4-Pole Trailer End Connector

See what our Experts say about this Draw-Tite Trailer Wiring

• No Trailer Running Lights on Ford F-350 Super Duty
  The trailer wiring circuits on a 2015 Ford F-350 may only be active while the vehicle is running to conserve the battery. If the vehicle is running and the circuits are not active then you know you have a problem. The first thing to check would be the fuses and relays in the engine bay fuse box. If all are good you will need a circuit tester to check for power at the trailer pins with the circuits active. If there isn't power here you'll have to take the truck into the dealer for service...
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• Snowmobile Tilt Trailer has Some Running Lights/Marker and Clearance Lights Not Working
  Running lights, side marker lights, and clearance lights all run off of the same circuit (the running light circuit). Since some of the lights are working that circuit is getting power so the issue must be with the lights themselves, a ground issue, or damage to the wiring. Since you have a tilt trailer it could be a weak ground issue. Running a jumper ground wire from the affected lights to the main trailer connector ground or axle will help. It will also help if the trailer is aluminum....
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• Troubleshooting Trailer Tail Lights that Do Not Function When Headlights are On
  It sounds like you have a ground issue. When the headlights are on and the brakes applied, the highest amperage draw is placed on the wiring system and, a faulty ground will show at this time. Make sure you have good metal to metal contact. Paint and corrosion can act as insulators, so make sure the grounds of the light assemblies are touching clean metal. I would check all of the ground connections on the trailer. First, check the ground at the trailer tongue from the trailer conenctor....
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• Troubleshooting Dim LED Lights on Boat Trailer
  If the new LED lights you attached to PVC posts on your boat trailer are dim when powered by your truck then most likely the issue is a weak ground. Check to make sure each of the new LED assemblies are properly grounded to a clean bare metal surface on the trailer free of any debris or corrosion. If by chance you have an aluminum trailer, you will want to run the grounds to the main ground circuit on the trailer connector as aluminum isn't the best conductor of electricity. If this...
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• Running Lights Stopped Working on Tent Camper
  The spark was most likely an indication of a short circuit that has blown the running light circuit which is why none of the running lights are working. You mentioned the fuses on the truck but if the tent camper is plugged into the truck then there can be separate tow package fuses that you will need to check. Find their locations using the owners manual. You will also want to make sure that the connectors are all clean and corrosion free inside and out. Any and all lights will need to...
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• Troubleshooting Trailer Wiring that Works with One Truck But Not Other Yet Wiring Is Good
  Typically when we see what you described the problem is that the ground for the trailer wiring just isn't sufficient enough to power all of the circuits. What I would recommend is improving the ground circuit wiring on the trailer wiring and vehicle and you should see the circuits all start to work. A thicker gauge wire for the ground circuits will work great or you could also try checking the connections of the circuits on the connectors and vehicle/trailer frame to make sure those are...
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• Brake Lights and Turn Signals Do Not Work on Aluminum Frame Trailer
  It sounds like you certainly know what you are doing and are taking all the proper precautions for wiring the trailer. However, aluminum frames can be very tricky to work on even for the most experienced installers as they just do not provide a good ground for the lights. I suspect that the rear two tail lights are losing their ground. In most cases, you can get away with with three separate ground points. However, on an aluminum frame trailer you will need to run the ground for the two...
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• Troubleshooting Malfunctioning Trailer Lights Caused By Poor Ground Connection
  From what you describe, it sounds like you have a ground problem somewhere in the trailer wiring or on the trailer wiring harness installed on the vehicle. Ground problems will make the trailer lamps do all sorts of wacky things. With the running lights and the brakes on, activating the turn signals will draw maximum amperage through the trailer wiring system. If you have a ground problem, that's when it will typically show itself. Check that the trailer connector on the vehicle is securely...
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• Is Trailer Wiring Problem a Ground Issue
  I absolutely agree with you that what you are experiencing is a ground issue; moving it to a frame with a clean metal surface is going to resolve the issue in nearly every case. If it was a short you would still be having issues with lights not working as moving the ground wouldn't resolve that. A short means the voltage would not be getting to the lights and also possibly affecting other lights so you are right on that it is a ground issue. I have added a link to a help article on troubleshooting...
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• Trailer Running Lights Not Working After Installing New Light and Also Trying to Reuse Old Light
  It does sound like a short or a ground issue. Check the trailer wiring for any pinched or damaged wires and repair as needed. Make sure that the vehicle side and trailer side connectors are clean and free of corrosion inside and out. The main connector grounds should be attached to clean and corrosion free bare metal surfaces. The light grounds should also be attached to clean and corrosion free bare metal surfaces. If there is anything between a light ground and the metal trailer frame...
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• Installing a Battery Charge Relay Blows 10 Amp Fuse on a 2007 Lincoln Navigator
  Ford would certainly tell you that you must use the specific Ford relay for your 2007 Lincoln Navigator. A generic one that is rated and configured the same as that Ford relay should work just fine. But this one that was installed had to be modified and sounds like there is a good chance that it is not the right type of relay and could be the reverse polarity of the one that is needed. That would cause the fuse to blow. I recommend getting the right relay from a Ford dealer. You will also...
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• Troubleshooting Trailer Wiring that Stops Working Properly When Headlights are Turned On
  Your main problem is an insufficient ground for the trailer wiring. Try improving the connection of the main ground wire of the trailer wiring harness. Make sure it is attached to a clean metal surface. Or you can run all of the trailer wires back to the main ground. This is actually the ideal solution. But you can also check the current grounds for the lights to make sure they are making a solid connection to a clean metal surface. What you described is the classic insufficient ground...
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• Troubleshooting Docking Lights Not Working With Switch on 2005 Lance 821
  It looks like there are 3 different fuses for the rear docking lights on your 2005 Lance 821. I'm assuming the power and backup fuses located in the exterior fuse panel are fine. This leaves the interior lighting circuit which is circuit #4 on the power distribution center. If that checks out then it is likely a short in the wiring.
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• 4-Way Trailer Wiring to Plug Into Factory Connector on 2017 Ford Escape
  The trailer connector you referenced, part # 18004, is a 4-way that goes on a trailer. It'll mate up with any vehicle that has a standard 4-way trailer connector. If your 2017 Ford Escape has a 4-way trailer connector from the factory then this will plug into it perfectly to operate your trailer's lights. I've attached an image of what each side looks like. If this isn't what you're looking for let me know.
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• Troubleshooting Trailer Wiring that Causes Vehicle Running Lights to Come On
  Sounds like your trailer's wiring needs to be cleaned up or is wired incorrectly. I attached a diagram that shows how a 6-way harness that would commonly be installed on a horse trailer would get wired. Sometimes the brake output and 12 volt power circuits get swapped so you may want to test the center pin of your truck 6-way first. If there is voltage there then the trailer should be wire up just like the diagram.
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• Trailer Taillights Have Power at Light Connector And Light Bulb Will Not Light
  If you are getting power to the light but nothing with the bulb it sounds like it has to be a ground issue. I thought it might have been a issue with the bulb connector but since you changed out the entire assembly it seems hard to believe that it would be the issue with both assemblies. I recommend checking the ground connection for the light for any built up corrosion. I have linked an article below that covers troubleshooting trailer lighting issues.
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• Troubleshooting Right Turn Blinker Not Functioning on a Trailer
  It really sounds like the ground is not making good enough contact on the right turn signal/tail light and because of that it isn't able to draw enough amperage to illuminate the blinker function of your bulb. Nearly every time we encounter this problem the issue is just that the assembly isn't grounded enough. Make sure that the trailer side connector are clean and free of corrosion inside and out. The main connector grounds should be attached to clean and corrosion free bare metal...
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• Troubleshooting Trailer Wiring Where One Stop/Turn Light Assembly is Brighter than Other
  That is an odd problem. Do you have access to a volt meter? You might try checking the volts of both the left and right side to see if there's a voltage drop between the two. Does the trailer have quite a bit of lights that would potentially draw too much amperage? One thing you can try which isn't ideal since it requires cutting trailer wiring is cut the left stop/turn circuit near the connector as well as the right stop/turn circuit and basically reverse the circuits and reattach them...
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• Troubleshooting Trailer Lights that Stop Functioning When Running Lights Come On
  Sounds like your trailer lights have weak grounds. The behavior you described is textbook insufficient grounding. What you will want to do is check the grounds for the trailer taillights, make sure they are attached to a clean metal surface. Also, make sure the main ground from the trailer's wiring connector is attached to a clean metal surface on your trailer frame. I attached an FAQ article on diagnosing 4-way installs for you to check out plus an FAQ article on trailer wiring.
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• Rear Running Lights on 2012 Ford F-150 Do Not Work
  If you are having an issue with the running lights on your 2012 Ford F-150 then it would be best if you take the vehicle into a service center. However, what you can do before this is necessary is check the bulbs and then the fuse which is located on the power distribution center (PDC) in the #40 slot which is a 10 amp fuse. If your license plate light is also out then this would indicate a bad rear running light fuse.
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• Troubleshooting Lights on 2006 Palomino Tent Trailer
  Either a bad ground or an overloaded trailer wiring harness on your vehicle could cause the issue you describe. Without knowing anything about your vehicle or which harness you are using its tough to narrow down the source for the problem. It could also be a bad voltage regulator or alternator on the vehicle. If you are using a powered converter that gets its power for the trailer lights from a direct battery connection then the more likely explanation is the bad ground. If you are using...
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• Determining If A 30 Amp Case Fuse Is Blown
  On a square-shaped sealed fuse (case fuse) you typically do not have leads or contact points to test the fuse, as you mentioned. In this case, you usually can see through the top clear section to verify if the fuse is blown (separation of the internal circuit). If you cannot tell using this method, then you use a voltmeter on the lowest resistance (Ohm) setting and connect the two voltmeter leads together and record this reading. Then connect the two voltmeter leads to the contact points...
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• What Would Cause a Battery to Boil
  When a battery starts to boil that indicates that it's overcharging. This can from overcharging like if a vehicle alternator is bad or can be from a battery with a very high leak inductance which can cause the charger to put full current into the battery, causing the battery to boil and become a safety hazard.
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• Why Would Trailer Lights Work With Ground Wire Not Attached Then Stop When Connected
  Some trailers will actually end up grounding through the coupler, to the ball of the ball mount, to the hitch, and then to the frame of the tow vehicle. It sounds like that is what you trailer was doing. Did the lights ever flicker when you hit bumps? That's a tell-tale sign that the ground is being made through the ball mount. Did you have the trailer on the ball of your ball mount when you tested the trailer again? That could still be the way the trailer likes to ground and why it wouldn't...
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