Troubleshooting Dim Lights on Trailer and Some that Dont Turn On

Question:

When I hook up my trailer to the hitch the all the lights dont come on...some turn on but they are dim in brightness

asked by: Fred

Expert Reply:

It sounds like there is either a lot of corrosion on either the vehicle's trailer connector or the connector on the trailer. Or, your trailer has a ground problem.

First thing you should try is thoroughly cleaning the pins of the connectors with fine grit sandpaper to get the pins down to bare metal.

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 or if the trailer has an aluminum frame, tilt bed, or folding tongue, any of these things can interrupt the ground. Running jumper wires from the light grounds to the main trailer connector ground can help.

expert reply by: Jameson C