Troubleshooting 7-Way Trailer Wiring with Colors That Don't Match Functions

Question

Question:

I have a Coleman pop up with a seven wire connector . I need a diagram but all the ones I look up have different colors . My wires fro camper side are red, green, blue, teal blue , and two black . Ive tried multiple ways and none work correctly . Please help . It has been suggested to wire by function , how is that done

asked by: Dan

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Expert Reply:

Wiring by function is the route to go for your situation. This is done by testing each wire of your trailer individually. The easiest way is to use a 12V battery and connect the negative terminal to the trailer's ground on the frame and then use the positive terminal with a jump wire to connect to each individual wire.

One wire in your 7-way will be the ground wire. You will want to find this one first because it will cause a spark if you connect the battery to it. You can trace the wire attached to the frame to the 7-way connector to see which color it is and where it is located to avoid adding power to that contact point.

Then you can add power to each of the other wires individually to see what function corresponds. The tail light/running light wire will light both sides with red and also a license plate light if you have one.
The reverse lights will light both sides white.
The right turn and stop wire will light the right side only
The left turn and stop wire will light the left side only
The brake controller wire will add braking to your trailer
The 12V power will run to your trailer battery and breakaway system if you have one.

I've attached a photo to help with locations on the trailer side connection as well as the vehicle side connection so you can make connections match. I recommend using the Epicord 7-Way Molded Trailer Plug with Junction Box - 10' Long # 277-000141 along with ring terminals like # 44-5310A to make the connection to the proper locations easy.

expert reply by: Jason S

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Answer 1

I think you are going in the right direction. I would definitely replace the 14 gauge wire going to the trailer brake magnets with 10 gauge wire or larger. Usually larger than 10 gauge is hard to get into the trailer connector though. I would also…

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Answer 2

The Hopkins 7-Way RV Style Trailer Connector with Nite-Glow - Trailer End #HM48502 will connect to your trailer wiring based on the function and pin locations of the attached photo. I've also attached an article to further assist with the trailer…

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Answer 3

I'm happy to assist. The 7-way plug on your trailer will have the correct pin locations even if the colors don't match. It is not uncommon for different color wires to be used. I've attached a photo with the wiring location and function…

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Answer 4

I found the owner's manual for your 2019 Lance 850 and it does recommend to use 8 gauge wire with their proprietary connector. Using the 8 gauge wire from truck battery to the camper ensures you have adequate amperage to the accessories in your…

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Answer 5

Figuring out what color wire goes to what function is sometimes quite confusing. I have attached a diagram which covers both the most common wire colors designated for a seven pin trailer connector and a seven pin vehicle connector, referencing the…

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Answer 6

Trailers use a combined wiring system meaning the brake lights and turn signals are on the same circuits. Since the brake lights are working on the trailer, and because you have tested the vehicle wiring and it is working properly, there is most…

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Answer 7

The auxiliary or back-up wire on a 7-way trailer connector like #HM20041, is used to power to things like interior trailer lights or other 12V accessories. It can also be used to power backup lights, but not many trailers are equipped with those.…

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Answer 8

The Hopkins 7-Way Molded Trailer Wire Connector #H20043 is designed to be installed on a trailer and is compatible with the 7-way connector on your 2013 Tundra. When installing this harness I recommend using a wiring junction box like part #38656. I…

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Answer 9

The highest capacity straight safety cable we currently carry that could be passed through the channels of the Roadmaster BlackHawk 2 All Terrain #RM-422 is only going to be the 8,000lb capacity Roadmaster 64" Single Hook, Straight Safety Cables…

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Answer 10

As long as your 7-way trailer connector was wired as shown in the attached diagram, the auxiliary power wire should not have any affect on the electric brake output wire. The first step I would take is to test the vehicle side 7-way socket to make…

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Answer 11

The 7-way on your trailer could be wired correctly as-is. Not all 7-ways will have wires run to every one of the pins. Typically, if there are only 5 wires you will be missing the circuits will be the 12-volt accessory and the reverse light circuit.…

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Answer 12

I attached a diagram that shows how to match all of the wire colors of the Hopkins Multi-Tow 7-Way Blade and 4-Way Flat Trailer Connector #HM11141144 to the wire colors on your 2017 GMC Canyon.

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Troubleshooting 7-Way Trailer Wiring with Colors That Don't Match Functions

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