Forgot to post this in the last thread. My 99 XLT has the towing package. Calling around last week to find a hitch, a vendor says that the '99 requires a light "module" ($44.00). Without it the computer will sizzle. What about this? The dealer didn't indicate this was necessary. My '95 Explorer didn't require this. Any ideas??

The towing package and wiring harness that you have already isolates your truck's electrical system from the trailer. You should require nothing more than a compatible plug adapter to go from the wiring harness connector under the bumper to the trailer's connector. Ford has these as should U-Haul. This may be the "module" that they are talking about.

Just a note...
ALL EXPLORERS COME PRE-WIRED!!! The dealer won't tell you this, but they are all pre-wired for a four-pin wiring harness, towing package or not. The only difference is that with the towing package, the wiring harness comes with the truck. Without it, all you have to do is purchase the factory adapter from your dealer, and like they said above, reach up under the left rear corner and make the connection to the factory connection. (It's a long way up... just about even with the bottom of the tail light assembly) There is no difference in components with the towing pkg or without (in terms of suspension, shocks, sway bars, etc). As for needing the power adapter... wholly unnecessary. Unfortunately, if you need an electric brake control module for the trailer, you will need to fork over about $150 or so to wire it up. As for the hitch... stick with name brand. (Valley/U-haul, Reese, Draw-Tite, etc) Also, be sure that the hitch you purchase is compatible with the 16" spare tire, as some round-tube hitches (i.e. the Draw-Tite) will not let the spare clear the hitch. As far as I know, all the square-tube ones will, though they don't look as nice. I went with a Draw-Tite Square tube myself. And, since it was a Saturday and I needed the trailer lights, I spliced a standars four-flat connector into the existing wiring harness (where you would plug-in an OE harness) and ran the wires through the grommet that the tail-light wires come out through, so now my trailer connector resides in the jack compartment out of the weather (and rain and salt) until I need it.

Hope this info helps.

-Joe-

My 98XLT with the towing package came with a wiring harness. I had to plug it into the receptical behind the driver side brake light. You get to it from under the bumper. The other end of the harness mounts to the bumper.
I was told the towing package includes the necessary protection relays for the trailer circuit built-in and the connection for the additional wiring harness is part of this extra circuitry.

Regarding a hitch, I searched the net and found a round tube designed for the 98+ new rear bumper. I found it at www.u-haul.com. (http://www.u-haul.com.) There is no drilling and it mounts perfectly. I was very impressed by the accuracy of the installation. The hitch is manufactured by Valley Hitch for U-Haul. BTW, it is a Class III receiver hitch.

Hope this info helps.

------------------
Exploring CA
98 XLT 4X4 4.0L SOHC

Thanks for the prompt replies. It's just as I thought, no "module" needed. Thanks again.

I just called u-haul, and they quoted me for a class III hitch 160.75 including installation. Without installation, it is 20 bucks less. should take no more then 40 minutes for them to install it.

If you're interested, the hitch dept of U-haul's number is: 1-800-234-8869

I got this e-mail today.... though someone else might be able to learn from it too...

I just bought a '99 XLT with the towing package. Are you saying that if I look hard enough , I'll see the wiring harness & connector for the trailer? Sorry if I sound slow. I JUST talked to a friend of mine who told me the same thing the original poster said. He asked if I had yellow flashers instead of red. Anyway, specifically what do I need to do? I copied your response so you sould see where I got lost. If you are able, please respond to irwindb@mindspring.com
Thanks
Dean

ALL EXPLORERS COME PRE-WIRED!!! The dealer won't tell you this, but they are all pre-wired for a four-pin wiring harness, towing package or not. The only difference is that with the towing package, the wiring harness comes with the truck. Without it, all you have to do is purchase the factory adapter from your dealer, and like they said above, reach up under the left rear corner and make the connection to the factory connection


I replied....


On the factory towing package, there is a connector that you would plug a four flat trailer connector into. If you follow the wire bundle back from the bumper, it goes up under the left, rear corner of the truck, up behind the wheel well. There is a connection up there where that "pig-tail, if you would, connects. If you did not order the towing package, this connector is still there, just capped with a dust cap. Here's the exact location... Stand on the left side, looking at the fuel door. Look at the point at which the wheel well trim and bumper form an imaginary line (there's a one inch gap or so there) At the top of the gap, where the body paint is, imagine a red dot right there. Now, kneel down on your right knee, and place your left hand on the corner of the bumper. As you look up underneath, you should see a grey plastic cap just inside the body at the exact point at which you drew the imaginary dot. It's just inside the body panel, clipped to the body-panel just outside the bumper filler plastic (that last part is confusing... it'll make more sense when you see it.) It is the ONLY GREY OBJECT IN SIGHT!!!! It's a round connector about 1 inch in diameter. This is where the factory harness plugs in at. Some dealers will tell you that the connector is not available, for a 98 or 99 because it's too new, but it's the same as the 97 or 96. I think it is even labeled trailer or something to that effect. When you see underneath, it'ss be where the bumper filler trim piece and the body meet, and it's on the outside end of that. If for some reason, it's not there (or not readily visible) it may be up above that spot, and just not pulled down all the way, but it's there somewhere.

Some info...
The question of yellow flashers is an issue because on most trailers, the brake and turn signal bulbs are the same filament in the bulb (it flashes the brake light on that side to indicate a turn) On newer vehicles with separate turn signal and brake bulbs, this causes a problem: You cannot just combine the two and send it to the brakes. If you did, then activated the turn signal, the brake light on the trailer would, in turn, send the signal to the brake lights on the car, thereby confusing the car's ABS system, and shorting out the turn signal due to the overloaded circuit. The similar clusterfunk would occur to the turn signals when braking. There are two solutions... 1) (the simplest, but the most complicated) Provide separate turn signal and brake indicator lights on the trailer. This requires additional lights and connections on both the trailer and the tow vehicle (u-haul does this if you rent one of their big trailers and have them wire up your car.... don't let them, the extra connections just cause trouble. 2) Use a "logic module" that tells the trailer light when to torn the light on steady (braking), and when to flash the light (turning or hazard lights). This logic module takes inputs from the four sources and combines them, processes them, and sends the proper signal to the trailer lights. Most places will charge 60 or 70 dollars for the part, plus an hour or three installation. On our Explorers (current body style), the system is already built-in. All we have to do is use it, which is simply a matter of plugging in a adapter to the existing unit. As for that part... I just got off the phone with the local dealer....

Part Number F87Z-13A576-BA Four Pin trailer wiring harness
Retail Cost.....(get this...) $8.07!!!!!

I'll bet if you went up to your local dealer to order the part, they could show you a picture of exactly where it goes. Hope all this helps. Any more questions, let me know.

-Joe-

My round tube U-Haul has plenty of room for my 15 inch spare. I believe I read a post somewhere that a 16 inch spare fits as well. I have seen a Hidden Hitch Round tube that appears to fit farther back under the bumper, but that one probably will not let a 16 inch spare to fit.
The harness that came in a box with my 98 had an engineering drawing of the harness. It shows the pin-out and installation location of the plug (behind the taillight, wire holding clips, and the bolt/bracket mount to the bumper. If anyone is interested, I can scan it tonight and email it tommorrow or if Rick would like to post it somewhere for reference. Let me know.

------------------
Exploring CA
98 XLT 4X4 4.0L SOHC

About your wiring... I posted something a couple months ago that might help...

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=9986

Long story short,
Part Number F87Z-13A576-BA Four Pin trailer wiring harness
Retail Cost.....(get this...) $8.07!!!!!
(as of May 99)

I hope that answers your question.

-Joe-

Here's a scan of what my 98 came with:

http://share.geocities.com/Heartland/Pointe/9474/Temp/98Harness.jpg

Ok, I think I'm a dumb a$$ because I can't figure this out. I've been looking under my explorer for a while now and I can't find that grey plug in piece. I get under there and look underneith and the only thing I can see is the wiring for the liscence plate lights. I try to follow that up but my hand is too big to fit in between everything. Then I try taking off the rear light to get a better look inside but then I can't get it off. I unscrewed those two screws but then it won't pull out because of a little round plastic piece that I think keeps it from moving stops me from taking it off. I'm usually pretty well mechanically inclined but I guess not today. Help!!!

gijoecam, your post about all Explorers coming pre wired was music to my ears. But I have a 95, WITHOUT a towing package and I cannot find the plug that you described inside the driver's side rear fenderwell. Does the description you supplied only apply to 98+ models?? I was under the impression that the factory plug was on the passenger side. Please tell me that my truck has this plug you wrote about!!!

mine is a 94 with the tow pkg but mine isnt near the fenderwell. mine was clipped to the inside of the bumper with a plastic trim clip on the connector covr.....also you can get the wiring adapter on ebay for less than $10 probably way cheaper than uhauls thing or going to the dealer

Mine is a 96 without the factory tow package. When I went to UHaul, this is what they suggested for my needs (and performed): They put a hitch ball in the tow hole in the bumper and installed a flat 4pin wire harness. To connect the wire harness, the installer took the driver brake light assembly apart and simply spliced into the necessary wires with the wires leading from the new harness. The trailer harness now hides in the jack compartment and comes out when I need it. The wires are flat enough to permit them coming out of the truck with the rear hatch closed. I've used this setup many times and have had absolutely no problems.

I just finished wiring up my truck ('95 without a towing package) for trailer lights. My truck was not prewired for trailer lights, so I got a kit from Napa. It is specifically designed for the 95 and 96 Explorers. It uses piggyback style plugs and a converter to run the trailer. No cutting or splicing of factory wiring is required. Just pull out the brake lamp assemblies and connect the right factory plug to the right piggyback. The instructions were very helpful with this. It also requires running a power wire from the battery to the converter so the truck and the trailer are on separate circuits. I ran mine through the inside of the truck so its a clean looking install. I highly recommend the kit from Napa because of the no cutting, no splicing aspect. It was a little more expensive but I think worth it. Regular price was $80, but they guy dropped the price to $60. Any questions, feel free to ask.

I'm not 100% sure about the 95's... that whole first model year thing... Call the dealership and find out what the part number is for the plug for the towing package. If it's the same as for the 98's, (I doubt it) you might be able to get away with it. If not, I still don't think you need the special converter... I believe they use the same wiring loom for the trailer tow and non-trailer tow. It may require a different plug, but you can use it. I'll let you know if I find anything more.

-Joe-

I have a 96 without a tow package and I just went through my second $60 "piggy-back" light module. After digging around under the rear bumper I found the trailer light harness. I went to Ford and got the 4 pin connector for $26. The part # is F67Z-13A576-AB. This was so much easier than tapping into all the lights.

the plastic cap on mine was red instead of gray...

Joe,

What dealer quoted you $8.00 for the trailer wire harness? My dealer quoted me $50.00 I still need one. Can you help? pauldau@sbcglobal.net

Paul
I got this e-mail today.... though someone else might be able to learn from it too...

I just bought a '99 XLT with the towing package. Are you saying that if I look hard enough , I'll see the wiring harness & connector for the trailer? Sorry if I sound slow. I JUST talked to a friend of mine who told me the same thing the original poster said. He asked if I had yellow flashers instead of red. Anyway, specifically what do I need to do? I copied your response so you sould see where I got lost. If you are able, please respond to irwindb@mindspring.com
Thanks
Dean

ALL EXPLORERS COME PRE-WIRED!!! The dealer won't tell you this, but they are all pre-wired for a four-pin wiring harness, towing package or not. The only difference is that with the towing package, the wiring harness comes with the truck. Without it, all you have to do is purchase the factory adapter from your dealer, and like they said above, reach up under the left rear corner and make the connection to the factory connection


I replied....


On the factory towing package, there is a connector that you would plug a four flat trailer connector into. If you follow the wire bundle back from the bumper, it goes up under the left, rear corner of the truck, up behind the wheel well. There is a connection up there where that "pig-tail, if you would, connects. If you did not order the towing package, this connector is still there, just capped with a dust cap. Here's the exact location... Stand on the left side, looking at the fuel door. Look at the point at which the wheel well trim and bumper form an imaginary line (there's a one inch gap or so there) At the top of the gap, where the body paint is, imagine a red dot right there. Now, kneel down on your right knee, and place your left hand on the corner of the bumper. As you look up underneath, you should see a grey plastic cap just inside the body at the exact point at which you drew the imaginary dot. It's just inside the body panel, clipped to the body-panel just outside the bumper filler plastic (that last part is confusing... it'll make more sense when you see it.) It is the ONLY GREY OBJECT IN SIGHT!!!! It's a round connector about 1 inch in diameter. This is where the factory harness plugs in at. Some dealers will tell you that the connector is not available, for a 98 or 99 because it's too new, but it's the same as the 97 or 96. I think it is even labeled trailer or something to that effect. When you see underneath, it'ss be where the bumper filler trim piece and the body meet, and it's on the outside end of that. If for some reason, it's not there (or not readily visible) it may be up above that spot, and just not pulled down all the way, but it's there somewhere.

Some info...
The question of yellow flashers is an issue because on most trailers, the brake and turn signal bulbs are the same filament in the bulb (it flashes the brake light on that side to indicate a turn) On newer vehicles with separate turn signal and brake bulbs, this causes a problem: You cannot just combine the two and send it to the brakes. If you did, then activated the turn signal, the brake light on the trailer would, in turn, send the signal to the brake lights on the car, thereby confusing the car's ABS system, and shorting out the turn signal due to the overloaded circuit. The similar clusterfunk would occur to the turn signals when braking. There are two solutions... 1) (the simplest, but the most complicated) Provide separate turn signal and brake indicator lights on the trailer. This requires additional lights and connections on both the trailer and the tow vehicle (u-haul does this if you rent one of their big trailers and have them wire up your car.... don't let them, the extra connections just cause trouble. 2) Use a "logic module" that tells the trailer light when to torn the light on steady (braking), and when to flash the light (turning or hazard lights). This logic module takes inputs from the four sources and combines them, processes them, and sends the proper signal to the trailer lights. Most places will charge 60 or 70 dollars for the part, plus an hour or three installation. On our Explorers (current body style), the system is already built-in. All we have to do is use it, which is simply a matter of plugging in a adapter to the existing unit. As for that part... I just got off the phone with the local dealer....

Part Number F87Z-13A576-BA Four Pin trailer wiring harness
Retail Cost.....(get this...) $8.07!!!!!

I'll bet if you went up to your local dealer to order the part, they could show you a picture of exactly where it goes. Hope all this helps. Any more questions, let me know.

-Joe-

My 96 don't have the connection behind the bumper. The harness stops at the light to the right of my license plate. But the plugs are up there below the taillights. Is mine the only one that don't have that factory harness?