Trailer Lights Flicker After Installing New LED Lights and Rewiring a Car Hauler Trailer
Question:
Problem is the same on 2 trucks 2006 Ford F250 Lariat Deisel and 2006 Dodge Ram MegaCab 5.7L that we have connected the trailer to. Trailer is an open car hauler that has worked flawlessly for 3-4 years. It was always kept stored in a shop until this past year where it was stored outdoors exposed to the elements...thats where the trouble began. Trailer lights brake/running/side markers all flicker and will not stay lit up. When on, they are all bright...but they wont stay on no matter what truck it is connected too. Since this was a problem connected to both trucks, we figured the problem was the trailer, not the trucks. We checked the 7-way plug on the trailer and there was some slight corrosion around the screws, so this part was replaced with a new 7-way plug. This did not fix the problem so we just rewired the entire trailer replacing the wiring and adding new LED taillights and new side markers. All the lights indicate they are self-grounding. We did NOT rewire the electric brakes...the brake controller on the F250 recognized the trailer so we skipped this wiring rework. There were several areas in the old wiring that were badly pinched so we were extremely cautious when rewiring the trailer. We also figured this was the culprit. We now have a newly rewired trailer with new lighting fixtures and the darn trailer lights still flicker...WHAT GIVES?!?!? We followed the eTrailer wiring diagram and the instructions printed with the new wiring they were the same. It will only let me upload 1 picture so I added the trailer...please email me if you would like a picture of the parts used for the rewire and a picture of the wires connected at the 7-way plug.
asked by: Aaron L
Helpful Expert Reply:
You have definitely taken all of the correct steps so far. Since you are still experiencing problems after the rewire and installing new lights, I would suspect a ground problem. Especially since you were careful not to pinch or damage any of the new wires.
Rust and corrosion can often show up at ground locations where the wires make contact with the metal. If you used any of the original ground screw holes, I recommend moving them to a clean bare surface on the trailer frame and scrape or grind away any paint or rust. Since you mentioned your lights were self grounding, make sure there is no rust or corrosion around the mounting studs for the lights. Also, if you are using a plastic license plate bracket or frame, make sure that is not interfering with the ground for the license plate light.
If the trailer looks okay, then I would move to the trucks. Since you found some corrosion on the trailer side connector, make sure it did not make its way on to the truck connectors. I know it sounds improbable, but it is possible and we have seen where even slight corrosion has affected the connection.
Product Page this Question was Asked From
Combination LED Trailer Tail Light - Submersible - 6 Function - 11 Diodes - Passenger Side
- Trailer Lights
- Tail Lights
- Rear Reflector
- Side Marker
- Side Reflector
- Stop/Turn/Tail
- Square
- Surface Mount
- Submersible Lights
- LED Light
- 5L x 5W Inch
- Red
- Optronics
more information >
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