strange trailer wiring issues

[bob johnson]

I am trying to get my GFs trailer set up for inspection. it has electric brakes. the previous owner-s, did a real butcher job and were using the wrong color wires many places.

basically the traler has a thick 6 strand black encased cable...runs from the plug to the axel. there they cut it open and pulled out the red lead for the brakes... and then out of the brakes they took a ground to the frame.( but no ground comes out of the cable GOING to the brakes)

then the cable continues to the back .

I went in and installed two new lights just like they had previously.

connected everything with water proof connectors and shrink tubing... green and brown for the pass side, and yellow and brown on the driver side.. I took the white wire and crimped on a ring terminal and screwed it to the frame there( all aluminum)

I also installed a new plug, which i wired according to its insrtuction( which went by named circuit and not color)

the wires on the cable are

white
red
green
yellow
brown
black

the red is hooked to the brakes

the yellow and green are turn signal wires brown is running lights white is ground, I connected the black to "aux" .

because on the truck recievers connector the black was in that pattern going around the plug.

so

the brake lights dont light

and the turn signals WERE crossed!!!!!!!

I have theM connected perfect in the back!!!!... and i have theM in their correct spot on the plug!!

so my GF suggests at this point to just switch the wireS on the plug...

I personally hate doing stuff like this..it is butcher work...but i though id try and see what it does.

so i switch the green and yellow wirEs on the plug

THEN,what happens is when the blinker is turned on , BOTH lights blink!!!! no matter right or left blinker!!!

there is no way a stray wire from the green or yellow made it across the inside of that plug to short the two!!( IN CASE ANYONE WAS THINKING THAT)

i am thinking something inside this cable is shorted..maybe where they cut it open to pull the red brake lead out

does that make sense???

this blows my mind

but i am going to buy all new cable anyway..

and it will be 100% all my wiring...so i know it is right, then the only issue will be how to wire the plug...which is listed as

GD
RT
TL
BR
LT
AUX

instead of yellow , red , green, black, red , and white

anyone got an idea how what happened...happened?

thanks

bob

 

[rboating]

Re: strange trailer wiring issues

well from my what i have been through i would suggest just buying a new wire harness ...its cheap and alot easier than following wires through the trailer. easier to rewire it than to guess on what wire is what from one side to the other... unless you got an ohm meter and tested each wire for continuity...bout 20 bucks and about 20 min. youll have it ready..

 

['78 Crusader]

Re: strange trailer wiring issues

well from my what i have been through i would suggest just buying a new wire harness ...its cheap and alot easier than following wires through the trailer. easier to rewire it than to guess on what wire is what from one side to the other... unless you got an ohm meter and tested each wire for continuity...bout 20 bucks and about 20 min. youll have it ready..

X2 Besides, if you have a new harness, you're not wasting your time fixing the prior owners screw ups.

Get off your wallet and go buy a new harness!!

 

[bob johnson]

Re: strange trailer wiring issues

come on guys, !! I know i read fast sometimes too...but i wrote that i am going to buy all new cable and wire the trailer 100% my wiring...so i know it will be right...

I was just trying to come to grips with what went wrong...so i am smarter on any subsequent troubleshooting ..on any trailer


but thanks for chiming in anyway

PS I am currently OHMing the old plug to figure where the colored wires end up coming out to the spades that connect to the trucks reciever!!




bob

 

['78 Crusader]

Re: strange trailer wiring issues

Your thread was too long to read down that far. Sorry....

Since you're going to install a new cable assembly anyway, what does it matter what happened? Seems to me you may have been shorted somewhere and / or you had a bad ground.

 

[hungupthespikes]

Re: strange trailer wiring issues

"i am thinking something inside this cable is shorted..maybe where they cut it open to pull the red brake lead out"

Yep, He most likely just cut the cable and pulled the wires out, never resealed the cable. Just a little bathtub with the wires rotting in it.

 

[scoutboater]

Re: strange trailer wiring issues

Well Bob,
I've been through my share of wiring problems as well. Since both sides are blinking, it makes me think that you have a bad ground. I get it on one of my trailers when the plug isn't all the way in. Also, one of the first things i do now when trailer brakes are going nuts is to pick out a nice shiny spot on the trailer and the tow vehicle and hook a straight ground wire between them to see if thats my problem. Jumper cables work really well for this, especially if you have a set long enough to go from the ground on your battery all the way to the trailer. But that is a really long way.

Good luck with the wire, and with any luck you'll have some hair left when you finish

 

[ac0j]

Re: strange trailer wiring issues

What kind of truck? are the brake lights and the turn signals on the truck the SAME bulb? or are the turn signals a seperate bulb? Maybe the truck side is the problem?