bought new trailer...no running lights?

[9 Lives]

Just came from North Carolina to Florida to pick up a new landscape trailer. 7X20 really nice trailer really nice people to deal with here in New Port richey. Only problem I have came across is that I have no running lights on the trailer... they work on the truck but not the trailer. You would think these people really know what their doing seing that they build hundreds of these a year. So I lean heavily on maybe its an issue with the truck? I need to leave Sunday morning really early and can't leave here without having running lights on the trailer.



Is there a fuse under the hood that controls this? I checked the fuse box and didn't notice any blown fuses. The only one on the panel that I saw was associated with trailers said ' trailer tow #19 30amp fuse ' Checked #19 and all other 30 amp fuses and they all semed fine. Im not to familiar with that style of fuse though. What can I do to figure out this issue?



By the way the trailer does have turn signals & break lights... just no running lights

 

[bmoeller]

Should be a seperate fuse for the truck running lights, and for the trailer running lights.

 

[gsbrockman]

9 Lives... .



Can you confirm you're getting appropriate power at the 7-way connector at the bumper on your truck with a test light ? If yes, it must be on the trailer end, perhaps even at the plug itself. If the trailer does not have a dedicated ground wire for the 7-way, install one. That may be all you need. I had similar issues with my 18' car hauler, installed a dedicated ground wire, and all is good.



Greg

 

[9 Lives]

gsbrockman, ill give that a try tomarrow morning thanks.

 

[HBarlow]

Sometimes trailer manufacturers don't provide a separate ground wire for the lighting circuits that connects back to the tow vehicle's ground connection through a six pin connector. They use a four wire connector and rely on the ball coupler grounding the trailer back to the tow ball. You might try a separate jumper ground wire from the trailer back to your truck.

 

[JFlagg]

I agree with HBarlow, alot of trailers rely on the ball to act as the ground, sometimes it takes just a good spin around the parking lot or block to wear any corrosion off the ball or inside the coupler and make a good connection. Both of my trailers do that fairly regularly. Almost always, by the time I'm down the bumpy gravel driveway all lights work. Good luck though!

 

[ColemanR]

Go into your main fuse box on the inner fender driverside I believe thats where I found it I had the same thing truck lites worked no trailer lites one of my marker lites grounded out on the trailer Good Luck Randy

 

[9 Lives]

took a light tester to the trailer plug on the rear of the truck. It shows light when I test turn signals & brake lights... but no running lights! so I checked again all of the fuses under the hood & all seem to be good? So does that mean I have a bad wiring harness on my truck?

 

[HBarlow]

Unplug the trailer and sit down behind your truck with your tester in hand. Turn on the truck parking lights and check for power at the appropriate male pin inside the 7 pin connector. The code to the 7 pin is molded into the cover if I remember correctly. If you have parking lights in the truck and 12 volts at the trailer running light pin inside the 7 pin your problem is in the trailer. It would not be surprising to find your new trailer has a broken wire in the running light circuit or the running light wire has been grounded somewhere on the trailer.



Harvey

 

[9 Lives]

HBarlow... that is what I was trying to say in the post right above yours... . I did dissconect the trailer and sit behind it with the light tester with the headlights on and there was no lights comming on. So that means its not the trailer? could the plug on the truck go back ? the truck is only 7 months old

 

[HBarlow]

Sorry, I misunderstood. You mean the pin inside the seven pin connector that should be for running lights is not hot when the truck's parking lights are turned on? If it is not the problem is in the truck but may have been caused by plugging in a new trailer. I'd double check for a blown fuse in the truck's trailer wiring circuit. It is very unlikely that your truck's wiring harness or seven pin connector is bad.



Harvey

 

[9 Lives]

Im used to checked the normal fuses for when they have blown. If I read correctly under the fuse box cover it says that the " trailer tow" fuse is a 30 amp. fuse and its a different style fuse than im used to. Not to sure how to see if its blown?

 

[HBarlow]

I'm just guessing here because I've forgotten how the fuses are set up but I think the 30 amp fuse is for trailer brakes or the trailer 12v charge line. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. I would expect that the trailer lighting circuits are fused separately on much smaller fuses like 10 or 15 amps.



I know nothing about the situation but three facts ..... fact one is a new truck only 7 months old; fact two is a new trailer just purchased; and fact three is trailer running lights don't work. My first suspicion is there is or was a problem with trailer running lights wiring that caused a blown fuse in the tow vehicle when plugged in.



Are you certain that the correct pin in the 7 pin connector for running lights is not hot when the truck's parking lights are on? If you are, the problem is in the truck and the most likely problem is a blown fuse. Have you checked the owner's manual? I think the owner's manual provides some information about the fuse panels.



Harvey

 

[Prairie Dog]

You guys with 06 & 07's need to do some research on the Total Intergrated Power Module in your truck. This questionable piece of engineering controls all your trailer lighting. You have no fuses so when something shorts a trailer lamp, you have to go back to the dealer to have a TIPM code cleared. You can only do this 5 times before this $300 part has to be replaced though. Of course, most dealers dont even know this.

If you have an earlier 06 there's a s/w update to increase the current capacity of this module.

I believe only the charge circuit at the 7 pin is seperate from the TIPM.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.



Scotty



EDIT: I should give credit to Sag2 for educating me on this subject.

 

[HBarlow]

Scotty,



That is bad news but correct bad news is better than wrong information. At least it provides a direction to resolve the problem. I think you are more correct than what I've been telling him. I had forgotten about the silly computer controlled lighting circuits in the '06/'07s. After a lifetime of owning vehicles with fuses it is hard to change my thinking to computers.



9Lives, please post when you know what the problem was so the rest of us can learn. Good luck. I hope the solution is not expensive.



Harvey

 

[B.G. Smith]

Just an idea that might help you get back home with clearance lights on the trailer. If the trailer has the 4 flat connector, go to an RV dealer or Wal-Mart and get a 7 pin male plug, a piece of wire, 12 ga. and a roll of elect. tape. Plug the trailer into the 4 flat under the bumper, hook the wire you bought into # 4 terminal (battery charge line) on the new 7 pin plug, cut some insulation from the brown wire coming from the trailer wiring and tie the new wire into this and tape up. Only problem is the lights will be on all the time when plugged in so don't forget to unplug. If the trailer has the 7 pin hookup, open it up and remove the wire from #3 terminal(tail lights) and tie it into the #4 terminal. don't cross tie them as that might feed back into the truck tail lights. bg

 

[CLynch]

Welcome to the stupid world of the TIPM. Obviously designed by at team of engineers that don't know jack about trailers.

 

[9 Lives]

Yeah that TIPM sounds like a bunch of crap to me. Why would they do something like that? Expecially with to make you have to go back to the dealership? Atleast make a seperate fuse panel or something like the ford F-350's have.



It will be atleast Monday if not Tuesday before I can do that... . its Saturday evening here and visiting with family down in Spring Hill Florida. Monday I head back to north carolina & will go raise hell at my local dodge dealership.

 

[ColemanR]

As I said in my first post check the fuse box on the drivers side fender take a tester check both sides of the fuse they are small spade fuses I think it was the row closest to the engine like the third or forth fuse Randy

 

[RRB]

I've got an '06 Mega Cab. Hooked up my trailer today and found no Left Turn signal and no Left Brake light on the trailer. All truck lights are fine. All fuses are OK. All connections are OK. Could it be the TIPM? Where is the TIPM & how is it reset?