another running light problem - Fiberglass RV
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 02-16-2011, 07:48 PM   #1
Senior Member
 
rabbit's Avatar
 
Name: Jack
Trailer: '98 BURRO 17WB
Delaware
Posts: 2,548
another running light problem

I am new to trailering and the forum. In my debutante post a couple days back, I mentioned that I towed my "new" Burro home Sat. last with magnetic bumper mount signal/tail lights because no joy with the Hopkins 7 blade to 6 round pin adaptor which I purchased, with salutary forethought, at ChinaMart. From this I have learned that forethought is good if you know what you're doing; otherwise not so much.

I was pretty confidant of the truck circuitry as had all tail/brake/signal functions with the magnetics and no problem with my old utility trailer with flat 4 connector. In desperation, I read the instructions this evening and discovered the center=brake/center=hot 12vdc choice. I switched blue and black leads inside the adaptor tonite and got the black lead on the center pin and the blue brake lead out on the perimeter. I now have all functions with the exception of NO tail lights. Brake, turn signal, hazard flasher, license plate light, AND all sidemarkers work. Aren't the markers and the tail lights fed by the brown lead? So now I'm good to go daytime but illegal after dark
.
Can someone supply a beentheredonethat hint? TIA.

jack
rabbit is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-16-2011, 08:27 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
Trailer: 2009 Scamp 16 ft / 2003 Durango
Posts: 696
A very basic question, did you check the tail light bulbs ?

Yes the tail lights are on the same circuit as the clearance lights.

If the bulbs are good then you have to start looking for a loose connection on the wire's + & - going to the tail lights,

Bill K

Quote:
Originally Posted by rabbit View Post
I am new to trailering and the forum. In my debutante post a couple days back, I mentioned that I towed my "new" Burro home Sat. last with magnetic bumper mount signal/tail lights because no joy with the Hopkins 7 blade to 6 round pin adaptor which I purchased, with salutary forethought, at ChinaMart. From this I have learned that forethought is good if you know what you're doing; otherwise not so much.

I was pretty confidant of the truck circuitry as had all tail/brake/signal functions with the magnetics and no problem with my old utility trailer with flat 4 connector. In desperation, I read the instructions this evening and discovered the center=brake/center=hot 12vdc choice. I switched blue and black leads inside the adaptor tonite and got the black lead on the center pin and the blue brake lead out on the perimeter. I now have all functions with the exception of NO tail lights. Brake, turn signal, hazard flasher, license plate light, AND all sidemarkers work. Aren't the markers and the tail lights fed by the brown lead? So now I'm good to go daytime but illegal after dark
.
Can someone supply a beentheredonethat hint? TIA.

jack
Bill K is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-16-2011, 08:51 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
rabbit's Avatar
 
Name: Jack
Trailer: '98 BURRO 17WB
Delaware
Posts: 2,548
The bulbs are dual filament, Bill. One of those filaments in both right and left side lens is lighting to indicate braking, intention to turn, and hazard and both filaments look intact in the left tail light but didn't check the right hand. I found something on another forum suggesting that brown wire might not be connected to the lower wattage filament. At present I don't even know which filament is the lower wattage. May have to ask at the RV store.

jack
rabbit is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-16-2011, 10:49 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
Joe Z's Avatar
 
Trailer: 16 ft Casita Spirit Deluxe
Posts: 1,043
If your side markers and plate light work they should also feed the rear running lights off the same wire... it sounds like a wire from those that feed the rear lights may have a bad connection or the ground of the taillights may be non existent which you can check by running a test lead from the casing of the tailights to the frame and see if they light up then.....and/or pull one of the tailight bulbs out and put the flashers on....now with a test light touch each socket contact inside (one should flash with the flashers and the other should light up solid.....if that happens then it could be dirty contacts or bulb not making contact properly etc. When you look at the bulb the thicker filament is the blinker and the thinner filament is the running lights.....that bulb should have two contacts at the base.(when doing the test at the socket contactswith the test light be careful not to touch the sides of the socket or you will blow a fuse)
Joe
Joe Z is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-17-2011, 06:52 AM   #5
Senior Member
 
Larry C Hanson's Avatar
 
Name: Larry
Trailer: Trillium
Arizona
Posts: 440
Hello,
Here are some useful schematics.

Trailer Wiring Diagrams

Regards, Larry H
Larry C Hanson is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-17-2011, 01:26 PM   #6
Senior Member
 
Greg H's Avatar
 
Name: Greg
Trailer: 72 Boler American
Indiana
Posts: 1,557
I have the same problem with my Boler, I now have brake, turn and flashers but no tail lights.I went from a 6 pin to a 4 pin because the 6 pin plug got trashed on the way home. The lights didn't work right on the 6 pin anyway,so now they still don't work right so what I'm going to do is add a single bulb in each tail light assembly and and wire them to the truck, done deal.
Greg H is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-17-2011, 08:16 PM   #7
Senior Member
 
Joe MacDonald's Avatar
 
Trailer: 1981 Trillium 5500
Posts: 1,158
All of the above sound like you have a bad ground somewhere in the wiring or at the taillights.
run a temporary wire from the vehicle back to your taillights and with the lenses off ground the outer shell of the light sockets with your parks on. Bet they work.

Joe
Joe MacDonald is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-17-2011, 08:25 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
Trailer: 2009 Scamp 16 ft / 2003 Durango
Posts: 696
The brake light and tail light use the same ground and he said he had brake lights.

Bill K

Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe MacDonald View Post
All of the above sound like you have a bad ground somewhere in the wiring or at the taillights.
run a temporary wire from the vehicle back to your taillights and with the lenses off ground the outer shell of the light sockets with your parks on. Bet they work.

Joe
Bill K is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-17-2011, 08:31 PM   #9
Senior Member
 
Joe MacDonald's Avatar
 
Trailer: 1981 Trillium 5500
Posts: 1,158
If you are missing a ground , very often the brake lights will work using the path of the marker light to get to a ground, it happened to me on a trailer I bought and I scratched my head for a couple of days, till I realized there were only 2 wires at the taillights, running and brake, no ground. I had brake and signals, but no markers.
When I ran a ground, all my troubles went away.
Joe MacDonald is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-17-2011, 09:16 PM   #10
Senior Member
 
Matt in SV's Avatar
 
Trailer: U-Haul VT16
Posts: 987
Registry
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe MacDonald View Post
When I ran a ground, all my troubles went away.
A phrase you won't see often on the fiberglass BOAT forums
__________________
Planning our next Escape!
Matt in SV is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-17-2011, 10:17 PM   #11
Senior Member
 
rabbit's Avatar
 
Name: Jack
Trailer: '98 BURRO 17WB
Delaware
Posts: 2,548
Thumbs up

Thanks all; get back to you after the weekend on whether the trouble is faulty ground or funky hookup to the thinner filament. And thanks also for the wiring schematics.

jack
rabbit is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-18-2011, 01:46 AM   #12
Senior Member
 
Roger C H's Avatar
 
Trailer: 2009 Trillium 13 ft ('Homelet') / 2000 Subaru Outback
Posts: 2,222
Registry
I had a problem with front parking/signal lights. The right signal worked fine. The parking lights worked fine. But when I tried to use the left signal, both the signal and the parking lights came on dimly.

I finally figured out that the left light had a bad ground. When the power went to the left signal, having no ground, the current went back into the bulb, through the parking light filament, through the parking light circuit, through the other parking light filament, and then to ground. The lights came on dimly because they were in series instead of parallel. I grounded the left bulb by cleaning both it and the socket and everything worked fine.
__________________
A charter member of the Buffalo Plaid Brigade!

Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right.
Roger C H is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-20-2011, 12:08 PM   #13
Senior Member
 
rabbit's Avatar
 
Name: Jack
Trailer: '98 BURRO 17WB
Delaware
Posts: 2,548
Towed it to Slicer's in New Castle Friday. They'll check the bearing lube and the brakes, take a look at the tail light problem and pressure test the LP and I'll get it back Mon or Tues. afternoon if it doesn't snow.

jack
rabbit is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
light


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
LED Light problem Kevin K Electrical | Charging, Systems, Solar and Generators 4 01-30-2011 02:25 PM
Porch Light Problem Perry Mac Donald Problem Solving | Owners Helping Owners 9 07-07-2010 05:27 PM
Play Pac Running Light Bonnie Classified Archives 1 09-30-2007 06:27 AM
Scamp brake and running light trouble Dennis J. Kane Towing, Hitching, Axles and Running Gear 24 07-20-2007 07:55 AM
Triple E Surfside TM-14 left front running light cover Cam A Classified Archives 5 05-03-2006 06:27 AM

» Upcoming Events
No events scheduled in
the next 465 days.
» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 01:05 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.