Trailer light troubles

DeeVeeEight

DeeVeeEight

Fast Pedalphile
Joined
Nov 3, 2008
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Southern New Jersey, USA
I am not exactly sure where this post belongs, here, in the electrical section or in off topic, anyway here goes....
I have a 2003 Bayliner 18 ft. speedboat with a Karavan trailer which I pull with my 1999 Ford E-150 Club Wagon (only 50K miles). I have a problem with the trailer lights. Everything works fine until I turn the headlights on. If I turn the headlights on and the 4 way flashers at the same time only one trailer light will blink, they all light but only one will blink. All the lights on the van work fine. I have replaced the trailer lights and light couplings and had the wiring gone over two or three times but still have not located the weak link.
Any Ideas?
Jeff??? You 'da local electron guru here....

I suspect a weak ground but both sides work independently just fine.....:search:
 
kwplot34 said:
Have you got a Heavy Duty flasher? if not that could be the problem.
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I hope this helps a little,, ""do not rely on the tow ball to provide a ground"" Run a ground from the truck to the trailer,, then check the system. I would bet your not fully grounded. Make sure you clean down to bare metal when making the connections. If not " You are picking up a static ground ""recheck" your connections and use a trouble light. good luck.
 
That van should use the connector with the ground prong in it. Check that it really does ground out.
Agree with the grounds. Most trailer setups use the trailer for the grounding circuit. I ended up running a separate ground wire to each lite and then to the trailer connector, but that's overkill. I just don't like problems on the road.
 
95% of all "ghost like" symptoms in wiring are bad grounds. This applies to all 12volt grounded systems. Electricity takes the path of least resistence, and when it takes "alternate" paths because of a weak ground, it has "goofy" results.
 
I forgot to add that it is a factory installed tow bar and electrical coupler.

We all seem to agree that a bad ground is the problem. I'll also try the HD flasher, at this point anything is worth a try.

Thanks for your responses!
 
DeeVeeEight said:
I forgot to add that it is a factory installed tow bar and electrical coupler.

We all seem to agree that a bad ground is the problem. I'll also try the HD flasher, at this point anything is worth a try.

Thanks for your responses!
Click to expand...

Ehh...that don't mean shit for the trailer wiring, gotta run a ground wire along with all the rest....hard wired all the way through the plug, no chassis/frame shortcuts....especially on a BOAT trailer....freeking dippity doo don't go on them very long....:rain::cussing:
 
mrvette said:
DeeVeeEight said:
I forgot to add that it is a factory installed tow bar and electrical coupler.

We all seem to agree that a bad ground is the problem. I'll also try the HD flasher, at this point anything is worth a try.

Thanks for your responses!
Click to expand...

Ehh...that don't mean shit for the trailer wiring, gotta run a ground wire along with all the rest....hard wired all the way through the plug, no chassis/frame shortcuts....especially on a BOAT trailer....freeking dippity doo don't go on them very long....:rain::cussing:
Click to expand...

At one point I did run a separate ground from each light along the length of the trailer to the coupling - it didn't do shit so I took it back off. I guess that points in a direction forward of the coupling and into the van/trailer wiring. I agree that some dealer technicians do not deserve the title "technician", many of them are fresh out of trade school and on their first job. I also agree that after several seasons of being dunked in the brine that the van's trailer wiring probably needs replacing.:fishing:
 
DeeVeeEight said:
I forgot to add that it is a factory installed tow bar and electrical coupler.

We all seem to agree that a bad ground is the problem. I'll also try the HD flasher, at this point anything is worth a try.

Thanks for your responses!
Click to expand...

I have seen many trailers backed into the lake, river, where ever,,, I've seen water pouring out the light lens after they launch. Thus , nothing lasts forever,UM . If all works fine without the trailer, then the problem is in the trailer,, using a trouble light and trace each connection for its function is simple,,If the lighting system "Bulb" sockets are relying on a frame ground ""worst"" ground to be used, go direct to battery ground on tow element. I think there are not T.V tubes in the ckt's ?? But who knows if that was a second hand trailer??
 
Got some friends with 'corroded boats', BTDT, fought my own, now I just smile and try to help them....

electrickery and water dont wanna mix too good for very long...:amazed::cussing:
 
I had a neighbor with an old rusty Audi that the turn signals would not work on. After finding a few bulbs screwed in backwards and correcting them I found an open ground at the rear light, I ran a separate ground for that light and VOILA! all worked fine again.

I am going to try and hook the trailer up to a different tow vehicles trailer light coupling and see what happens.
 
DeeVeeEight said:
I had a neighbor with an old rusty Audi that the turn signals would not work on. After finding a few bulbs screwed in backwards and correcting them I found an open ground at the rear light, I ran a separate ground for that light and VOILA! all worked fine again.

I am going to try and hook the trailer up to a different tow vehicles trailer light coupling and see what happens.
Click to expand...




THAT sentence makes be scratch my ass over wiring color codes over the years....make sure your vehicle and trailer totally agree....

I don't remember the specifics over long time ago...but some shit hit me once with what I THOUGHT should have been correct was NOT....cost me some hours out there scratching my ass....COLOR codes are not necessarily what we think....but that shit comes from years ago....dunno about today....

:rain:
 
It is simple substitution. If the trailer lights work well with a different tow vehicle then my van is messed up. If the trailer lights behave the same with a different tow vehicle then the trailer is the suspect.
 
DeeVeeEight said:
It is simple substitution. If the trailer lights work well with a different tow vehicle then my van is messed up. If the trailer lights behave the same with a different tow vehicle then the trailer is the suspect.
Click to expand...

:harhar::trumpet: I hear you with what you trying to do, and I agree that IF it all works, you will have found it's the vehicle, no question....but IF it don't work, you still could have a wiring trick type problem, as I found on some damn trailer years ago, like I said, I WOULD HOPE that shit is not found today, but somehow the color codes on the trailer wiring were not the same I had to switch shit around to get it to work, it was a damn mess alright,....

:cussing:
 
mrvette said:
DeeVeeEight said:
It is simple substitution. If the trailer lights work well with a different tow vehicle then my van is messed up. If the trailer lights behave the same with a different tow vehicle then the trailer is the suspect.
Click to expand...

:harhar::trumpet: I hear you with what you trying to do, and I agree that IF it all works, you will have found it's the vehicle, no question....but IF it don't work, you still could have a wiring trick type problem, as I found on some damn trailer years ago, like I said, I WOULD HOPE that shit is not found today, but somehow the color codes on the trailer wiring were not the same I had to switch shit around to get it to work, it was a damn mess alright,....

:cussing:
Click to expand...

I hear you too Gene. Even if the color codes don't jive with each other (van & trailer) I can still figure it out. There are only 3 wires for each light, it can't be that difficult.
 
Here is a link to the standard trailer wiring and troubleshooting guide and the different wiring for the different connectors. Have not run into any incompatabilty issue in quite a few years.

Hopefully your factory van connector is the 7 pole flat type. They are widely used now and are convenient in the sense that there are premolded adapters available that plug into the vehicle connector that adapts to all the lesser pole trailer connectors making for an easy hookup to any trailer (that is wired properly). The 7 pole also allows for underway charging of an accessory battery on a trailer as well as elec brakes.

Schematic
http://www.etrailer.com/faq_wiring.aspx

7 to 4 molded adapter
http://www.directdepot.net/product_info.php?products_id=17447

I use an electronic flasher (about 10 bucks) that is good for up to around 30 bulbs, but it doesn't change flash speeds even if no trailer is conenected.
I also solder and shrink wrap all connections and grease the bulb sockets.
Trailer lighting problems on the road are a real PITA

Good luck:)
 
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