Troubleshooting 7-Way Connector on Motorhome When Lights Don't Work On Towed 1997 Jeep Wrangler

Question:

I recently had my 97 jeep wrangler wired to be flat towed behind my 07 motorhome. When I connect the pigtail from the 7 pin on the motorhome to the 7 pin on the jeep I dont get any lights on the jeep. If I connect the pigtail to my Yukon Denali all the lights work correctly. So, its apparent it has something to do with the 7 pin on my motorhome. Ive tested all the pins on the motorhome with a test light and everything appears to check out and work correctly. I even pulled the 7 pin apart on the jeep, connected the pigtail and used the test light to confirm power on all the correct pins, but still have no lights on the jeep. Fearing I may have shorted something out, I connected the jeep back to my Denali and everything is still working fine. When I took the wiring harness apart on the motorhome, all the wires are white. There appears to be writing on each wire indicating a color or its purpose, however theyre almost all unreadable. My guess is there may be a wire hooked up on the motorhome that is grounding it out but I cant figure out what. Any suggestions???

asked by: Heath C

Expert Reply:

It does sound like there may be a problem with the wiring of the RV connector as you mentioned. Especially since you said it works fine when the Jeep is connected to another vehicle. You may want to also check the fuses on the motorhome to make sure they are not blown and causing the issue.

I have attached a helpful article that shows 7-way connectors and how they are typically wired. You will want to make sure you test the pins on the motorhome connector and they match exactly to the wires and functions on the jeep.

Another option would be to have new wiring installed on the motorhome which would be a hassle I know but if you are unable to find the source of the problem, it may be the best option. I hope it winds up being something simple like a missing or blown fuse.

expert reply by: Jeffrey L