Will confusing the ECU with Load in the Trailer plug hurt engine?

O.k., this topic has caught my interest and I can not rest until I figure this out, so someone please help me here.
If you used a brake light to create a load, then the said load would only be sensed when the brakes were applied, correct? You have two wires to make the brake light come on, a ground(which is common to the whole harness), and the 12v source when the brake switch is activated, therefore the load is non-existent until brakes are applied.
Secondly, if this is how the truck senses a trailer, all legal stuff aside, say I hooked up a trailer and did not plug the lights in, then the engine would act is if I had nothing behind me?
Third, if a truck did not have a tow package when it was built, then later the owner decided to add a hitch and wire harness, then would he have to go to the dealer and get his ECU reprogrammed to detect a trailer?
Am I overthinking this whole thing, or did the OP imagine that his truck ran better with a light plugged in to his trailer harness?

 

That's how I view it.

I'm not sold on the theory. I worry that the OPs butt dyno needs calibrated. I am willing, no hoping to be proved wrong.

 

NO and NO.

 

I'm installing a trailer hitch wiring hookup on my S2000. Going to bump up the HP finally have a fast Honda!

 

That's my vote. I say the ECU doesn't know squat about what's behind the truck or plugged into the tow harness.

To extrapolate further, put in bigger bulbs/load in the hitch harness and go even faster.

Since the tow harness plugs to the traditional harness (to sync both running and brake lighting) just put bigger bulbs in the taillights and go faster too?

 

I've had one of these plugged into my 2nd gen for years... I'd like to say it didn't affect my gas mileage but then again I really don't know... I can unplug it and see if it changes anything lol

 

Its starting to make sense now, that´s why police cars can go so fast, cause they have all the lights tied to the ECU.
I am going to get a light bar on my roof, get a bull bar and put some lights on it, larger taillight bulbs, and some underbody neon lights and tie it all in to my trailer harness and take that sucker to the track.

 

I get it...finally!

That's the reason off roaders need all those lights. More lights, more power, equals the win.

Sorry OP, we needed to have some fun at your expense. Don't hate us.

 

anyone know which one fits our truck?

 

This is what I've used in my 2nd gen. Should fit on the 3rd. If you get this, make sure it's the CR-007A, which acts like a normal brake light, and not the CR-007, which does weird stuff like blink when your turn signals are on...

 

thx

 

Forgot to say, there's an LED version out there if that's your cup of tea, but idk what brand or what the correct model would be. This one is just a light bulb behind red plastic but it works fantastically

 

thx again, my biggest concern would be getting the one with the
right plug adapter, I haven't even looked at what's on the back of the truck yet.

 

Probably gonna see if removing my trailer hitch light will improve gas mileage

 

This would be a good April Fools day thread! total BS.

 

WTF...why do all this work with lights to increase horsepower. The old way of adding stickers for horsepower is a tried and true method. You turd gen peeps are idiots.

 

Not sure if thread is serious...

 

Could it be there is 'predictive' coding via the sonar/proximity warning gear on the 3rd gen?

I mean like you get 'close' to a trailer, or something stuck in the receiver, it's 'seen' and predicts you need mo powa?

But being a simple guy, I like the sticker power plan in #37. Faster, cheaper, easily changeable, plus you get style points when done right.

To the OP. Thanks for a great first thread!

 

No.