2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Truck and trailer lights

[ox1]

'99 with towing package. Searched through the last two yrs posts for "lights" and didn't find anyone elses woes to match.



Was towing my goose the other day - didn't notice any troubles. Dropped the trailer and continued on.



Within the next few hrs somewhere the turn and brake lights quit. No green lights on the dash either. No four ways. Head, marker, and tail all fine.



At one point my fuel gauge went to 1/8 and my indicator light came on. (I had 5/8 tank of fuel. ) At that time I had been bucking a foot of snow comming out of the bush - maybe that had something to doo with it? Maybe just the bouncing of the bush roads and hopping of the tires trying to get a bite on the hills? After a while the guage went back to normall.



Got back and hooked up to the trailer - expecting to have tails but no turns and the whole bloody trailer was dead. The light comes on - on the brake controller - but no signal to the trailer. Checked all fuses (eyeball) and swapped a cpl relays around - but nothing... . Waited 'till daylight to head out - and then decided to wait for the fog to lift. !!!



Went through "The Bridge" (Mich) and got pulled off to the side for random checks and got lucky that they checked my load and papers and not the lights and brakes on the trailer. PHEEEW!



As I was backing in last night I am quite sure that the running lights on the trailer were on for a bit. But then gone again. ???



Third brake light seems to work fine all the time. ??? No headlight troubles a'tall.

 

[trqmnstr]

I'm having problems also. When my trailer's hooked, I can't use my running lights and brake lights together. It blows a fuse under the hood as soon as I hit my brakes. I plan on rewiring my trailer to see if it helps.

 

[pwknapp]

Set up a seperate toggle switch for trailer lights. Use a fused suply line through a toggle and into your trailer plug. Sure does eliminate any truck problems when the trailer lights start acting up. I don't believe the truck wiring is heavy enough to support the added trailer lights. JMHO

 

[Horsepuller]

I had this problem on my '93 and with my '02. The '93 would work some times and then eventually blow a fuse. The '02 would do wierd things like no hazards and other junk. I just took the truck and trailer to my local Auto Electric shop and a for a couple hundred bucks, had all the electrical gremlins fixed. Both times they added a relay for the trailer lights.

 

[RustyJC]

Try taking your 7-pin connector at the hitch receiver apart, clean it out with contact cleaner or WD-40, pack it with dielectric grease and reassemble it. Mine had water and road grime packed in it that caused a high resistance short between terminals. This produced some STRANGE things - for instance, the "trailer connected" light on the Jordan brake controller glowing dimly when nothing was connected.



Rusty

 

[TGibbs]

I would try RustyJC's idea first. If the trailer doesnt have more than 20 lights or so on a circuit the truck wiring shouldnt have a prob running them. I would check the plug, check all fuses with a test light, and check all ground wires on the trailer to make sure they are grounded out.



From there try the trailer on another truck to make sure that it isnt the trailer. After that, it is a total toss up I have had numerous of these come into the shop though and it was one of the three things that you should check.



Tristan

 

[OTRPU]

I third the cleaning and greasing the Bargman. Last time I took mine apart, (cause things weren't a workin), it was chuck full o green gook. Present load outta Longview, TX, dispatch said all I needed was a "Light Bar". What I really needed was a different load. 8x30 well pump shack going to Montana. Added my own Magnetic Brake/Turn/Running lights. No Brake Line, No Trailer DOT Markers, and no Safety Chains. All dispatchers are liers, will tell you anything to get you to take a load. Got everything working cept Trailer DOT Markers, seems there's a short in the walls somewhere. Sorta limits ya just running daylight hours. Hope the cleaning cures yours.



Cheers,

OTRPU