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Posts: 7
| I am having issue with the running/tail lights on my trailer. both blinkers and brake lights work just fine. I have read up on some past threads on here but didnt get much help. I cleaned the grounding bolts on each light as well as the ball of the trailer and all connections. The only thing I have not been able to rule out that i need to test is the four prong connector from the trailer, the single prong thats in the sleave has corrosion inside of it that would be difficult to clean. I have a brand new 7 blade to 4 flat adapter on my truck though. I have seen in past threads sometimes its a fuse issue on the vehicle. Looking in the manual for my 2004 f150 i dont see anything specifically for tail lights, just break and blinker fuses. Any advice would be appreciated. |
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Posts: 791
Location: WI | I had my 7pin outlet on my truck fail. I would meter voltage output on your truck. Then you know your trailer is getting voltage. Check each prong. There is a constant positive and ground. And also test running, stop, and possibly reverse |
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Posts: 273
| I rewired a trailer once only to find out that it was the plug in on my truck. With all the salt that went down on the roads this year, corrosion is a definite possibility.
My receiver was put on at a shop, and the guys that did it, did a terrible job of splicing wires behind the plug on my truck. |
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Posts: 246
Location: Grand Marais, MN | plug your trailer into someone else's vehicle and see if you are still having the problem, my brother found that out last year that it was their f150 that was the problem, only after having rewired the boat trailer. |
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Location: Eastern Ontario | My F150 (2010) has a fuse in the fusebox that looks after ONLY SOME of the trailer lights ( I think it was running lights ) you can get a tester for about 6 bucks that tests flat plugs at the truck has 4 little red lights.
Edited by horsehunter 4/7/2014 6:56 AM
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Posts: 295
| If the female connector is corroded, spin a little steel wool on a tiny drill bit and "grind" it out with a power drill. It won't take long at all, just a little effort. Then put dielectric grease in to prevent in the future. Also they sell the testers for those 4 flats at a lot of places... 2 or 3 bucks. |
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | are you using a pig-ear to connect? i thought it was a rusty ball or a trailer lighting fuse on mine once and found out my pig-ear was bad (last thing i would have thought). best to test it or take it to a good service shop that will do you a favor. pretty quick to figure out what's going on. good luck. |
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Location: Eastern Ontario | I almost hate plugging in my trailer for the first time every spring if everything works it's like winning the lottery |
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Posts: 131
Location: Lake St. Clair | since we are on the topic, and I don't mean to steal the thread, but this is somewhat along the same lines. I notice that my running lights flash on and off with the bumps in the road. My tail running lights are fine, my brake lights are fine, and revers is fine. Its only the running lights over the wheels.....I cant seem to figure it out..... |
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Posts: 3508
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Hi Everyone,
To the original poster: Do you blow a fuse on your truck? If so, I'm betting you have a trailer where the wiring is inside the trailer frame where you cannot take a look at it without removing the wiring. I would not be surprised that if you are blowing fuses on the truck with the running lights that you have a place on a wire that has worn through the insulation, and the wire is then causing a short when it contacts the trailer. Sometimes it will be fine for a while, then all of the sudden...boom...no more running lights.
If this is the case, you will be pulling wire to find the chaffing. Not a fun job by any means, but it will be the only way to fix that issue. If this is something you find you have to do, when you reinstall the new wiring, a good idea (if you can get it to fit) is to get some of the protective covering around the wiring itself, which will keep the wire from chaffing on the frame a second time.
To the running lights not working by the wheels: Chances are you have a loose connection somewhere, or a break happening on a wire. The bouncing temporarily makes the connection work, then go back off. Sometimes, this can occur with flat plug that is starting to wear out and does not stay connected easily. I have to play with my 4-flat at times where it connects with the wiring adapter (I have one of those coil type from 7 round to 5 flat) to get the running lights to stay on. If you hook up your trailer wire to the truck and turn the running lights on, go to the connecter and wiggle it back and forth....if the lights flicker, you have your issue. If not, go back and wiggle the wiring going into the actual light itself.
Steve
Edited by VMS 4/7/2014 7:14 PM
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Posts: 131
Location: Lake St. Clair | thanks for the input! |
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trailer lights help needed