Northwest Fishing Reports

OK, i've got some issues with my trailer lights. I've got an EZ loader trailer. I have swapped out the lights from bulb to LED's. I m staying with them, much better. Anyway, one side is working fine, the other side I have no lights for brakes, sig. or just the running light function. If I turn my light switch on the vehicle to "Running lights" option, then I get the general running light. Still never blinker or brakes, again all this one just one side.
I've been told that most trailer light issues are a grounding problem. I see that I have a grounding wire at the point of the light housing.... but is there another grounding wire somewhere that I should be looking at??

Also, I completly just want to take it somewhere to have it looked at if I can't figure this out. I don't care how easy you may say it is. Would U-haul be the likely place? I'd rather not go to my $65.00 hour boat mechanic. I'm in Seattle.

thanks

Is this a new trailer or one you've had for a while?

Did the lights work before the switch to LED?

One thing to remember with LEDs is that they are diodes and therefore polarized. A light bulb will light up no matter which way the positive and negative wires are hooked up, but a LED will only light up one way.

There is probably a ground by the light housing and also a ground by the plug. Un-hook both of them and clean the area all around with a wire brush. If you have any crimp on wire splices, check/solder these connections since they are usual corrosion areas.

Also use a multimeter or test light to check that your tow vehicle is sending the signal out in the first place. Problems here could be a fuse in the tow vehicle or the wires themselves that go to the plug. Then follow the wire down until you find your problem.

Think of it like solving a puzzle (fun!), and good luck.

Make sure to clean out the plug that you stick into your truck. Sometimes cleaning any rust out of it with Q tips and then some electrical grease will solve it...Sometimes even just a quick wiggle of the wires and plugs will fix it....

Take a look at the pic to help visualize your system. *Remember the wire colors may not match what is shown depending on who installed the plug on your vehicle and or trailer so as you figure out what is what label it with tape* I am going to go on the assumption that you have a standard 4 wire(pole) connector if you have more don't sweat it as they all have a few things in common. Your description of the problem indicates that the wire or vehicle connection providing the brake and turn signal indication for one side of your trailer is not working. As you can see from the diagram this is only one wire. If you have running lights on both sides, your ground is fine, the problem is whether or not your vehicle is providing the signal to the plug or the wire to the flasher/brake light is not properly connected. If you have a voltmeter, it is relatively easy to figure out where the issue lies. Without a voltmeter a bit of creativity is required. The easiest way would be to swap the wires to your flasher/brake from the right side to the left side and see if that changes anything. If you no longer have flasher/brake lights on either side the fault lies in your trailer wiring. If both sides now have brake and signal lights then it was just a bad splice/connection to begin with. If the lights that previously didn't work, work now, then your trailer wiring is fine and the vehicle plug wiring is suspect. I'm not a big fan of U-Haul, do it yourself or have your boat/trailer shop take care of it. I don't think U-Haul is going to charge you much less than $65.00 per hour and the job will get done right.

ground, ground, ground,. it almost allways comes down to the ground.









:viking:

RaMcVey wrote:Is this a new trailer or one you've had for a while?

Did the lights work before the switch to LED?

RacMcvey,

Yes, the lights worked fine prior to this time. I had one side that was still bulb,, and the othere side I switched to LED. The LED was good to go for about a year, and then it got goofy..... no lighting on the LED, then rap on it with my fist, and suddenly it's good. At this point rapping on it doesn't do a thing.

thank you G-man so much for the diagram and explanation/ideas. I feel sort of indebted to you for so many other PM's and cuttthroat advice I will look at it on the weekend.

I always think about doing it myself and yes ground, ground, ground, even to the point adding ground wires to all the lights and not using the trailer for the ground.
I looked at the old utility trailer that had bizarre light problems, working on it one handed seemed a bit tough so I took it to Uhaul in Kirkland. it was there about an hour and it cost me $35 and some change. Well worth it and I only got my hands dirty hitching it up.

Take the bulbs out and clean the socket and the bulbs with a spray on electronic cleaner. I owned a travel trailer and I had about 4 of the running lights that would not work. The socket contacts and bulbs had that white crusty corrosion on them. Cleaned them up and they worked fine.

http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/03/r/e ... cember.htm

Sounds like you may have the problem fixed but if you beat on it and it works and then it stops it is one of several things. One is the bulb...two is the wiring at the bulb, three is the Fonzy Rap! Just keep beating on it periodically like Fonzy did to the jukebox........You can change it, clean it or beat it. Oh yeh, the final fix... Buy a new trailer! :thumleft: Good Luck Steve LOL

[ it is one of several things. One is the bulb...two is the wiring at the bulb, three is the Fonzy Rap! Just keep beating on it periodically like Fonzy did to the jukebox........You can change it, clean it or beat it. Oh yeh, the final fix... Buy a new trailer! :thumleft: Good Luck Steve LOL [/quote]

[quote="Marc Martyn"]Take the bulbs out and clean the socket and the bulbs with a spray on electronic cleaner. I owned a travel trailer and I had about 4 of the running lights that would not work. The socket contacts and bulbs had that white crusty corrosion on them. Cleaned them up and they worked fine.


Like I was saying, these are submersible LED lights, no bulbs. Thanks though for your thoughts, I will probably hit up my nearby U-haul.

Polarity sound the key piece to me. With my model trains I use LEDs for different applications like the rotary beacon on top of an engine. With that any problem I have had is when I dont pay attention and flip the polarity.

My lights are the same.one side works sometimes and vica-versa.Ive owned many trailers in my day and its always the same thing.I found it easiest to change out the wires all the way through.I tried the nickle-dime repair jobs with lil satisfaction.It seems that when you do salt water boating its one of those things that you need to get used to.I went to u-Haul and got a pair of portable trailer lights.Now when I launch in the salt I can remove them alltogether.Plus the extra lights make your rear end just that more visable. GOOD LUCK.

quadradomus wrote:[ it is one of several things. One is the bulb...two is the wiring at the bulb, three is the Fonzy Rap! Just keep beating on it periodically like Fonzy did to the jukebox........You can change it, clean it or beat it. Oh yeh, the final fix... Buy a new trailer! :thumleft: Good Luck Steve LOL

Marc Martyn wrote:Take the bulbs out and clean the socket and the bulbs with a spray on electronic cleaner. I owned a travel trailer and I had about 4 of the running lights that would not work. The socket contacts and bulbs had that white crusty corrosion on them. Cleaned them up and they worked fine.


Like I was saying, these are submersible LED lights, no bulbs. Thanks though for your thoughts, I will probably hit up my nearby U-haul.

Seeing that there is no bulb and no new trailer#-o ......check wiring continuity or try the Fonzy rap! :-) If it isn't something like a cut wire, just solder new connections and use a heat shrink cover. Do not use a crimp-on on a connection that get's wet. It will fail. again, good luck BTW....Maybe have us all over for a BBQ....by the end of the day you will have a lights that will work! probably cheaper than U-Haul!

Here you go Quad...maybe this.

I'm no electrician, and some here are...maybe this is a possibility.

I just had this experience in my motorcycle. I wanted to switch to LED lights. Well, each vehicle (and motorcyles) have specific light (blinker) relays rated at a certain wattage for resistance. Well, I found out that since LED lights draw less wattage, my signal relay (which had the resistance for a higher wattage bulb) would make my lights blink erratically and fast. So I decided not to switch (new relay was $100). It may be you need to check something like that. Just an idea....

your wires may be "modular" also and built using a series of snap connectors. Make sure the connectors aren't rusted or gunked up. That's what caused me problems on my last go around.

Dirty connectors and grounding locations are where the problems will be found.

Every trailer I've ever owned has had bad connections and or non working.One of my things is forgetting to unplug lights before launching so the hot bulbs dont blow out when they hit cold water.I learned to check the bulbs first now.

racfish wrote:Every trailer I've ever owned has had bad connections and or non working.One of my things is forgetting to unplug lights before launching so the hot bulbs dont blow out when they hit cold water.I learned to check the bulbs first now.

Good Idea!!

Did you get the issue resolved?