Expert Answers about Work Lights

• Trailer Running Lights Not Working Only When Starting Volvo XC90 Engine
• I honestly haven't heard of this type of issue before. Just to be clear, when you just have the light on in your Volvo the trailer lights work perfectly but when you actually start the vehicle the running lights stop working? If this is the case then the best thing I can recommend trying is testing the wires that are going to the black converter box on the Tekonsha T-One # 118411 with the vehicle running with a circuit tester like # PTW2992. Check to see if you are getting power on the...
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• Troubleshooting Left Side Running Light Problem on a Boat Trailer after Installing a New Tail Light
• It sounds as if you either have a weak ground at the first light on the left side of the trailer that is not working or you have a broken or pinched wire on the left side after the light that is working. You have effectively eliminated the vehicle and trailer connectors by observing the fact that the first running light inline on the left side of the trailer is functioning properly and that all of the other trailer lighting is working. Start, by making sure the lights that are not working...
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• Trailer Brake Lights Not Working, All Other Lights Work
• it sounds like you have a blown stop light or trailer brake light fuse. The tow package wiring on a vehicle is separate from the tail light wiring so it makes sense that the truck brake lights are working. Since you have isolated the issue as being on the truck side a blown fuse is the likely culprit.
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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 Third Brake Light on Truck Camper Shell Not Working
• It sounds like you have tested the brake light circuit on the truck that you are connecting to for the third brake light. You also tested the light itself separately so you know it isn't simply a case of a bad bulb. If the circuit is good and the light is good but it isn't working only when the two are connected, it might be that the light is drawing too much power for the brake light circuit to handle. I recommend checking to see how much power the third brake light draws to ensure this...
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• Troubleshooting Some Trailer Marker Lights Not Working While Others Work
• With you only having individual lights not working you will need to test the wiring and light bulbs at the lights themselves. You could have a damaged connection if the wiring off the main wiring which would be the reason only certain lights are working. You will need a Test Light # PTW2993 to check the wires going into the lamp are getting the power they need. You can also use it as a jumper to confirm the ground wire has a good connection. By connecting to the ground at the light you...
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• Troubleshooting Trailer Lights Not Working Towing With Mazda CX-5
• There can be issues like this on some trailers using LED lights where they don't work at all. More than likely your LED lights aren't drawing enough power and this is the reason the tester works but not the lights on the actual trailer. This also varies between vehicles which would explain why it works on the truck and not your CX-5. In order to simulate more current draw, you can use load resistors like the # DI34ZR. You will need one per circuit so in this case 3 for the right turn/stop,...
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• After Adding Side Marker Lights to Snowmobile Trailer, Some Work and Some Do Not Work
• Adding the additional lights might be overloading the trailer wiring on the vehicle side. Any given wiring set up is rated for a certain amount of amperage draw. If you try disconnecting the lights that do work and the other ones light up then you know this is probably the problem. There could also be an insufficient ground at the lights that are not working or at the main trailer connector since there is now more current running through the running light circuit. Since a test light ground...
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• Troubleshooting Rear Running Lights on Re-Wired Utility Trailer
• In standard trailer wiring all clearance lights and running lights operate from the same circuit. This means that if some of the lights are working but a few do not, then those non-functioning lights may have a ground issue or other wiring problem isolated just to them. Different lights can use different ways of grounding. For example, if your side clearance lights that do work use a wired ground, but the rear lights use the light mounting studs or posts to make the ground then it is possible...
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• One Running Light On Trailer is Not Working, All Other Lights Working Fine
• If just one running light is not working that indicates a ground problem. Ground problems normally show up when there is more draw on a system such as when you have the running lights on and then use another function like a turn signal or brake light. But they can show up any time. 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...
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• Troubleshooting Left Side Trailer Running Lights Not Working
• If just the left side trailer running lights aren't working then the issue is almost certainly on the trailer side, as the running light circuit isn't side-specific on the tow vehicle end (if one side is working on the trailer you know you're getting appropriate power from the tow vehicle). So you can start at the trailer side connector and just visually inspect it for any corrosion or debris that might be built up inside the pins, cleaning out if needed. It could be something as simple...
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• Trailer Left Side Running Lights Not Working All Other Lights Work
• On many trailers the running light wires are jumped from one side to the other on the trailer. This is because there is a single running light wire only ran on one side. A wire would have to be spliced in on the one side, ran to the other side of the trailer, and connected to the running lights. If using a junction box, the one running light wire from the trailer connector can go to a single terminal and from there you can run separate wires for the running lights on each side of the trailer....
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• Select Clearance Lights and Marker Lights Are Not Working
• The marker lights and clearance lights on your trailer should all be tied into the same circuit with a jumper wire ran to each of them. Therefore, if there are some working but some that are not then this leads me to believe that there is either a short in the running light wire or burnt out bulbs. The bulbs are easy to check, just pry off the cover and inspect the filament. If you need any replacement bulbs let me know the number on the base and I will see if we have any options. If the...
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• Troubleshooting Trailer LEDs that Don't Work that Are Replacing Incandescent Bulbs
• If you tested the LEDs and they work when they have power and ground the problem has to be the wiring of the trailer. Since previous lights worked there it would seem that the problem may be somehow ground related. Some assemblies ground through their hardware and other ground through a wire. I attached a couple help articles that might be informative as well.
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• Trailer Clearance Lights Show Power but Some Will Not Light Up
• It is possible that the clearance lights are not working if you have a lot of clearance lights. This can overload the trailer wiring on the vehicle side and cause some of the lights not to work. You can check the amperage draw per clearance light by testing one at a time using a multimeter such as # PT89ZR. Switching everything over to LEDs will be much better because they draw only a fraction of the power compared to incandescents. Another possibility is a poor ground connection. All...
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• Troubleshooting Light Not Working with the Cargo Carrier Light Kit # 52014
• If you installed the Cargo Carrier Light Kit # 52014, and all of the functions on one light are not working then it sounds like the problem is the light itself. If some of the functions worked on the light then I would say that you have a problem with the wiring somewhere. You can test the light by running a ground to the marked pin and then test the other 2 pins with a 12V power source. If you think that the wiring may be an issue then you can replace it with part # WHCETR1B. For a replacement...
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• Trailer Stop and Turn Lights Not Working with Curt Wiring Harness C56078 on 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe
• When there is no rhyme or reason to lights not working it is almost always a ground issue. Ground problems can do all sorts of evil things to trailer lights and what you are describing is pretty much a classic case. Since you have checked the main grounds at the converter and the trailer, we can skip those for now. Take a look at the ground connections at the tail lights themselves. Many times trailer lights ground through the mounting studs unless there is an obvious ground wire. In both...
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• Troubleshooting Tail Lights That Do Not Work When Brake and Turn Lights Do Work
• Most of the time when trailer brake and turn lights work but the running or tail lights do not work the cause is a weak ground connection on either the vehicle wiring harness or on the trailer. Stop and turn lights are on only for short periods while a tail light remains on continuously. This means it will draw more current and will be the light that causes a bad ground to show up. The easiest remedy is to disconnect the ground wires on both vehicle and trailer and to re-install them after...
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• How Does Trailer Lighting with Single Wire Ground I just removed the brake li
• Those additional lights that are not working ground through their mounting hardware. So you would run power to the single wire and then if it's not grounding currently you can run a ground wire from main harness to the mounting hardware and that will allow it to work.
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• Troubleshooting Trailer Tail Lights That Do Not Work When Other Lights Do Work
• The most common cause for trailer tail lights to not work when other trailer lights do is a bad ground. The reason the bad ground tends to show up on the running light circuit is that these lights remain on continuously, rather than flashing on and off like brake and turn lights. This means the tail lights will draw more current and that higher current draw may not be possible with a weak ground. The bad ground could be on the trailer harness or on the vehicle harness. Find the trailer's...
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