Electrical Help!!

[ccarver80]

Ok I bought some new tail lights for my trailer.

​The ones I took off had 3 wires going into them, the new ones I have have 2 wires.... At first i hooked up and my tail lights worked but when i stepped on brake it actually dimmed them, I'm working on the Left side. I think ive determined Yellow is Turn and brake? and Brown is tail.... on my trailer I have a yellow, brown and a white! ... I connected yellow to yellow brown to brown and stuck the white wire in with the brown wires and I have no tail lights... and I tried a different combo but didn't have turn signal....

​is there a work around for this or should I just go buy new tail lights

 

[gm280]

The white wire is your ground. Once you connect it to the vehicle's white ground wire, your trailer will probably work perfect. JMHO

 

[makanik32@yahoo.com]

The white is the ground. Install a right terminal large enough to fit over the bolts securing the light to the trailer. Extend the wire if you need to, and tighten it in between the trailer and the nut. That should solve it.

 

[makanik32@yahoo.com]

Correction. Ring terminal

 

[gm280]

makanik the only problem with attaching the white wire to the trailer frame is unless you do the same with the white wire at the trailer tongue, you are only receiving ground via the trailer hitch ball. That is never a good idea and the reason some have problems with their trailer lights all the time.

A better way is to run the white wire all the way to the trailer white wire at the flat connector and that makes the flat connector provide the ground. And if you like you can also attach that white wire to the trailer as well giving you a back up path for ground. Then you should not require the trailer to be attached to the vehicle and still have the lights work once you connect the flat connector together. JMHO

 

[dennis461]

Ok I bought some new tail lights for my trailer.

​The ones I took off had 3 wires going into them, the new ones I have have 2 wires.... At first i hooked up and my tail lights worked but when i stepped on brake it actually dimmed them, I'm working on the Left side. I think ive determined Yellow is Turn and brake? and Brown is tail.... on my trailer I have a yellow, brown and a white! ... I connected yellow to yellow brown to brown and stuck the white wire in with the brown wires and I have no tail lights... and I tried a different combo but didn't have turn signal....

​is there a work around for this or should I just go buy new tail lights

Lets start with the lights you bought.
Not enough wires for todays vehicle lighting system
Old days yellow was left green (or blue) was right, brown was running, white was ground.
The brake lights wer same filiment as yellow and green controlled by vehicle.

Newer vehicles
yellow was left green (or blue) was right, brown was running, white was ground.
brakes was an extra filiment some other color.
You need to find the original trailer lights or add an electronic adapter (to get from 5 wires to 4 wire).
Another method is to add two more lights to your trailer for brakes.

https://www.google.com/search?q=trai...skQ_bhCQEi3PM:

 

[makanik32@yahoo.com]

gm, im not sure you understand the op. But if it where the way you understand it ,I would completely agree with you.
The white wire is already provided on the trailer. My method provides the existing ground to the new lights, as 2 wire lights ground through the mounting bolts.

 

[dennis461]

Ok I bought some new tail lights for my trailer.

l.... on my trailer I have a yellow, brown and a white! ...

What happened to the GREEN for right turn ?

 

[makanik32@yahoo.com]

Hes working on the left side. On the right side it will be a green, brown and white.

 

[ccarver80]

Lol yea I havnt made it to the right side yet lol...

I did connect the white wire to the bolt on back of light as tada! It works!

Gm280...
The white wire I've been taking about is commimg from the trailer it's self idk if it runs all the way up to the plug in.... my assumption would be yes since one of the wires in the plug on is white???

There is no white wire from the light itself

 

[Scott Danforth]

your light is using one of the mounting studs as the ground. very poor design. open the light up, remove the ringlet from the mounting screw and wire it properly

factory wiring never runs the ground to each light like it should. that is exactly what I do with every new trailer (even brand new off the lot). strip out the cheap factory wiring and buy a 100' spool of trailer wiring and make a new harness. from the main plug, I run a short pigtail ground to the tongue and a full set of wires down each frame rail. each light gets connected to the white ground and the each cheap light fixture that relies on a mounting screw or stud for ground gets either re-wired or replaced.

 

[gm280]

your light is using one of the mounting studs as the ground. very poor design. open the light up, remove the ringlet from the mounting screw and wire it properly

factory wiring never runs the ground to each light like it should. that is exactly what I do with every new trailer (even brand new off the lot). strip out the cheap factory wiring and buy a 100' spool of trailer wiring and make a new harness. from the main plug, I run a short pigtail ground to the tongue and a full set of wires down each frame rail. each light gets connected to the white ground and the each cheap light fixture that relies on a mounting screw or stud for ground gets either re-wired or replaced.

Seems you do it exactly like I do. And I never ever have any light issues in all the years I towed trailers. I run a separate white wire to all lights and even attach a white wire to the trailer as well. That way I get two paths for the ground. Works for me.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Seems you do it exactly like I do. And I never ever have any light issues in all the years I towed trailers. I run a separate white wire to all lights and even attach a white wire to the trailer as well. That way I get two paths for the ground. Works for me.

been doing it like that since I was 14 when I had to re-wire dad's trailer. I watched him wiggle connectors and bulbs for an hour to go fishing. I mentioned I could re-wire it in about the time it took him to wiggle the connectors to get the lights to work. so the following week I was re-wiring the trailer

the understanding of grounding issues helped me immensely in my career.