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A new to me 2016 Cayenne base - first Cayenne for me.
I have a hitch and everything works on the 7-pin controller (12V, left/right blinker, taillight, brake light, except have not tested brake controller signal). VIN decoder says I have the "Towing Equipment -inc: Trailer Sway Control." By the looks of the receiver, it has never had a hitch in it.
I removed the black panel on the driver's side (attached with one Torx screw), and I will swear on the bible I do not have a harness under there. If it's there, it is plugged into something. I spent a lot of time on my back jamming my head here and there to no avail.
Any suggestions? Is it possible it is not there? Does having a hitch mean that the brake control harness should be there?
BTW: found a cool, hidden storage compartment under the driver's side seat while I was down there.
Gee whiz. Found it! It was literally on top (behind from viewing below) of a semi-flat piece of plastic very high towards the underside of dash. Had a hard time getting it out.
The connector was on top of the plastic piece and for a while I thought this was the wrong connector because it was pretty hard to pull out. Could not pull it with my hands - used a screwdriver. I was hoping I was not ripping wires out of something else!
Have you bought the wires and plastic clip to make your own brake controller adapter/harness? Too bad it doesn't come with one.
Yes, thanks. I had the connector and wires. Got it all hooked up, and it seems to be working, at least with the 7-pin connector-tester I built. Used my old brake controller. I'd like to get one of those fancier controllers that just has the **** exposed.
Before, I found the controller harness, I was checking the fuses trying to confirm I had all the trailer functionality from the factory (all fuses are there). And, I looked at the Porsche instructions to install the hitch and wiring. What is the purpose for all the electronics besides sending brake/turn signals, etc.? Is it some sort of trailer sway control electronics? I have never used sway control, so I'm clueless there. Does the vehicle know when a trailer is attached and modify driving characteristics? I've been searching, but have not found any info that explains that.
Edit: this thread mentions a "tow mode" - https://rennlist.com/forums/cayenne-...4-cayenne.html where it changes shift points, and post 24 says "I did not get a trailer light on the dash (seems to not exist on my model) but the automatic start/stop function would disable when trailer was connected."
Should I have a dash light or some other positive indicator the truck knows it has a trailer attached? I suppose auto stop/start being off could be an indication.
Edit: this thread mentions a "tow mode" - https://rennlist.com/forums/cayenne-...4-cayenne.html where it changes shift points, and post 24 says "I did not get a trailer light on the dash (seems to not exist on my model) but the automatic start/stop function would disable when trailer was connected."
Should I have a dash light or some other positive indicator the truck knows it has a trailer attached? I suppose auto stop/start being off could be an indication.
The only thing I see while towing is there is an extra turn signal indicator to let you know the trailer light is flashing too. I think it's more seamless/integrated or nonexistent lol. I tend to tow in sport for the longer rev holding and firm shifts. I have a diesel so I don't have start/stop.
Should I have a dash light or some other positive indicator the truck knows it has a trailer attached? I suppose auto stop/start being off could be an indication.
Lane Change Assist will be disabled when a trailer is detected. You will have to manually turn it back on after the trailer is unhitched.
Wow!
Thank you for posting this. I have been looking up under my dash for literally hours to find mine and did not have any luck.
When I get off work tonight I am heading home and going to get up under there again and hopefully find it.
Thank you again for posting this.
I found it - aryork's pic is upside down (at least in relation to the pics I took - once I got the right orientation, I felt up high inside dash and felt for foam and it was right there. It was tucked up towards the inside of the dash facing the driver
The only weird thing is that as I was pulling the harness down (and I tried to do it as gently as possible) some fan kicked off in the dash - I guess it was the HVAC fan. Very odd. It stopped after a couple of minutes - I hope that I didn't mess anything up.
I've done three of these, on my 2012 Treg, my 2016 Cayenne, and a neighbors 2016 Treg. In all cases, the connector was not visible. It is best to just stick your hand up there to the left of the brake pedal and start feeling around for a loose connector wrapped in foam.
08-14-2020, 06:03 PM
Where is my brake control harness?
