Brake Buddy current draw?

[Steve P]

My Brake Buddy that came with my CR-V suddenly seems to be drawing excess current and blowing the power accessory circuits in my CR-V.  First one, and then the other went out.  The fuses are good, so I suspect the relays are going bad due to the current draw / overheating during the Brake Buddy inflation cycle (preparation for driving).  I will confirm tomorrow whether the relays are bad, or something else.  Does anyone have any idea how to diagnose the issue with the Brake Buddy if it is causing the problem?  Could the cord / connections that connect via a standard cigarette lighter type plug have issues? 

Thanks in advance for the help - Steve P

(Let's save the religious war about good/better/best braking systems for another day 🙂  )

[Dr4Film]

Steve,

Your best bet is to call the company directly and talk with a technical service person. They may want you to send the unit back to them to figure out exactly what the problem may be causing the excess current draw.

[tmw188]

x2 they are easy to work with 

[waterskier_1]

What do you consider "excessive"?  The Spec's show the power requirements as 12 Volts, 15 Amps.  Many of the new vehicle "cigarette lighter" sockets are not wired to support that kind of current.  It was fine in the "old days" when you actually had a lighter that would draw 10+ Amps, but now they are marketed more for phone chargers of a couple amps.  

  -Rick N.

[Tom Cherry]

Going WAY BACK to 2006 with my diesel powered Brake Buddy. it was wireless and BB sent me a heavy duty 20 amp rated power socket with an inline fuse and suggested a direct TOAD battery connection as well as a charging line from the MH.  That was to “increase” the range of the wireless transmitter that communicated with the in cabin receiver/control/monitor.  Might call BB and chat with them….that was their solution for the latest model back then.  Did not rectify the problem as I had a 15 Amp fused power source, but did install….

Have you verified that the BB power wiring is #14, which if @waterskier_1 is correct, is required to handle the 15 amp draw?  Mine was probably #16 or #18.  A voltage drop due to an undersized wiring connector will create an excessive current draw (see Ohm’s Law).  That is a fact that I learned in EE 201 and my pocketbook verified….when my Lippert slide motor died…

Seriously since you did request no critique of your decision, I would check specs and verify.  Then toss the ball back to BB….

Good luck and give us an update as well as the solution.

Thanks

[Steve P]

Checking the gauge of the wiring Honda used to the accessory power outlets?  I think not.   By the way, spec on the 2014 CR-V has a 20A fuse on each.  If the relays for the ignition accessoris are the culprit being checked today), then I will talk to BB about 12 ga. direct wiring from the battery with one of those back to back plugs (my name for it)  that are used on battery chargers.  And an inline fuse. 

And I need to check the battery feed from the hitch to the CR-V to make sure it isn't frayed or inoperative for whatever reason (the battery goes dead in position I about 6-8 hours.  

 

Thanks, 

Steve

[Steve P]

Checking the gauge of the wiring Honda used to the accessory power outlets?  I think not.   By the way, spec on the 2014 CR-V has a 20A fuse on each.  If the relays for the ignition accessoris are the culprit being checked today), then I will talk to BB about 12 ga. direct wiring from the battery with one of those back to back plugs (my name for it)  that are used on battery chargers.  And an inline fuse. 

And I need to check the battery feed from the hitch to the CR-V to make sure it isn't frayed or inoperative for whatever reason (the battery goes dead in position I about 6-8 hours.  

 

Thanks, 

Steve

Well, the battery was weakening and both power outlets were defective.  Honda says that was probably because of the Brake Buddy. Yeh, right.  More like the outlets are rated at 5-10A on what is a 20A fused circuit.  I'll talk to Brake Buddy about whether to wire the unit directly from the battery,  or maybe the trailer wiring feed that is supposed to keep my battery charged (although that seems to be failing too). These are not overwhelming issues, just annoying.