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| Help! Having issues with trailer lights not working. The front side marker lights, brake lights, and turn signals all work okay, but the side fender marker lights (both sides) and tail lights (both sides) don't. Does this sound like a ground issue?
Thanks for any help,
Tony |
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Posts: 11
| Check the bulbs. |
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| I did check the bulbs and they are fine.....any more suggestions?
Tony |
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Posts: 572
| Probably a wire is worn or loose connection somewhere. Clean both the truck (in my case) and the trailer wire connectors.
I've got a similar problem. In the past, I've used "a simple 12 volt automotive circuit tester. This device looks like an ice pick with a little neon light in the handle and a wire with an alligator clip attached to it."
Here's an article that might help..
http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/03/r/excerpts/maib/08/december.htm
"If only some of the lights work, either you've got a few burnt light bulbs or one of your hot wires is faulty"
http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4811992_troubleshooting-trailer-lights...
4 prong connector wires
Yellow- left turn signal
Green- right turn signal
Brown - Tail lights
White- Ground |
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| Thanks for the help Bob. Those links should help alot!
Tony |
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Posts: 307
| Trust me. Do yourself a favor and just rewire the entire trailer right off the bat. You will pull your hair out, and spend three times as long looking for that one wire that has a crack in it. |
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Posts: 96
| Occasionally you'll get a defective light that'll short the entire system. Happened to me last year. Just thought I'd throw that out there as well. |
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| Is it a karavan trailer that is bolted together in the front part Y area??? |
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Posts: 793
Location: Ames, Iowa | Had exactly the same problem- it was a 10A fuse called trailer park lights- Blazer.
djw |
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Posts: 2754
Location: Mauston, Wisconsin | Check out this site-> the wiring diagrams and & trailer plug connection diagrams. If you have the standard flat 4-pin trailer molded plug connectors. Just follow the wire color code.
http://www.easternmarine.com/em_store/tech_info/light_tech.html
From your description the problem is the brown wire- "side marker & tail lights" and not a ground issue. That is if the both the tow vehicle and the trailer were wired by someone who knows what they were doing.
As has already been said; It never hurt's to recheck/clean the connectors/plugs and ground connections on both the tralier and the tow vehicle. Make sure the vehicle ignition & lights are off before cleaning the vehicle side connections. A bad ground connection can give you all kinds of funky stuff. Some dielectric grease is a good investment for the trailer to vehicle plug/connectors.
Most good autoparts stores have complete trailer wiring kits, or replacement plugs/ tow vehicle in-line adapters, dielectric grease, etc.
I got tired of burn't out bulbs & switched to LED lights.
Where are you located? Maybe a local MF member could help troubleshoot the problem. Most MF member's are more than happy to help out, as most of us have also been there before!
Don't bet on the problem being the trailer wiring, i.e., it could be the tow vehicle to trailer connector wiring. A test light or multimeter/DC voltmeter will help eliminate the vehicle as the problem. With the trailer connection unplugged- turn on the vehicle headlights and measure between the white wire(ground-DC negative) and the brown wire (tail lights and side markers). Be careful not to short them out. If the test light lights or the voltmeter shows 12VDC, the problem is in the trailer side.
Another way to check the tow vehicle is to test it with a different trailer, i.e., a buddy's boat with same plug connections.
A word of caution on using the typical "circuit test light" with very sharp probe tip's(ice pick). If you puncture the wire insulation to "test the circuit" you are going to create a means for ingress/entry of moisture/water. This is not good as the water/moisture will react with the copper conductor inside the wire to cause corrosion of the copper over time, i.e., eventually it will stop being a good conductor. The same thing happens with "cracked insulation" or insulation damaged by other means. Some RTV silicone can prevent ingress after the circuit test. But it cannot remove water or stop the subsequent corrosion for cracked insulation. If you have cracked insulation, the practical solution is to rewire the trailer.
Al |
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Trailer light problems