Very DIM trailer lights??????????

[Doughboy21kd]

Alright this is my problem... ... . NEED HELP... . I have whats in the sig... i know DC has done something to these 3rd gens and people having problems with there lights on the trailer... .



I have a trailer that gets used throughout the summer and so forth and the only time it sits is winter time, outside... . Before today the lights have always worked on it..... keep in mind that this trailer only has 2 lights in the back and they are L. e. d lights (brake, tail, signal) all in one... . I have no brake lights, no taillights and no signals..... The only thing i get on the light is the 2 very center diodes light BUT VERY dim and thats all i get... .



I have hooked the truck to another trailer to see if it was the truck, and the lights on the other trailer worked just fine(did this right after found out about my trailer lighst not workin). I also checked the fuses under the hood to see if many i blew a fuse and the trailer tow fuse is not blown... . The only thing i can think is that maybe after sitting all winter the trailer plug is corrodedd and not getting very good connection... As it does look a little bad..... I figure thats where i'll start... . If anyone else on here has any other ideas or thoughts please let me know... . THANKS

 

[JHardwick]

i know DC has done something to these 3rd gens and people having problems with there lights on the trailer... .

I've had some sort of trailer hooked to my '03 since new. Probably 6 or 7 trailers in all, and never had a problem with lights.



It sounds like you've lost a ground on your trialer to me.

 

[PRawls]

Ground issue probably. Check the ground on the trailers wiring harness. That'll make lights do some real funky things.

 

[lpermann]

I agree that it is probably a grounding issue. If you have a 4 wire plug it is usually the white wire that is ground and usually it is located near the front of the trailer and bolted or screwed the frame of the trailer. No matter how many wires you have on your trailer one of them should be a ground, and should be secured to the trailer frame near the front of the trailer. If that does not solve your problem and you know how to use an OHM meter, that would be my next step is to run resistence checks on each wire circuit on the trailer. Hope this helps!!

 

[JRS]

This happened to me going to New Orleans with my gooseneck race car trailer. We hit a bump and the lights on the trailer went to half-brightness. My two buddies and I crawled all over the trailer, changing out lights, checking grounds, etc. I posted in this forum and a guy came back and told me I had too much grease on the ball of the hitch. I emailed back and pointed out that I have 7 pin connection and one of them is a ground wire. He emailed me back and told me I had too much grease on the ball of the hitch. Turns out he was right.

 

[WestTN]

JRS, if grease on the ball caused a change in the lights, then you have a ground problem for sure. Check the continuity of the ground wires on the trailer and on the truck. You WILL find your problem here.

 

[lpermann]

That's a big 10-4 about to much grease on the hitch. Grease provides a electrical resistance to the flow of electricity. If your electrical connections (Ground connection included) are good your trailer lights will work normal without the trailer connected to the hitch. If they work normal only after hitching the trailer to the ball it is a ground problem, either the ground wire on the trailer, or on the vehicle, or both. It could also be a ground at the tail light assembly, or corrosion at, or in the bulb sockets.

 

[BHaden]

I'm not sure how yours is wired, but my Dad had problems like this YEARS ago.

He found that the individual lights were grounded to the alum skin of the trailer. Problem was, not all the alum panels were in proper contact with each other. The manufacturer just took it on faith that with all the screws and wires and frame contact and such that it MUST be grounded OK. He fixed the problem by running a continuous ground wire between all the lights and back to the plug at the hitch. PITA, but it fixed it for good.