Troubleshooting Dim Trailer Lights on Boat Trailer When Head Lights Are On

Question:

Problem: Truck to boat When my blinkers are on they work fine, turn my lights on and both blinkers flash dim though. Just my lights on they are dim. Im almost positive my ground connection is good, is a matter fact if I remove my ground nothing changes. I have no clue Please help..... Thanks,

asked by: Rich R

Expert Reply:

The problem is either that you have a bad ground or the charging system or your truck is just at it's capacity from having every light activated on the vehicle. Most likely it is the trailer ground though.

Since a lot of trailers will actually ground through the coupler of the trailer to the hitch ball, and then to the vehicle's hitch frame, trailer lights will still typically function with the ground strap removed of the trailer connector.

What I would recommend you try next is run a jumper wire from the grounds of the taillight assemblies to the main ground of the trailer. I can almost guarantee this will fix the problem.

expert reply by: Jameson C