@pearlpathy, I am interested in the Redarc Tow Pro Liberty brake controller you installed. Did you have to buy the Nissan wiring harness to attach the control unit or did you just splice? How is the Redarc working out for you?
Added OEM hitch, aftermarket 7-way trailer tow plug, brake controller, wiring
I have a small travel trailer that does have electric brakes and an onboard chargers for the brake battery and house battery that require 12v+ from the tow harness. So I had to do a custom wiring job to add that to the 4-way plug that comes with the kit from Nissan.
I used the universa;l 7-way brake controller kit from eTrailer.com that had the heavy 10-ga wire for the trailer brakes and 12v+ from the battery, and is designed to use the factory 4-way already at the back.. It was straightforward to install- 30-amp and 20-amp circuit breakers for the 12v+ and brakes, and plenty of two-wire cable to run front to back.
I chose the Redarc Tow Pro Liberty and ended up fitting it into one of the existing switch plates. This required detailed trim work on the backend of the swtich blank, and removing the Redarc switch from its plastic body and inserting it into the nissan switch blank. The switch is held to the blank with a nut, but I added a couple dabs of hot glue to the backside to support and secure the mini circuit board. The Redarc unit is bolted up behind the lower dash to a bracket. The 12v+ supply wire for the brake controller and the brake signal out wire both go through an existing wiring grommet to the engine bay.
Installing the OEM hitch was a job. Required trimming a huge cut-out in the existing bumper cover. Fitting it up to the mounting bolt holes was a bigger task. Required some strong encouragement to get all the holes to line up to put the bolts in. I think the hitch maker was off their template specs by a little. The hitch finisher was easy to install, but also required some detailed trimming so I could fit the aftermarket 7-way plug kit. I used some aluminum angle to extend the plug bracket from the hitch. The plug uses the Nissan 4-way harness for lights and the new cable I ran from the front for brakes and 12v+.
Installing the nissan 4-way harness and relay harness inside was straightforward.
Photos of tapping the battery for the brake controller and trailer 12v+; the 30-amp and 20-amp circuit breakers; the Redarc control knob; the two-wire cable running to the rear; the backside underside of the hitch showing the 4-way harness plugged in and the two-wire cable hooked up. Yellow wire from plug (reverse lights option) not connected; and the 7-way and 4-way dual sockets on the back. Due to the wiring coming straight out the back of the 7-way plug, it doesn't fit super close up on the hitch bar.
In the future I may order a Nissan 7-way/4-way like from the Frontier that is shallow depth and wiring goes out the side. So far happy with this.
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I used the universa;l 7-way brake controller kit from eTrailer.com that had the heavy 10-ga wire for the trailer brakes and 12v+ from the battery, and is designed to use the factory 4-way already at the back.. It was straightforward to install- 30-amp and 20-amp circuit breakers for the 12v+ and brakes, and plenty of two-wire cable to run front to back.
I chose the Redarc Tow Pro Liberty and ended up fitting it into one of the existing switch plates. This required detailed trim work on the backend of the swtich blank, and removing the Redarc switch from its plastic body and inserting it into the nissan switch blank. The switch is held to the blank with a nut, but I added a couple dabs of hot glue to the backside to support and secure the mini circuit board. The Redarc unit is bolted up behind the lower dash to a bracket. The 12v+ supply wire for the brake controller and the brake signal out wire both go through an existing wiring grommet to the engine bay.
Installing the OEM hitch was a job. Required trimming a huge cut-out in the existing bumper cover. Fitting it up to the mounting bolt holes was a bigger task. Required some strong encouragement to get all the holes to line up to put the bolts in. I think the hitch maker was off their template specs by a little. The hitch finisher was easy to install, but also required some detailed trimming so I could fit the aftermarket 7-way plug kit. I used some aluminum angle to extend the plug bracket from the hitch. The plug uses the Nissan 4-way harness for lights and the new cable I ran from the front for brakes and 12v+.
Installing the nissan 4-way harness and relay harness inside was straightforward.
Photos of tapping the battery for the brake controller and trailer 12v+; the 30-amp and 20-amp circuit breakers; the Redarc control knob; the two-wire cable running to the rear; the backside underside of the hitch showing the 4-way harness plugged in and the two-wire cable hooked up. Yellow wire from plug (reverse lights option) not connected; and the 7-way and 4-way dual sockets on the back. Due to the wiring coming straight out the back of the 7-way plug, it doesn't fit super close up on the hitch bar.
In the future I may order a Nissan 7-way/4-way like from the Frontier that is shallow depth and wiring goes out the side. So far happy with this.
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The Redarc Tow Pro Liberty comes with a 4-wire pigtail harness. For Pathfinders without the Premium trim tow package, you would have to supply 4 wire connections to the brake controller-- 12+ from battery, Brake signal from the stop lamp switch at the brake pedal, Trailer brake output, and ground.
The only harness from Nissan that is needed is the 4-way flat trailer lighting kit for the rear. If you have the regular tow package on the non-premium trim you will have this. With no tow package at all, the hitch and nissan tow wiring kit must be installed. Universal 7-way brake controller install kits like in the image use the factory 4-way.
I bought the Nissan tow package kit that included the hitch, the new bumper trim finisher, 4-way wire harness and relay harness. The 4-way plug harness and relay are available as a kit without the hitch if you are going with an aftermarket hitch.
If you are familiar with 12v vehicle wiring, crimping connectors, and are handy this is totally a DIY project. However, it can be done by professionals at accessory install shops, usually shops that do tint, car audio, alarms, dash cams, etc..
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Thanks for that, @pearlpathy. In my case, I do have the Pathfinder tow package.
I have since found out that in order to make this plug and play, I will also have to purchase the Nissan-compatible TPH-014 wire harness from Redarc in order to connect to the vehicle's electronics at about $22. Of course, I can also use the dealer-supplied wire harness and find a plug that the Liberty will accept.
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I have since found out that in order to make this plug and play, I will also have to purchase the Nissan-compatible TPH-014 wire harness from Redarc in order to connect to the vehicle's electronics at about $22. Of course, I can also use the dealer-supplied wire harness and find a plug that the Liberty will accept.
Very nice install of the brake controller button! I have installed the same brake controller and wanted to do the same as you did with the button, but I chickened out as I couldn’t wrap my head around the space available…
I thought that with my luck it wouldn’t fit… You made it really nicely!
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I thought that with my luck it wouldn’t fit… You made it really nicely!
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