The best solution for your situation would be to use a circuit tester, like part # PTW2993, to wire your trailer wires to a seven-way trailer connector, like part # A7WCB. Wiring by function is the best way to make sure you have the trailer connector wired correctly. Be sure you know what the black wire function is on the trailer. It will probably be for a twelve-volt battery or for reverse lights, but it could be used for something else. The location for the black wire in the connector... view full answer...
When you are installing a 2-wire light on your trailer and they have a red and a black wire, the black wire will be for the running lights, and the red wire will be for the brake and turn signal function. It sounds like the lights are grounded through the mounting hardware on the trailer frame.
I have attached a helpful article that explains how trailer wiring should be run. I have also attached a drawing that shows how wiring is typically run on a trailer you can check out. view full answer...
I spoke to my contact at Hopkins and he stated that both the 7-Way on the vehicle and the 7-Way on the trailer, # H20046 that you have referenced, should be completely wired before setting up and/or adjusting the Hopkins Agility Brake Controller, # HM47294. For the brake controller to recognize the trailer, in addition to the blue wire you have connected, you will need at least the ground wire on the trailer connected, ground wire on the vehicle side 7-Way connected, and the trailer on... view full answer...
It sounds like you picked up a 5 wire trailer connector rather than a 4 wire connector. A 4 wire trailer connector will only have a white wire for ground, brown for tail lights, green for right turn and stop and yellow for left turn and stop. The red wire on the connector that you purchased is most likely for reverse lights or a trailer with separate turn signals such as a motorcycle trailer. If you do not have reverse lights or separate turn and brake signals, then you can simply tie off... view full answer...
Reverse lockout solenoids will have two wires as you have seen. One wire is grounded to the trailer and one wire is attached to a reverse light wire coming from the tow vehicle. On most lockout solenoids it does not matter which wire is grounded and which wire is connected to the reverse light wire.
Since I am not sure what solenoid you are using or how old it is, I recommend tracing both wires as far as you can. The ground wire should be attached to the frame somewhere on the trailer.... view full answer...
It sounds like your truck has a 4-way flat trailer connector with yellow, green, brown and white wires (see picture), which is pretty standard. It also sounds like your trailer has 5 loose wires that you are trying to connect to a trailer side 4-way flat connector similar to part # W787264.
If this is the case, then it sounds like your trailer came with a wishbone style wiring harness meaning you have two running light wires (brown wires) for each side of the trailer, the left turn signal... view full answer...
To determine the correct wiring for your trailer you will need to use a circuit tester, item # PTW2993, and attach the wires from the connector by function only. The light wires should be as follows, red is the stop turn wire and the black is the running light wire, the white wire is the ground wire and should be connected to a suitable ground on the trailer frame. The easiest way to get it right is to connect the taillight wire, usually brown from the 6-Way connector (see link) to the... view full answer...
Since it is blowing the fuses only when the trailer is connected to the hitch it is probably a short on the trailer wiring.
You will want to start by testing the installation of the T-One Vehicle Wiring Harness, # 118379.
Without the trailer hooked up you will need to use a circuit tester like part # PTW2993 and test each wire going into the black converter box on the T-One Vehicle Wiring Harness, # 118379, as its function is activated. With somebody to turn on the turn signals and step... view full answer...
If you used a wishbone type of wiring on the trailer, it could be lending to the issue you are having. With a wishbone wiring harness on the trailer, the running light signal is split at the plug and carried down two separate wires; one for the left (yellow with brown) and one to the right (green with brown). If it was these wires that got switch and not the turn and brake wires, you will still have the blinker problem.
What you will need to do is use a circuit tester like # PTW2993 and... view full answer...
The ground wire on a trailer's wiring harness (usually a white wire) should be firmly attached to clean bare metal on the trailer frame. The white ground wire on the vehicle's wiring harness should similarly be attached to clean bare metal on the vehicle, or to an existing factory grounding point, or even directly to the battery negative terminal.
When the trailer and vehicle are connected together through their 4-pole wiring the trailer will ultimately be grounded to the vehicle battery.
Bad... view full answer...
Typically, the connector wires as follows:
Brown wire: tail lights
Green wire: right turn and brake
Yellow wire: left turn and brake
Red wire: brake output voltage
Black wire: auxiliary
If this does not match up with the way your trailer is wired, you will have to wire it by function, not wire color.
The best way to do this would be to use a car battery and apply power to each circuit on the trailer wiring harness. Ground the negative battery terminal to the trailer frame, and apply... view full answer...
I have attached the wiring diagrams for the different 7-way connectors used on trailers. I find it best to not reference wiring by color but instead function since depending on who made the wiring harness and who wired the trailer they can vary.
As the white wire is typical of a ground connection the person who wired the trailer the first time may have not used it hoping that the ball connection would provide the ground that they needed to the vehicle. You may need to replace the 7-way... view full answer...
When using the wiring diagrams you speak of, it is important to remember that wire colors can vary, and it is best to wire by function rather than wire color.
The easiest way to determine which wiring circuit preforms which function is to use a car battery, ground the white wire from the trailer connector lead to the negative battery terminal, and apply 12 volts to each of the remaining circuits in order to determine their function. By going this route, you can be sure that the connector... view full answer...
I would start by getting a RV-Style Trailer Connector, item # PK12706, to wire your trailer. You will need this connector since your trailer has reverse lights. If your trailer has brakes you will also need a brake controller and wiring to install it in your vehicle.
I would connect a wire to the tail light circuit in the 7-Way connector and check each one of the wires on the trailer independently, labeling them as you go. You will also need to make sure a there is a ground wire from the... view full answer...
The trailer you have utilizes a wishbone trailer wiring harness like the 35 Ft 4-Way Trailer Wiring Harness part # A35W42B in which the running light circuit is ran to each light on a separate wire from the trailer connector. The cause of your running and turn signals not working could be caused by several different things such as poor grounds, broken wires, incorrect routing, blown fuses etc. I would first start by checking that you have the wires routed to the correct circuits. The green/brown... view full answer...
The first thing I'd recommend you do is troubleshoot the wiring harness, I've linked you to an FAQ article that explains how to do this.
If you confirm that the trailer wiring harness is faulty, you'd want to remove it before installing the # 118410. It's theoretically possible to simply cut the wires and remove the old converter and splice in the new one.
However, the short that damaged the converter box might have been caused by a damaged portion of the remaining trailer wiring, which... view full answer...
You are correct that the wires from a 4-way flat trailer connector should have nothing to do with a trailer's brakes or a brake controller, and it is hard to say what is causing the trailer's brakes to activate. It is possible that somehow the wires for the turn and brake signal are touching the brake wires, causing the brakes to activate when the turn or brake signal is activated.
You can try checking all of the trailer wires for damage, such as pinches or tears, where the wires could... view full answer...
If you have installed the Tow Ready T-One Wiring Harness, # 118301, you will want to use a circuit tester like part # PTW2993 and test the wires going into the converter box and the wires coming out of the converter box. This will help determine if the problem is on your 2006 Chevy Colorado, the trailer or with the converter box.
With somebody to turn on the turn signals and step on the brakes, test each wire to see that it is working properly. Also, make sure the ground is attached... view full answer...
It is safe to say you can rule out the vehicle side of this since the 4-way worked for a different trailer. I would try testing the power on the trailer wiring first with a circuit tester like the # PTW2993. Since the lights aren't working, that will narrow it down to either a trailer wiring issue or an issue with the way the lights are connected.
If the trailer wiring has power that means it is the lights. You could try moving the ground connection to see if that helps. I would also... view full answer...
To discover and repair the problem, you'll need to closely examine the taillight wiring system on your trailer. Begin at the connector, and closely examine it for damage or excessive green or white corrosion. Clean/repair or replace as needed. Trace each wiring circuit from the connector back to the lamps on the passenger side. Look for loose connections, pinched wires or wires with worn or cracked wire insulation. Check the main ground connection on the trailer tongue, making sure that... view full answer...
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