What To Do With Extra Taillight Circuit Wire on 1990 Skamper 170X Pop-Up Camper

Question:

Ive hooked up the lights and all functions seem to working. Only problem is Im not using the orange lead on either side and have capped it on both sides. Is this wire superfluous now? Its driving me crazy...any helpful insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance and by the way this is on a 1990 skamper 170x pop up camper.

asked by: John

Expert Reply:

It's possible that your trailer uses what we refer to as a 'separate' wired taillight system where the brake lamp and turn signal circuits are carried on different circuits, as opposed to a 'combined' system where the turn signals and brake lamp signals are combined onto a single circuit for each side of the trailer (two signals being carried on one wire.) If your old taillights had yellow or amber colored lenses for the turn signals, it's a dead giveaway that the trailer uses a separate lighting system.

If the lights are working correctly, you can simply tape off that extra wire and leave it be. If you're getting a turn signal or brake lamp signal on that extra wire, you'll need to rewire the taillight system on the camper using a replacement harness like part # A35W42B. I'll link you to our trailer wiring FAQ article, which shows the wire color codes and what signal each circuit carries.

expert reply by: Mike L