HELP- - Re-wiring a 74 Trillium 13' - Fiberglass RV
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Old 03-26-2009, 10:13 AM   #1
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Trailer: 1974 Trillium 13 ft
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We just had a new hitch put on our mini van to tow our Trillium. We towed it home from Victoria last fall and the wiring worked. I used a friend's pick-up with a 7-way plug.

I hooked it up last nght and the turn signals etc dont work. I'm thinking the old wire / plug are not working with the new connector on the vehicle.

How hard is it to get new, 7-connector wire and and a new trailer end plug and re-wire for brakes, marker lights and turn signals?

*the old trailer end connection has a separate ground wire that the previosu owner used to wrap around the hitch. I'm also wondering if this type of plug is not compatible with the Husky connector we had installed on the vehicle?

Any tips / suggestiosn would be welcome as always.

Barry

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Old 03-26-2009, 10:34 AM   #2
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Look under the documents tab on the left side of the screen, then it will have several things to choose from, go to electrical, then manuals they have a wiring diagram of a seven pin if thats what your looking for.


Quote:
We just had a new hitch put on our mini van to tow our Trillium. We towed it home from Victoria last fall and the wiring worked. I used a friend's pick-up with a 7-way plug.

I hooked it up last nght and the turn signals etc dont work. I'm thinking the old wire / plug are not working with the new connector on the vehicle.

How hard is it to get new, 7-connector wire and and a new trailer end plug and re-wire for brakes, marker lights and turn signals?

*the old trailer end connection has a separate ground wire that the previosu owner used to wrap around the hitch. I'm also wondering if this type of plug is not compatible with the Husky connector we had installed on the vehicle?

Any tips / suggestiosn would be welcome as always.

Barry
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Old 03-26-2009, 11:40 AM   #3
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Since the trailer worked with the friend's truck, I would try that again. If they still work, then whoever wired your vehicle possibly did it incorrectly.

There are two possible wiring scenarios, according to Tork Lift Central, Kent, WA*: Standard, where the turn signals and tail lights are in the same bulb and non-standard for cars and trailers with separate, usually amber, turn signals.

The person who wired your vehicle should fix it, after all, you paid for a wiring job that would work with your trailer.

If you want, check out what you have with a voltmeter or a piece of wire and an old 12V bulb against the diagram per the last post.

Good luck. Electrical problems can be tricky.

*http://www.tlcentral.com/store/pc/home.asp
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Old 03-26-2009, 11:43 AM   #4
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I'd do some testing before I rewired the whole thing -- The Husky should be following the usual trailer wiring conventions, but since the trailer works on someone else's TV, I would also suspect your new wiring job has error(s):

Usually, the three most likely culprits are listed below:

1. Grounding
2. Grounding
3. Grounding

Check that the ground pin on the TV is actually connected to the vehicle frame and that the ground pin on the Egg is likewise connected to the Egg frame, not just wrapped around the hitch.
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Old 03-26-2009, 09:37 PM   #5
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Barry, you neglected to add TWO important details (I think?)..
What is the make of your tow vehicle and also what make was the truck??
Imports and domestics have 2 different wiring plans, easily acounted for with an add on adapter available almost anywhere, Canadian Junk, or a decently stocked r/v dealer....
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Old 03-26-2009, 11:35 PM   #6
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It's not imports vs domestics; my 93 Saturn, definitely a domestic, had the yellow turn signals and required a diode block to change the 4-wire setup to the 3-wire required for typical trailer lights. As does a neighbor's Jeep Cherokee.

Likewise, my '98 Ranger, has the yellow turn signals, although an argument could be made that it is an 'import' since it was originally a Mazda design.
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Old 03-27-2009, 10:19 AM   #7
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Quote:
Barry, you neglected to add TWO important details (I think?)..
What is the make of your tow vehicle and also what make was the truck??
Imports and domestics have 2 different wiring plans, easily acounted for with an add on adapter available almost anywhere, Canadian Junk, or a decently stocked r/v dealer....
Doug:

Ours is a 200 MPV I used an old Ford F150 to get it home last year. The RV shop confiormed that they tested the new connector in the shop before they gave it back to me. Its definitely something in the trailer.

The red ground wire was disconnected and I put it back where it seemed logical, so its possibel I got it wrong, and I will sepnd this weekend tinkering. If I can't get it done, Mastercard is going to be happy come Monday when I pass it off to the trailer guy.

Barry
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Old 03-27-2009, 11:09 AM   #8
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Red is not normally ground.

check this link out

http://www.etrailer.com/faq_wiring.aspx

Not all trailers conform to the color code but seem to use the correct terminals.

Bill K

Quote:
Doug:

Ours is a 200 MPV I used an old Ford F150 to get it home last year. The RV shop confiormed that they tested the new connector in the shop before they gave it back to me. Its definitely something in the trailer.

The red ground wire was disconnected and I put it back where it seemed logical, so its possibel I got it wrong, and I will sepnd this weekend tinkering. If I can't get it done, Mastercard is going to be happy come Monday when I pass it off to the trailer guy.

Barry
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Old 03-27-2009, 06:24 PM   #9
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Arizona
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For all the Vintage Trillium owners, this may be helpful:
All Trilliums were made to the standard 'Bargman' color code.
Green- Running lights
Red - Left turn
Brown - Right turn
Black - Interior, Battery
White - Ground
Blue - Brakes
Yellow - Optional 'Foreign car wiring'
We modified many early Trilliums with an extra bulb in each tail light to perform the function of a stop lamp. This extra bulb was connected to the yellow wire. This was only done to customer's units as per request. Since these trailers change many hands now, have a look at the tail light assembly to see what's back there.

If anyone is having difficulty figuring out their Trillium, I'll be happy to help.
Please email me at Projects[at]TrilliumRV.com

Tom
Trillium RV
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Old 03-27-2009, 09:41 PM   #10
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If you want to use the yellow (center) wire/pin for backup lights or something else, then a diode block can be installed to handle the yellow turn signals found on many cars today -- The diodes keep the trailer bulbs from 'back-feeding' brake and signal functions and lighting both the yellow and red bulbs on the TV.
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Old 03-28-2009, 11:54 AM   #11
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Quote:
We just had a new hitch put on our mini van to tow our Trillium. We towed it home from Victoria last fall and the wiring worked. I used a friend's pick-up with a 7-way plug.

I hooked it up last nght and the turn signals etc dont work. I'm thinking the old wire / plug are not working with the new connector on the vehicle.

How hard is it to get new, 7-connector wire and and a new trailer end plug and re-wire for brakes, marker lights and turn signals?

*the old trailer end connection has a separate ground wire that the previosu owner used to wrap around the hitch. I'm also wondering if this type of plug is not compatible with the Husky connector we had installed on the vehicle?

Any tips / suggestiosn would be welcome as always.

Barry
Hi Barry,
Princess auto sells a tester(<$5) with three LED's that verify 1)running lights, 2) left turn/stop light, and 3)right turn/stop light. They also sell a 7 to 4 adaptor(about $8) which plugs into the vehicle and then accepts the tester. No more guessing! If the vehicle has been verified move on to the trailer. The vehicle 7 pin is susceptible to salt spray(most places in Canada at least) because of the position at rear of vehicle. Using dielectric grease around the connections before sealing the plug at installation can improve chances of eliminating corrosion for a longer period. I had to replace one of the adapters for amber signals($35) before I learned about protecting against corrosion. Corrosion actually bridged from 12v wire across to one of the signal light wires which illuminated the dash signal light indicator and fried the adaptor. The 7 to 4 pin adaptor may come in handy in the future if you want to tow a utility trailer with only 4 pin plug
Bill
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Old 04-10-2009, 01:40 AM   #12
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I've Recently bought a 76 Trillium. On the tow home the right taillight worked for running/signal/brake, while the left one stayed on as a running light only, no response to braking or signal. I removed the light covers and after changing the rear light bulbs around all the light went out! Now the side marker lights are off and the tail lights light up only when I brake. After researching the problem here, other sites online and at the library I'm confident it may be a ground problem.

Is there a master ground on the Trillium? I can not find the white wire screwed into the frame anywhere. There are a black and white wire lead that fork off from the rest of the sheathed wires on their way to the 7 pin plug for the car. I was told by the old owner these were for the battery connection, if so once I hook it up will it provide the ground I'm after?
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Old 04-10-2009, 06:37 AM   #13
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sounds like a bad ground to me. Look under the bunks inside the trailer where the cable comes in from the tongue. there should be a connection point where all the wires come together . Check these for loose connections.
Joe
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Old 04-10-2009, 02:18 PM   #14
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Don't forget to check the ground connection on the tow vehicle.
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Old 04-10-2009, 10:59 PM   #15
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Will the trailer be grounded through my tow vehicle in that case? Or do the wires need to be grounded in the trailer as well?

Thanks guys

T
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Old 04-11-2009, 02:06 AM   #16
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Quote:
For all the Vintage Trillium owners, this may be helpful:
All Trilliums were made to the standard 'Bargman' color code.
Green- Running lights
Red - Left turn
Brown - Right turn
Black - Interior, Battery
White - Ground
Blue - Brakes
Yellow - Optional 'Foreign car wiring'
We modified many early Trilliums with an extra bulb in each tail light to perform the function of a stop lamp. This extra bulb was connected to the yellow wire. This was only done to customer's units as per request. Since these trailers change many hands now, have a look at the tail light assembly to see what's back there.

If anyone is having difficulty figuring out their Trillium, I'll be happy to help.
Please email me at Projects[at]TrilliumRV.com

Tom
Trillium RV
TOM
Does this apply to NEW Trilliums as well?
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Old 04-13-2009, 06:47 PM   #17
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Trailer: 1974 Trillium 13 ft
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thanks everyone. i took the trailer to the local rv guy here in Delta (AL's RV0 and he cleaned up the wiring and got it all working for $145. Pretty good price and I was totally lost with the mess the cursed previous owner had left me with.

Barry
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Old 04-16-2009, 11:20 AM   #18
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Arizona
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Roger: Yes, I should have stated that this is for all Trilliums - old & new.

Pete: You are correct - the top 3 reasons for electrical wiring issues is Grounding. - Usually in the tow vehicle. Grounding through the hitch ball is a not a reliable method.


Tom
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Old 08-21-2013, 12:17 PM   #19
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Name: Jay
Trailer: 76 trillium
Massachusetts
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Have a 76 trillium .need to rewire lighting .need a wiring guide ...could you help me ? Jay allcomplus@ gmail.com
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Old 08-21-2013, 06:00 PM   #20
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Name: Billy
Trailer: Trillium
Texas
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Like Pete says GROUND.I have a 1978 4500 and after 2 days of work found ground WIRES not wire was the problem.RUST in tail light bulb,rust on every ground wire in every light.
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