PT
Active Member
Posts: 460 
Likes: 260
1964 Aloha & 1962 Holiday House
Currently Offline
|
Post by PT on Dec 19, 2016 18:39:12 GMT -8
So prior to proudly pulling away from home on a quick local shake-down camping adventure, I tested all the lights wired via a new 7 way tow harness and junction box (attached to 2015 Nissan Frontier with factory tow package) and all was well - every light did it's thing perfectly. Turn signals, brake, license plate, side and rear running lights, etc.
Prior to this - I read through the forums and ran a dedicated ground wire (one wire around the trailer with pigtails to all lights but one (front curb-side running light had it's own ground direct to the junction box along with the one that went all the way around with pigtails) - all lights new from VTS. I had also tested each light before and after attaching the skin with a battery and leads through the 7 way plug - never had an issue with these tests.
Once I was on the road I noticed the lights on the side of the trailer flickering. Hoped it was a loose fit with the 7-way plug. Pulled over and firmly wiggled/pushed the plug into the socket. When I got going again all lights were dead - no wiggling or re-positioning of the plug helped. Not a happy boy :-(. Turned around and went home. It's too dark to troubleshoot things right now but I'm hoping it's a blown fuse on the tow vehicle - but then why did the fuse blow?
In retrospect - when I started out - the side running lights were all on - as were the taillights. It's been 7 months since I towed it home prior to rehab and I can't recall if they are supposed to be on all the time or just when the tow vehicle head-lights are on? And I have the charge lead going from the 7-way to the positive pole on the battery...
Sorry for the long post - but bummed right now and hoping to get things figured out.
Thanks
|
|
|
|
Post by danrhodes on Dec 19, 2016 19:00:50 GMT -8
Wiring problems are so common. I was just talking to another member about putting a junction box in the front and the rear of the trailer. Makes it so much easier to track down a bad wire or ground.
|
|
|
|
Post by vikx on Dec 19, 2016 23:29:10 GMT -8
DRAT. So sorry 'bout this...
With everything not working, I'm guessing a bad ground or a blown fuse. Most modern vehicles have separate fuses for Tails/Markers (TM) and Turns (RT, LT and Brakes) If NOTHING works, it's almost surely a ground issue. If the TMs don't work but the turn/brake lights do, then you've a bad short in the TM circuit.
I went crazy with my Red Dale, it blew the truck fuse on the first trip. Fuses don't blow with a ground issue, but I checked them all again anyway. Started at the front J box, then to the back J. Everything worked with the back disconnected, so that isolated it to the back clearance lights. Oh Joy, there were 7 of them...
Turned out to be one "HAIR" of copper on an upper clearance light shorted out. Of course it was the last light I checked... Another thing to look for is a wayward screw. (yup, been there/done that) I screwed right into a wire on my Aladdin tail light, stupid stupid. Grrr. So I know how you feel.
Here's the steps:
1. Test the vehicle. Be absolutely sure it is working properly. You can test it pretty easily yourself. Triple check the ground. Sometimes, it can be as simple as a rusty ground bolt.
2. Test the trailer without the vehicle. I use a portable battery. Ground and test each tow wire separately. (TM, RT and LT) If both turn lights work, the brake lights will work.
3. If the trailer is blowing fuses, it is a direct short. That means somewhere, something is grounding out the circuit. Use your head and THINK: where did I run those wires, could I have run a J rail screw here or there, etc. Frustrating.
PM me if you need more. I can go on and on, but you get the idea.
|
|
PT
Active Member
Posts: 460
Likes: 260
1964 Aloha & 1962 Holiday House
Currently Offline
|
Post by PT on Dec 20, 2016 9:50:21 GMT -8
Thanks Vikx -
Let me see how crazy this drives me and I'll get back with the outcome or plea for more help. Tested the lights again on trailer with battery from the plug and all work fine.
I'm only getting turn signal power from the truck 7 pin socket - but for some reason it does not make the trailer turn/brake lights illuminate... but they do when tested with a battery.
Yep - I can feel the crazy coming on ;-)
|
|
Ten
3K Member
Posts: 3,432
Likes: 1,467
70 Shasta 16SC + 1964 Airflyte
Currently Offline
|
Post by Ten on Dec 20, 2016 10:27:21 GMT -8
pt -- Check the ground at the truck plug. I had problems with mine on the Dodge when we changed trucks. It was factory tow package equipped, but the ground had come loose up under the bumper at the plug end. Drove me nuts chasing problems in the trailer that did not exist, until changing trucks.
|
|
|
|
Post by vikx on Dec 20, 2016 11:11:15 GMT -8
I agree, if the trailer works without the truck, it's the truck.
I had to replace a factory 7 way receptacle on an almost new GMC a while back. The wiring plug at the back was broken. Later GM trucks have a brand specific plug; maybe Nissan as well? I replaced the factory mess with a regular 7 way, which is still working today.
Good luck, PT!
|
|
PT
Active Member
Posts: 460
Likes: 260
1964 Aloha & 1962 Holiday House
Currently Offline
|
Post by PT on Dec 20, 2016 12:13:03 GMT -8
I have tracked the source of the problem and turns out it's me being an idiot... I'll follow up - but now I'm going camping!
|
|
|
|
Post by danrhodes on Dec 20, 2016 12:27:27 GMT -8
I have tracked the source of the problem and turns out it's me being an idiot... I'll follow up - but now I'm going camping! Being an idiot is my number one problem too. Have a safe trip, idiot brother. |
|
Ten
3K Member
Posts: 3,432
Likes: 1,467
70 Shasta 16SC + 1964 Airflyte
Currently Offline
|
Post by Ten on Dec 20, 2016 13:09:24 GMT -8
I am sorry to know that I am not the only one that suffers from that affliction....happy camping!
|
|
PT
Active Member
Posts: 460
Likes: 260
1964 Aloha & 1962 Holiday House
Currently Offline
|
Post by PT on Dec 21, 2016 21:29:01 GMT -8
So here's how you jack-up your lights in one easy lesson... When I found the image below showing the location of all the light contacts on the 7-way "plug" I merrily went about my way wiring things up at the junction box and testing with a battery on the leads shown from the plug. Oddly enough the lights didn't work when I supplied power to the leads as marked on the plug... Which in my world meant the manufacturer had the wires wrong so I rewired from the junction box so the lights worked with the plug leads shown on the image. (It's a 2 hour ordeal to get the trailer hooked to the tow vehicle so didn't test early on)  Long - stupid story short - it finally dawned on me that the image is for the 7-way socket and not the plug - so I had wired a mirror image of what it should be. Hence my tail/running lights were wired to the aux-power and on all the time. L&R turn were reversed (just a quick fix- must have missed that the 1st time...) - but the brake lights worked great! I blew a fuse in the truck along the way but once I got my head on straight all was well. Thanks for the support and understanding! |
|
|
|
Post by danrhodes on Dec 21, 2016 21:36:27 GMT -8
So here's how you jack-up your lights in one easy lesson... When I found the image below showing the location of all the light contacts on the 7-way "plug" I merrily went about my way wiring things up at the junction box and testing with a battery on the leads shown from the plug. Oddly enough the lights didn't work when I supplied power to the leads as marked on the plug... Which in my world meant the manufacturer had the wires wrong so I rewired from the junction box so the lights worked with the plug leads shown on the image. (It's a 2 hour ordeal to get the trailer hooked to the tow vehicle so didn't test early on) Long - stupid story short - it finally dawned on me that the image is for the 7-way socket and not the plug - so I had wired a mirror image of what it should be. Hence my tail/running lights were wired to the aux-power and on all the time. L&R turn were reversed (just a quick fix- must have missed that the 1st time...) - but the brake lights worked great! I blew a fuse in the truck along the way but once I got my head on straight all was well. Thanks for the support and understanding! Now I feel bad, because I posted that image (technically just colored the green brighter from a photo I found online). My truck has the schematic printed on the 7 way cover, and even posted a photo in that thread, so I never thought that someone would reverse it. vikx...Please edit the original thread to indicate the image is for the vehicle side socket. vintagetrailertalk.freeforums.net/thread/421/ |
|
mrmarty51
Leading Member
Posts: 1,787
Likes: 423
1972 HOMEMADE
Currently Offline
|
Post by mrmarty51 on Dec 22, 2016 4:25:11 GMT -8
Trouble shooting wiring can sometimes be a tricky job. Good to know that You got yours figured out.
After I post this here, I will go and see if there is a basic wiring trouble shooting thread and post this info in there too.
If You suspect that You might have an issue with a bad ground between the vehicle and the trailer, try this.
Use one of those probe/test lights and hook the clip to a good ground source on the vehicle or the trailer. Probe the bulb end to a good ground source to the opposite that You hooked the clip to.
Have Your lights turned on. If the probe/test lamp illuminates then You have a bad ground and the voltage that should be going through the grounding wire is being routed through the probe/test lamp.
This method also works from the base of a bulb to a grounding source. Long as there is power going to the bulb and the bulbs filament{s} are in good condition then this simple test will work every time. Just be sure that the power is there and the filaments are okay first.
|
|
PT
Active Member
Posts: 460
Likes: 260
1964 Aloha & 1962 Holiday House
Currently Offline
|
Post by PT on Dec 22, 2016 7:19:23 GMT -8
1000% my fault Dan. I saw the matching schematic on the vehicle side in the post. I even knelt down and saw it on my truck's cover while I was doing the wiring and didn't make the connection - literally. I was an extra-special idiot on this one :-)
|
|
|
|
Post by vikx on Dec 22, 2016 12:44:41 GMT -8
I edited the post, Dan. It was perfect to show the 7 way colors. They are usually stamped right in the plastic on 7 way connectors, so mirroring isn't a problem. I go by the stamp on the wiring side...
|
|
