I wonder if the problem that Daryl had (the OP in this thread), was that he either did not connect that power line, or did it incorrectly???

 

Is this issue only for the 2005? For my 2007 etrailer.com sent me this Valley #30130 controller along with the hybrid hidden hitch. It doesnt require any splicing and simply plugs into the rear light harness. I figure that if the trailer has LED lights the current draw is likely to be minimal.


http://www.etrailer.com/mm5/merchant...H&vehicle=2007 Ford Escape%20Hybrid

 

Good lead! I just check out Valley's website.

Valley #30130 is for the Escape and Tribute.

Valley #30131 is for the Mariner.

 

BTW, I emailed eTrailer about availability of wiring kit 30131, and they replied that they just added it to their website.

 

The only worry I have about this kit is it doesn't appear to be powered.

The taillight wiring in the Escape/Mariner/Tribute is very light weight and I don't think it was designed with the additional load of trailer lights in mind.

 

A sealed LED trailer combo light - what most people are using these days - uses 1/3 of an amp or less - you are probably looking at an amp or less for the trailer lights in total - its not as if you are going to be pulling a huge trailer with the 1000 pound capacity. When I hooked the likghts up it looked like at least 14 guage wire. That would allow you 32 amps - thats plenty of capacity.


See http://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm

 

According to your chart it would carry about 5.9Amps. Lights (when they are on as a taillamp) draw all the time. At night, I'd consider a light a power draw, not a chassis wire. That being said, it still might be fine, I don't know all the loads involved.

 

I agree.

So, when I ordered the Valley #30131 wiring harness for my MMH, I also ordered the Modulite adapter 18193 to "re-power" the wires.

I compared the FE/MT 30130 to the MM 30131 harness, and because of the lack of the separate turn signals in the rear, I believe that the 30130 would not work on the MM. Well, not without forfeiting the simple "plug and play", and splicing-up the harness.

 

Also, if I remember right, the message sensor has a check for "Ext. Lights". If you draw too much power you might trigger that. So if you try a system without a power adapter, that might be one way of checking if there is a problem.

 

I thought I would jump in here with some info. about my experience so far with the trailer lights. I own a 2006 Escape Hybrid I recently installed a basic four prong trailer light harness from our local RV center, in addition I installed the turn signal adapter to convert to basic trailer lights. The install went well and once finished the plug tested out a-okay. When I plugged the trailer in ( this is a basic 4x6 trailer with minimal lights) the running lights and brake light seemed to function just fine. When I used the turn signal whichever one I activated first worked fine but it seemed to disable the ooposite one. By disable I mean that it just stopped working even with the trailer unplugged. To correct this once it happened I had to remove the tail light and disconnect the plug in at the bulb then reconnect and everything seems to reset and be okay. I also would get an indication on the dash that an exterior lamp had failed. There seems to be no lasting damamge but it certainly is a pain to have to always unplug the light to reset. Since then I have ordered the wiring harness and power module from etrailer. They should arrive in the next couple of weeks and I will try one at a time. I guess I post this to share that I have a very minimal load on the lights and it seems to affect the system so I am starting to conclude that the power module is a must in this vehicle.