boat trailer running lights

[jjbuoni]

My running lights on my trailer continued to blow a fuse in my truck even when I increased the amps on the circuit from 10 to 20 amps. The turn and brake lights work, only running lights circuit affected.
Decided to try to isolate the problem by disconnecting the main rear lights of the trailer and then reconnected. The problem just vanished and the smaller amps worked. Hence, I decided it was a dirty connector so I've cleaned the connectors with alcohol and scrapped them with steel wool. I reconnected, while taping the connectors to keep them dry.

Any suggestions as to any other maintenance that I should perform?

 

[gonefishie]

Re: boat trailer running lights

I had the same problem once too. Redo all your grounding points, I'd bet money there were a bad ground somewhere.

 

[JAL51974]

Re: boat trailer running lights

I agree check the grounds, sounds like the same problem I had.

 

[jtexas]

Re: boat trailer running lights

When you "increased the amps on the circuit from 10 to 20 amps", does that mean you rewired your vehicle and trailer using a higher gauge wire? If not, consider yourself fortunate that the 20-amp fuse blew.

 

[Boatist]

Re: boat trailer running lights

I would supect a shorted wire rubbing on the trailer frame. A bad ground will certainly cause a light not to work but to blow the fuse you have to be drawing too many amps.

Start to troubleshoot by unplugging the trailer. If the fuse does not blow then the problem is in the trailer. Next see if your clearence lights wire are divided with one wire going down each side of the trailer. Disconnect each side one at a time. When the fuse stops blowing you have the shorted side disconnected. Now you can check the wiring to each light and any place the wire goes thru a frame where it is likely to short. IF you see nothing obivious then may be eaiser to completely rewire that side than trouble shoot anymore.

 

[gonefishie]

Re: boat trailer running lights

I would supect a shorted wire rubbing on the trailer frame. A bad ground will certainly cause a light not to work but to blow the fuse you have to be drawing too many amps.

.

Not to argue with your wisdom but in the world of trailer, normal reason like fuse blown by excess current doesn't really apply. I've had bare wire rubbing against the inside of the frame caused the light to worked in mysterious way half the time and not at all the other half. It never did blown any fuse. I've had fuse blown with the running light on. Figured I was drawing too much current so I started to disconnected side markers and rear clearance lights one at a time until I have no running light left. The fuse was still blowing. Went through and redid the grounds, I've had no problem since and it been almost 2 seasons.

 

[Kevin W]

Re: boat trailer running lights

I would agree with Boatist.
Ground wires will never blow a fuse.
shorts and overloading will.

If the bare wires touching the frame are the ground wire it may make lights work.
Any other wires touching the frame will most likely blow a fuse.

blown fuse = check for shorts (broken or pinched wires, bad sockets )
no lights = 1 check fuse, 2 check bulb, 3 check ground, 4 check wiring.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: boat trailer running lights

Not to argue with your wisdom but in the world of trailer, normal reason like fuse blown by excess current doesn't really apply.

Bottom line...a bad ground will not cause a fuse to blow. A bad ground causes "less current" to flow...not more.