Troubleshooting Boat Trailer Wiring

Question:

I have bought a trailer light kit that come with wires and everything and I have put lights on and wired everything up the Brown to the brown green to the green and yellow to the yeallow and I put my ground wire on a bolt on the trailer and tightened when I apply the brake my light cut out when I put my right turn signal on both sides flash it does on left turn signal to

asked by: Seth E

Expert Reply:

Wire colors are not a reliable way to determine what you need to connect, so in order to determine the specific problem you'll need to use a circuit tester such as # PTW2993 to test the connector and hook up your lights according to the functions. If you are still having issues, test the connector on your vehicle after disconnecting it from your trailer. Check the wiring going into your harness from your taillights to see if those wires are carrying the correct signals, if not then the issue is with the vehicle wiring. If the signals going to your harness are okay, you'll need to test the signals coming out of the harness, and if they are correct then your issue is likely going to be with the trailer side wiring.

An important issue you will want to take a look at are the ground connections, as they can be the cause of numerous lighting problems. You'll want to make sure your grounds are securely attached to bare metal surfaces free of any paint, dirt or corrosion of any kind. Also check your wiring thoroughly to ensure there are none that are crimped, broken or otherwise damaged. I've added links to a pair of help articles on trailer wiring that you may also find useful.

expert reply by: Kyle S