Trailer light problems
Maybe one of you trailer boaters can help me out. I've got an
intermittent problem with my trailer lights - either one side or the
other will light (tail lights and side marker lights). This is
intermittent - sometimes both sides will light. I put a test light on
my truck's electrical input - that doesn't seem to be the problem Any
suggestions on where to start troubleshooting?
Thanks much. |
clgavel
Mar 15
|
| Tom, I believe it is common for both light assemblies to have a ground, ie. right
and left side grounds. I just replaced my expensive Wesbar (?) incandesant tail lights with
relatively cheap WalMart LED tail lights. During the process I found that
each lamp had a ground wire with a ring connector for the ground. The old
lamps were the same. When removing the old lamps I found that the ring
connector was attached to the trailer rail by the lamp's mounting screws.
There was a large amount of white powder all around the drilled holes for
the lamp mounting screws where the ground wires were connected. I used some
sandpaper to clean up the area before mounting the new lamps. The OP could easily check this on his/her trailer. A continuity tester (ohmeter) would be my choice of test equipment to
isolate any possible trailer wiring fault. BTW, WalMart sells an
inexpensive trailer wiring harness tester. WM and BW have one for a bit
more $. |
Butch
Mar 16
|
| On other trailers I've owned, there was always a single ground wire |
Short
Mar 16
|
| I've got one of those little testers too but it only checks the vehicle
wires, not the trailer.
Changing to LEDs doesn't resolve the problem most of us trailer boaters have
with wiring, which is almost always the ground.
I also mounted my lights on a 2x2. That was after spending several hours
trying to get the trailer mounted lights to work reliably. I think one of
the problems with trailer wires is corrosion getting inside the wire. |
William
Mar 16
|
| I doubt that it is a grounding problem, assuming that the common
ground is the trailer frame. (You aren't going to have half the lights
working if that is the case. I betting that it is a problem in the plug or wiring close by. |
gene.boating
Mar 16
|
| Try Bass Pro Shops. They have a couple of resonable LED packages. Both
oval and round. I have had 2 of my LED lights go bad over the years. Not
sealed well, would be my guess. But a lot less problems than the
incandesant lights. |
Calif
Mar 16
|
| The best way to solve trailer light problems forever is to run two wires
to all of the light fixtures on your trailer. Use one wire for the
ground. Fasten the ground wire to the light fixture using sheet metal
screws. Direct connect the ground wire to the tow vehicle's ground, and
run one ground wire to the trailer body. i.e. like a AC circuit
except the ground wire to the trailer. I have my boat trailer set up this way for many years. After having the
boat is storage since last fall I will be able to go out connect the
trailer and the lights will work.
|
Keith
Mar 15
|
| Bad Ground connection. |
Steven
Mar 15
|
| Grounds can be a problem but don't ignore that cheap assed connector
most trailer lights hook to the car with.
Trailer lights always seem to be trouble if they are out in the
weather and dunked in the water.. I have mine on a 1x4 that I keep in
the garage and I bungie it across the back of the boat when I tow (or
just to the trailer if I am going "bareback"). The wiring is SJOW
cord, not that zip lead the trailers come with. |
gfretwell
Mar 15
|
| I agree ... mainly because I am not so sure the OP's problem is a ground.
Usually there is only one, common ground connection to the trailer. Since
he stated that either one side lights or the other ... sometimes both ...
it would seem to indicate that he has a ground connection. Betcha his problem is in the connector plug. Eisboch |
Eisboch
Mar 15
|
| Or where it's spliced into the car/truck harness. |
D.Duck
Mar 15
|
| My last answer doesn't make sense. The left side/right side isn't determined in the connector (except for turn
signals). It's in the trailer wiring, if at all. The four pin connector has +12v for the running lights, left turn, right
turn and ground. The +12v should be "Y'd" to the left and right side running lights. If some
how that connection is hosed up, that could be the problem. |
D.Duck
Mar 15
|
| Good point. Although on my Ranger trailer and on othe Loadright Princecraft
trailer, both sides have seperate grounds. Why, I don't know. |
Short
Mar 15
|
| You have a faulty ground somewhere. 95% of all trailer lighting problems are grounds. Start at where the trailer lights are grounded to the trailer, check
the connection, clean the connector and the connector on the truck
paying particular attention to the ground and trace the wiring back to
see if there is a ground fault or wire that is being grounded against
the frame of the trailer. Check the grounds at the lights. Sense a theme here? :>) |
Short
Mar 15
|
