Tekonsha PowerTrac install on 2008 Tacoma SR5 without factory tow package

After searching the forums, reading the Tacoma Tow Bible sticky and watching videos on etrailer.com, I still had unanswered questions! I didnt get pictures of every step but hopefully it’s enough to help someone in a similar situation.

To start off, I’m the original owner of my 2008 Tacoma Double cab, SR5. It came with factory hitch and 4 way flat trailer hookup. Now that I’ve put 280k miles on it, I’ve decided to set it up to tow my recently purchased 24hp TYM Tractor. When I hauled it from the dealership, it was loaded tongue heavy and was a sketchy haul at best. I knew a brake controller was a must! The Tekonsha PowerTrac https://www.etrailer.com/Brake_Controller/Tekonsha/39523.htmlwas small enough to tuck inside the flip down storage to the left of the steering wheel.

A quick search above my driver’s side kick plate revealed the brake converter plug. That’s a start! Tracing my wires from my 4 way plug revealed that I would need additional wiring. Etrailer’s installation video of their Universal Installation Kit for Trailer Brake Controller - 7-Way RV and 4-Way Flat https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories_and_Parts/etrailer/ETBC7.html gave me enough info and confidence to tackle it myself. Along with the kit, I added the Tekonsha pigtail part#3040-Phttps://www.etrailer.com/Accessories_and_Parts/Tekonsha/3040-P.html for more of a “plug n play” (not exactly though. More on that later).

I wanted to make the controller stealth and the install look factory, like some I had seen on here, so I cut out the back of the flip down tray.






There was a wad of wires that I pushed down to make it easier to open and close. The cutout holds it tight enough without permanently mounting it with screws. It slides back to close and can be pulled forward to make the controls easy to reach.

That part was the easy part! Now for the fun stuff!

The controller plugged into the Tekonsha pigtail and the Tekonsha pigtail plugged right into the factory brake converter port but wasn’t getting any power to it. A search revealed it could be that there was a fuse missing. Nope, all fuses accounted for!


I traced the black (power wire) to a port and then checked for continuity with a volt meter just to verify it was the correct one. (It’s easy to get confused in all the mess of wires!)

I unplugged the male end and checked the female socket and found no voltage to where the black wire plugged in to. There was a pin next to it that didn’t feed anything that was showing constant 12v. Hmm... I attempted to free the black wire but couldn’t budge it. YouTube got me back on track and I used a 2in Brad nail to press the release inside and free it.



Then I simply moved it to the slot, where it would plug into the pin getting power. Another quick check with the volt meter confirmed I was getting 12v to the factory brake converter pin!

Now that the controller was installed and had power,
I installed the 7 way plug,



and ran the duplex along the existing trailer wiring inside the frame rail,


Up through the rubber boot/grommet and under the entry guard.





I deveated from the installation video by doing this but thought it looked better than running it all the way under, into the engine bay. From there I separated the wires measured how much of the black wire that I would need to reach to the 40 amp relay and from the relay to the battery and cut the excess black and left the white wire inside the cab. Then I poked a hole in the grommet behind the brake booster and used a fish tape to go from the engine bay to under the dash, taped the black wire to it and pulled it through to the relay and from the relay to the positive battery terminal.





All of the connections were crimped, soldered and covered with heat shrink. Now the 7 way plug has 12v to it.

The white wire was kept inside and was connected to the yellow wire (brake input from truck) 3-4 inches up behind the factory plug. I separated it from the bundle, stripped back about an inch of jacket, twisted the white wire around it, soldered it and wrapped with electrical tape. Sorry for not having pictures of this step.

Before buttoning everything back up I hooked up to my trailer. Success!! I adjusted the power up and down and the green light changed from green to yellow to orange to red, depending on the output. I also manually applied the brakes and pulled against the trailer and it held me in place. Everything functioned as it should!



It was a little more involved than running a couple of wires and scotch locking into the harness but it works and turned out really clean!!