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Hello. So I'm trying to get my GLE43 set up to tow to a car show about 5 hours away in a few weeks and am having a little trouble understanding the Benz towing package.
My 2017 GLE43 came with the OE towing package with the hitch and 7 pin when new
I have a Curt 7 pin tester with the LEDs and plugged it in, yet it doesn't seem to register? Just getting a very light pulse on the 'brake' LEDs at all times (even with the blinker and brakes aren't activated). Is it due to the Benz computer not seeing enough amp draw? I wanted to make sure the 7 pin is working before going to hook up a trailer and finding that it doesn't light the trailer lights. Any input?
Additionally, I bought a Curt Echo bluetooth trailer brake controller. Curt tech service said it would work... based on its functionality I would think it would too because it just activates off the 12v signal from the brake lights. But it doesn't seem to want to come on either. Is this another issue due to no current draw so the Benz computer won't activate all pins?
I have a towing topic here, so I can speak to the 7-pin connector. The bluetooth brake controller I don't know about. I'm not picturing how a signal goes between the brake controller and the vehicle. The camper towing topic is: https://mbworld.org/forums/gle-class...gle-350-a.html.
As far as the connector goes, typical 7-pin testers do not have the proper load to test a MB connector. It seems that despite testers saying they work, they may just not on MB in this case. On one I picked up, 3 of the 6 LEDs would only flicker. My dealer had a tester they made.
I had a small 2-wire connector that wasn't connected in the right rear quarter-panel from the factory preventing my 7-pin from working so maybe have your dealer verify the wiring circuit is good. It seems not many actually tow with a Mercedes so the wiring isn't always checked even if the vehicle came with the towing package option.
I have a Tekonsha Prodigy P3 controller I like along with the pigtail adapter from etrailer.com that is connected to the factory connecter under the carpeting behind the brake pedal. It's a small 2-pin green connector and mine wasn't tied to anything- just stuffed behind the carpeting.
I have a towing topic here, so I can speak to the 7-pin connector. The bluetooth brake controller I don't know about. I'm not picturing how a signal goes between the brake controller and the vehicle. The camper towing topic is: https://mbworld.org/forums/gle-class...gle-350-a.html.
As far as the connector goes, typical 7-pin testers do not have the proper load to test a MB connector. It seems that despite testers saying they work, they may just not on MB in this case. On one I picked up, 3 of the 6 LEDs would only flicker. My dealer had a tester they made.
I had a small 2-wire connector that wasn't connected in the right rear quarter-panel from the factory preventing my 7-pin from working so maybe have your dealer verify the wiring circuit is good. It seems not many actually tow with a Mercedes so the wiring isn't always checked even if the vehicle came with the towing package option.
I have a Tekonsha Prodigy P3 controller I like along with the pigtail adapter from etrailer.com that is connected to the factory connecter under the carpeting behind the brake pedal. It's a small 2-pin green connector and mine wasn't tied to anything- just stuffed behind the carpeting.
Thanks John. Yeah that is a good post. I have seen that one. I assumed the amp draw might not be enough with an LED Curt tester. Sounds like that's the case. I may go plug to a trailer to check since the tester doesn't seem to work with the Benz computer (just a little drive to get to it).
The Curt Echo seems to make sense. It triggers off of the 12v brake light indication running through the 7 pin. You set the braking sensitivity on the Curt app and can also manually activate the trailer brakes with the app or a bluetooth remote button. In principle it seems to make sense that it would work. It's essentially moving the controller from under the dash to plugged in to the 7 pin between the truck and the trailer wiring. We shall see.
Is it due to the Benz computer not seeing enough amp draw? I wanted to make sure the 7 pin is working before going to hook up a trailer and finding that it doesn't light the trailer lights. Any input?.
Your guess is correct: LED lights do not trigger the sensors, and thus the power doesn't flow to the hitch. You need an adapter with a resistor that registers with the computer/sensor like these two (one for 7 way, one for 4/5 way). I added the 4/5 way adapter to my hitch basket lights, and it works perfectly. Without the resistor-based adapter, it never worked.
Curt Bluetooth Experience... No wired controller needed!
So I just rolled the dice with the Curt Echo Bluetooth brake controller... and loved it! No wiring under the dash or mounting a controller box. Like a charm. Plugged it in, hooked up the trailer... and that’s it. Towed a 16’ enclosed with one of my vintage cars about 600 miles. No problems.
Also love the Bulletproof Hitches medium duty adjustable hitch. Was fantastic.
So to answer my own question... the Curt Echo works with a GLE that has the OE tow package.
So I just rolled the dice with the Curt Echo Bluetooth brake controller... and loved it! No wiring under the dash or mounting a controller box. Like a charm. Plugged it in, hooked up the trailer... and that’s it. Towed a 16’ enclosed with one of my vintage cars about 600 miles. No problems.
Also love the Bulletproof Hitches medium duty adjustable hitch. Was fantastic.
So to answer my own question... the Curt Echo works with a GLE that has the OE tow package.
Very nice. You must have parked that beautiful MGA far enough forward so you had sufficient tongue weight (at least 10% of the total trailer weight) to ward off that dreaded sway. You might consider a WDH, or at least a cheap friction sway bar to help in the sway department.
edit: I had a '59 MGA - white. Do you know why so many MGA's (and my later Sunbeam Alpine, in your blue) had rear bumpers that seemed bent downwards? Because they had to be push started so often that they took a twist. No, seriously. This isn't a Prince of Darkness joke.
I have a towing topic here, so I can speak to the 7-pin connector. The bluetooth brake controller I don't know about. I'm not picturing how a signal goes between the brake controller and the vehicle. The brake controller is activated by the brake light signal. It ignores the blue brake wire from the 7 pin, because it provides it's own brake signal, with voltage that varies according to the accelerometer within the Curt controller. The brake light signal only allows the Curt to apply the brakes, which it does by using voltage from the 12v supply in the 7 pin brake wire, according to the accelerometer. This is the same principle as the Tekonsha RF, which I have been using for ten years.
The bluetooth controller only sets the sensitivity and gain, so if you lose the BT connection the controller will still function as it was set without intervention.
The camper towing topic is: https://mbworld.org/forums/gle-class...gle-350-a.html.
As far as the connector goes, typical 7-pin testers do not have the proper load to test a MB connector. It seems that despite testers saying they work, they may just not on MB in this case. On one I picked up, 3 of the 6 LEDs would only flicker. My dealer had a tester they made. The reason those lights "flicker" is that the entire system runs on a CAN-BUS system, where all elements are mini computers that communicate digitally over a BUS. Multiple sources can talk to each other or to the central ECU (SAM or Signal Acquisition Module in Mercedes). The ECU sends out frequent "queries" to see if the module has anything to report or ask, and repeats this every 5 or 6 seconds until a "conversation" is started. Those "queries" are what you see as flickers. In the case of the 7 pin tester, it sees no load so it doesn't have that conversation. Adding resistance to the LED lights (a simple resister in a light bulb base) causes the SAM to recognize a bulb, and it doesn't report a "bulb out" on the dash.
That's a simplistic description - look here for more details: https://www.csselectronics.com/scree...us/language/en
I had a small 2-wire connector that wasn't connected in the right rear quarter-panel from the factory preventing my 7-pin from working so maybe have your dealer verify the wiring circuit is good. It seems not many actually tow with a Mercedes so the wiring isn't always checked even if the vehicle came with the towing package option.
I have a Tekonsha Prodigy P3 controller I like along with the pigtail adapter from etrailer.com that is connected to the factory connecter under the carpeting behind the brake pedal. It's a small 2-pin green connector and mine wasn't tied to anything- just stuffed behind the carpeting.
04-18-2021, 05:21 PM
