: You are making this whole RV'ing thing way too complicated and way too much work.
Oasisbob
Explorer
Jan 07, 2014
The battery in my TV, the Kia, was draining according to DW. Sounds like the brake controller and signal converter war not the cause of my slow drain. I will replace the fuses and look elsewhere. I apreciate your opinions on this. There is a power draw somewhere as terminal arcs slightly when reconnecting battery when all is off. Thanks again to all. Much apreciated
the_bear_II
Explorer
Jan 07, 2014
LED lights will run for months on a 12v car battery.

If you have a battery drain issue it's probably something else. If the battery is more than 3 years old I would suspect either loose or dirty cables or a bad plate in the battery.
Old-Biscuit
Explorer III
Jan 07, 2014
Which battery is draining sooner than you think it should........the one in KIA or the one in Bantam?
ScottG
Nomad
Jan 07, 2014
Neither of those items is draining your battery at all while the vehicle sits.
mlts22
Explorer II
Jan 07, 2014
X3.

My brake controller is a Ford OEM piece, so it stays, and since it is a feature of the core computer, it takes no more power than without.

The fuse and relay? They stay put, as I know I'd lose the pieces. I use the vehicle as a daily driver as well, so I don't really worry/care about battery drain.