Mark Weisser

Ladies and gentlemen,

I have followed your experiences with installing a brake controller and
have a couple of questions.

I bought the connectors that mate into the wiring of the car and then
installed a Tekonsha Prodigy, wired as directed. Got appropriate lights
etc. on the Prodigy -- until I connected the trailer. Then a lot of continuous
flashing of the display lights on the controller. So, rather than ruin the Prodigy,
I unplugged it until I get this sorted out.

Do you all have any suggestions? The troubleshooting guide does not
have any guidance for this condition.

For what it's worth, the dealer here stated positively that digital controllers
just will not work in the Cayenne. They said to use an analog unit.

Judging by Kevin M's post, where he seems to have successfully used
the digital Prodigy, this isn't right. So what do I do?

Any help you all can offer will be appreciated el mucho. Thank you
for your time and attention.

Best,

- Mark

mudman2

The prodigy has to be wired into the brake switch of the Cayenne. Its standard wiring harness will not function correctly, exactly as you describe in fact.

I have a response from them describing the problem. I will dig it out.

ltc

Exactly what is the difference between a digital brake controller and an analog one?

wingless

Which flashing display indicator was observed?

This is the manual, with the various failure codes. http://www.tekonsha.com/instructions...89_H%20web.pdf

mudman2

I tried that Wingless, in the end I had to call them. There is a known issue with the Cayenne.

I sent a copy of there response to Kevin, I have not got mine with me in the office or I would post it.

Kevin, you there ?

GM Austin

From the PCA website

PCA Tech Section

skl

Guess I'm kind of confused- I'll be getting my S in less than a month and plan on towing and will need a brake controller. I'm getting the activity package which includes the hitch from the factory. Has someone gotten the Prodigy to work with the Porsche factory wiring harness under the dash or not?

Renn 951

What does a Porsche dealer typically charge for installing the brake controller?

JFScheck

And where is a dealer that has done this? I would hate to have Rockville cut their teeth on installing one on my Pepper S...

Kevin M.

This was what Mike sent me from Prodigy..
I haven't used mine in quite some time, I thought the constant flashing numbers was normal guess I was wrong..

Hello Mike;
The Prodigy sends out trace voltage every 3 seconds or so and it will
affect this Cayenne this way. You can take the red wire from the
Prodigy and connect it to the brake switch directly and not go through
the factory harness and that will stop this from happening.
The wire you would be looking for is the black/red stripe at the brake
switch.
Any of the other controls would not do this as they do not have the
diagnostics. This would just be the recommended wiring for this Prodigy
brake wire.
If there is anything more I can assist you with, please let me know.
Have a Great Day !!

mudman2

The brake controller works with the under dash harness, but the display is not true.

The comment from the manufacturer should fix the display but I have not done it yet.

Mark Weisser

Thank you all for your responses.

Kevin, I will try the solution you posted regarding the brake
switch wiring. The Porsche dealer told me that the Cayenne
wiring is so sophisticated that it sends diagnosic signals along
with the current required to operate various things such as lights
and that is what confuses the digital controllers. The solution
suggested by Tekonsha seems to eliminate that -- maybe it'll
work!

skl, if you'll give me a minute here, I will report on my trailer
towing experience.

First, a little background: I am what you might call an experienced
trailer towing guy. Thousands of miles of both light and very heavy
trailers. By heavy I mean towing two Jeeps on a 35 foot bumper
tow trailer, about 12,000 pounds (using a long wheelbase Dodge,
and later Chevrolet, turbodiesel). So I know of what I write here.

My first voyage with the Cayenne is to Amarillo from Houston towing
a single Jeep (for a trail riding event in the Palo Duro Canyon -- great
trip, but that's another story). Failing to get the Prodigy working properly,
and having tested the braking of the rig, I elected to go without trailer
brakes. I know -- I can hear the screams out there! But there are no hills
or mountains between here and there and the roads are sparsely
populated, except for a few short stretches. My testing revealed, though,
that the Cayenne brakes can slow the rig at an impressive rate.

Here are the specs: The trailer w/Jeep weighs only about 4,500 to 5,000 pounds
(with really bad aerodynamics!), the Cayenne is the S with air suspension,
all wheels retorqued and tire pressures checked and the V1 stayed at home.

The ride was just incredible. There is a stretch of highway northwest of
Decatur (which is on 287 NW of Ft. Worth) that will jar your teeth right
out of your head, at least in a conventional truck/suburban/etc., that I
could have sworn was repaved (it had not been). The car stayed level
and I could feel the trailer in terms of mass and the effect of the considerable
wind, but if you can get your brain to isolate the vertical component of
motion, it felt as though the trailer wasn't even there.

Even as I review my review here, I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't
experienced it. I can only say that you will be amazed and pleased at
the towing capabilites.

For those who care, we got around 13 mpg at 75 - 80 until we turned into
the wind when it dropped to the high 11's. Average trip speed, according
to the MFD was 64, so you can tell we weren't pussyfooting around.

So, again, thank you all -- I report in after the wiring change to let
you know how it worked. It'll be a few days, but I'll let you know.

Best regards,

- Mark

skl

Thanks for the info guys- now I just need my car-truck!

Kevin M.

Mark, you are the pro hauler for sure!! Let us know which wire you find, pics would be helpful for us all.. Gotta love those brakes

oscarb57

Mudman2
I have just connected my Prodigy and am having the problem with flashing lights, etc. that you and others describe. Seems to be working otherwise, though. I've searched for the your earlier posts (see quote) and note that you describe a "manufacturer's comment", but can't find it. can you elaborate further? Is there a fix?

Thanks

Harold Becker