Old tekonsha brake controller questions???

Got an 86 CC dually. Was gonna install a brake controller and discovered it already has an older tekonsha....cannot find a model # on it but has 11-89 on the back of it. I'm guessing thats the manufacter date. Got a couple of ?'s. This older controller has a brake line going from the back of it to the master cylinder. What for? Also has a red wire not connected coming from the harness with the other wires. Any idea what it connects to? Also lights up without a trailer attached when brakes are applied. And would i be better off installing the newer one i have....a TAP Brake-Force? it does not have the brake line to it? Thanks in advance for any help.

Scrap it. Regardless if it works or not, it's old and outdated.

If it were me, I'd run a new one.

Thats what i was thinking. but will one without the brakeline going to the master cylinder work. the old tekonsha has a line going to the mc and my new one does not.

some of those had a wire to run back(7way plug) to charge an onboard battery in the trailer while running down the road..


newer chev have a red and blue wire running back for that purpose,

The brake line must have been how it "sensed" when the brakes were being applied. The newer ones I think are kinda pendulum based.

Yeah, the "brake line" is a new one for me.

Probably works better than the new ones. But now everyone wants to run to wally world and buy one they can just plug in and run. Sounds like it would have been a hassle to install.

Mine came with an old Tekonsha too.. Just not one that ran to the M/C.. I was gonna replace it with a new one but I did some research and the guys at our RV dealership I work for said it's a good one so I left it.. Does it not have a name on the front? Mine has Voyager on the front and that's how they identify them. Like on a Voyager the green labeled ones will control up to 3 axles and the red ones will run up to 5 axles and yada yada. I'd think the ones that are plumbed in like that would actually work better since you wouldn't have to adjust them to make sure you have the gyro set at level like the newer ones. I know a few on the new ones have accelorometers in them that you don;t have to level out but they cost some jack..

this one does not have anything on it except on the bottom it says manufactured by tekonsha. The new one i have is a hopkins "tap" brake force and says on the directions that it can be mounted in any direction, even upside down, and did use it in my 3/4 ton and it seemed to work better than this one does in my dually. What would the wire that goes to the brake switch cause? Maybe why it is not working as good.