Trailer lights stopped working.

[jeff6898]

Both trailer lights stopped working. Brake, tail, and turn signals. Checked them Saturday before going out worked great got up Sunday to head out checked them again as I always do before leaving the drive way and nothing. Any ideas? I replaced both bulbs thinking they might have burned out.

 

[Pelletmonster]

Re: Trailer lights stopped working.

Check this stuff :

TOW VEHICLE:
Check plug on vehicle 1st( making sure those functions are working there) so you can narrow down to truck or trailer..

Some of the newer vehicles have seperate fuses from your vehicle lights
look in owners manual under fuses then TRLR RT/Brake TRLR LT/Brake ect..

If tow vehicle works proper then i would look at below...

TRAILER:
Ground
Trailer Plug / Wiggle around to see if bad connection
Wires - making sure they arent shortening out or cut in half..

Hope this helps! its how we check all vehicles at the trailer shop I work at..

 

[Wingedwheel]

Re: Trailer lights stopped working.

I just fixed the lights on my cousins trailer for her and after chasing things with a meter and scratching my head, I just changed the ground and everything worked great. Sometimes its the simplest things.

 

[marlboro180]

Re: Trailer lights stopped working.

Plus 1 on checking the ground first.....^^^^. Not real probable that the bulbs on both sides burned out at once, but it could happen.

Got power at the connector?

 

[Brewman61]

Re: Trailer lights stopped working.

Yup. First check for power at the plug on the vehicle. If yes, then check again for power just after the plug on the trailer. Follow the groud wire out of your wiring harness, and if it's a connector screwed to the frame, undo it, get everything all nice and shiny, and reconnect. Likely to be one of these items.

 

[ghamby]

Re: Trailer lights stopped working.

If it's all out, it's most likely the ground. Like the other guys said. If this is a
recurring problem, run a direct ground to each light. Chassis grounds on trailers
are prone to failure. GH

 

[Pelletmonster]

Re: Trailer lights stopped working.

one more thing to check that just popped in my head from the guys post above..

my other question would be, is this a tilt trailer??

if so make what ya call a ground strap like 12" long anchor from tongue of trailer to the tilting part(sub frame)of the trailer, your lights usually ground to the sub frame and they rely on a bolt to hold a constannt ground just through that, just another thing to check for ya and all guys who have a tilting trailer and your lights flicker on/off while driving down the road..this will solve that problem...

 

[jeeperman]

Re: Trailer lights stopped working.

Yup. First check for power at the plug on the vehicle. If yes, then check again for power just after the plug on the trailer. Follow the groud wire out of your wiring harness, and if it's a connector screwed to the frame, undo it, get everything all nice and shiny, and reconnect. Likely to be one of these items.

After doing that, I like to smear the spot and then the fastner with high temp grease or that clear red battery terminal corrosion stopper stuff.

 

[ifallsguy]

Re: Trailer lights stopped working.

Let's back this up a bit. First, what is the truck make?

I can tell you my Ford pickup has three fuses for the trailer plug:

Tail lights
Right turn/brake
Left turn/brake

I spent an entire weekend fighting the same issue earlier this year. Even went as far a rewiring the entire trailer (I had replace the old lights with LED and wasn't too sure about their grounds).

Turned out, when I looked at the owner's manual, there were three separate fuses and the right turn/brake and tail lights were blown. Replaced them and MAGIC, the lights worked.

Check to see how many and where the fuses are located, check them out and see if that fixes your problem. You could go nuts trying to find the problem (like I did) and then discover it's a 30 second fix.

 

[dutchdog]

Re: Trailer lights stopped working.

If your lights quit working over night, look at the wires under the back of your truck for critter bites. Rats, squirrels, coons, dogs,and other animals will chew your wires up.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Trailer lights stopped working.

For this situation
First make sure the tow vehicle has power to the trailer outlet. If so then check the grounding.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Trailer lights stopped working.

For a quick check of the ground between your vehicle and the trailer, attach a battery bumper cable to the frame of the vehicle and bare metal of the trailer to see if it causes your lights to return.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Trailer lights stopped working.

I've got a 4 prong and 7 prong version of this tester. Helps eliminate the vehicle as the problem in 5 seconds or less.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Trai...dZViewItemQQcategoryZ50073QQitemZ270412278333

 

[Doernuth]

Re: Trailer lights stopped working.

bet its a ground somewhere for all lights to fail at once!!!!

If its a four pin connector there is a ground that attaches to the tow vehicle from the connector, check it first. Then the primary trailer ground. Then each individual ground for the lights. Clean and reattach.

 

[199675hpforce]

Re: Trailer lights stopped working.

Ground wire, here is secret for better wired up trailer. Run a new white ground wire down each side trailer all leading to front and connecting to white wire on harness plus connected to trailer's ground. Double ground, my trailer will work either connected to hitch and ball or not will your's? Each light down the sides and back get grounded to the wires plus frame.

 

[jeff6898]

Re: Trailer lights stopped working.

Thanks for all the replies. Unfortunatly my wife had a heart attack and is in the hospital so I haven't had time to mess with the lights. When I do I will let you all know what it turned out to be. I am leaning towards the ground theory as well. It is a 4 prong flat connector. Towing with a 2003 Hondas Pilot

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Trailer lights stopped working.

Ground wire, here is secret for better wired up trailer. Run a new white ground wire down each side trailer all leading to front and connecting to white wire on harness plus connected to trailer's ground. Double ground, my trailer will work either connected to hitch and ball or not will your's? Each light down the sides and back get grounded to the wires plus frame.

No need to run a ground wire down each side of the trailer. There is no point at all in that. If the ground going to the connector is attached well, there will be no problem.

Jeff, hope your wife gets better soon so you can get back to things that are not very important like this stuff.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Trailer lights stopped working.

Hope all goes well for your wife. You are in our thoughts and prayers.
The trailer can wait !!!