Brain Fart

[HAV2FISH]

After just getting the truck out of the body shop from a rear end collision i decided it was time to take the boat out today. i hooked the trailer up and the lights wouldn't work. I spent three hours checking the wires on the trailer to find nothing wrong. I then started looking at the truck thinking when they put everything back together they wired the plug wrong. That all checked out fine. After scratching my head for some time it hit me thats a new hitch with new receiver and ball lets remove the paint from the ball. Guess what i have lights.:facepalm::lol:

 

[Silly Seville]

Re: Brain Fart

That's odd. The new hitch balls that I've seen are always a nice shiny steel or chrome, not painted. And even if your ball is painted, your lights should still work because the wiring harness has a dedicated ground wire in it that goes to chassis ground on the trailer AND the tow vehicle. Better check your wiring again. The coupler sitting on the ball should not be your only ground reference.

 

[Mi duckdown]

Re: Brain Fart

Ball is never a good ground. Need ground wire to trailer atleast

 

[roscoe]

Re: Brain Fart

Yep, thats an accident waiting to happen.
Please hook up a proper ground to the trailer.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Brain Fart

As stated above.... The ball is NOT the ground.

You should have lights without even hitching the trailer.... The white wire in your 4 flat harness is the ground.... On both the trailer end AND the truck it should be properly grounded to the frame.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Brain Fart

Plus, you may not realize that your Trailer Lights are Blinking/Flashing or at times, not working at all,
as the coupler bounces on the ball as you are going down the road.

As mentioned, the trailer needs a Wired Ground. The lights should work with the coupler OFF the Ball.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Brain Fart

I agree, never use the ball as ground, but almost every trailer I've bought was wired from the mfg with the ground source being the trailer coupler, and often the ground wire on the wiring harness didn't even exist!

Anything to save a buck I guess.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Brain Fart

I've never seen an oem wire a trailer that way..... Unless you bought it new you wouldn't know it was original.

it certainly wouldn't be right

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Brain Fart

I've never seen an oem wire a trailer that way..... Unless you bought it new you wouldn't know it was original.

it certainly wouldn't be right

Got a couple new that came this way. The wire harness plug didn't even have a ground wire, it had the pin, but the spot where the wire belongs was molded over.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Brain Fart

My last 3 trailers all came with the ground wire through the connector to the frame from 3 different manufacturers.

 

[gm280]

Re: Brain Fart

I have to absolutely agree with those on here telling everybody that a ball hitch ground is NOT the proper way to go. When I recently wired my rebuilt trailer I ran a white (ground) wire from every light to one spot on the trailer and then attached to that exact same spot the white wiring coming from the flat plug too. That way I have both the white ground wire AND the trailer as backup ground too. And it does work properly without even being connected to the trailer hitch ball as well... That would be the only way a trailer can be ground as well as the white wire in the flat plug. JMHO!

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Brain Fart

I make sure all my lights have good grounds where they are mounted. Never have had a problem with a ground.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Brain Fart

Got a couple new that came this way. The wire harness plug didn't even have a ground wire, it had the pin, but the spot where the wire belongs was molded over.

Wow.... Very disappointing

 

[gm280]

Re: Brain Fart

I make sure all my lights have good grounds where they are mounted. Never have had a problem with a ground.

That works ONLY if you did the same ground with the white wire from the flat plug. Otherwise you are using the trailer ball as a ground...

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Brain Fart

That works ONLY if you did the same ground with the white wire from the flat plug. Otherwise you are using the trailer ball as a ground...

From the flat plug, I bring the wire to a good ground on the trailer. I would never rely on the ball for a ground.

My trailer is 27' long. It has 3 sets of lights on each side of the trailer plus the center set of lights. Not going to run an extra 100' of wire to a single point ground if it's not needed. Basically my trailer is the single point ground.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Brain Fart

I make sure all my lights have good grounds where they are mounted. Never have had a problem with a ground.

That works ONLY if you did the same ground with the white wire from the flat plug. Otherwise you are using the trailer ball as a ground...

Of course the trailer has to be grounded to the plug but it doesn't have to be at the same point as all the lights.

 

[HAV2FISH]

Re: Brain Fart

OK, I have gone back and rechecked the trailer and truck. I do have a white ground wire coming from the flat plug and one that is attached to the trailer. However when the trailer is not conected to the ball on the truck the lights are working but dim. When the trailer is sitting on the ball the lighs are bright. Is this normal?

 

[Thalasso]

Re: Brain Fart

Ground issue on the truck side. Find the ground wire on the truck side and clean it up. The trailer is making the ground to the truck frame through the hitch. Not through the plug.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Brain Fart

OK, I have gone back and rechecked the trailer and truck. I do have a white ground wire coming from the flat plug and one that is attached to the trailer. However when the trailer is not connected to the ball on the truck the lights are working but dim. When the trailer is sitting on the ball the lights are bright. Is this normal?

nope not normal... the lights should work perfectly without the coupler on the ball.... you either have a ground problem on the trailer or the truck.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Brain Fart

OK, I have gone back and rechecked the trailer and truck. I do have a white ground wire coming from the flat plug and one that is Attached to the Trailer. However when the trailer is not connected to the ball on the truck the lights are working but dim. When the trailer is sitting on the ball the lights are bright. Is this normal?

Not normal! You should be able to paint your ball again if you like, and have no dimming.

ATTACHED to the Trailer is not the same thing as CONNECTED to the Trailer.
There should be no paint or rust at the connection point.
Just clean shiny metal and a little grease to keep it that way.
Pull the connection off the trailer and confirm the connection is good.
Then go do the same thing under the truck; The White Wire will attach directly to the Body. No Paint, No Rust!