Troubleshooting Intermittent Running Lights on the Curt T-Connector Vehicle Wiring Harness
Question:
Help, please. This old fart wants to go fishing. 2 years ago I had a CURT hitch installed on my 2014 Toyota Sienna van. The install was done in TN. where I was at the time. They also installed a wiring harness with a 4-way connector. Everything has worked fine up until this week. The other day, the Running Lights and only the Running lights stopped functioning sometimes. The issue was intermittent. Yesterday, I drove 80 miles to fish and the running lights were working fine. On the way back, and actually, before I pulled out of the parking lot, they failed again. I drove home with my blinkers on. Doing some checking both by myself and with the service garage on the corner we still have one of those...weve determined that the wiring harness is putting out 12 volts right after its connection to my vans tail lights. The wiring goes into a black box, provided by CURT from what we can tell, and the output voltage on the brown running lights wire is .6 volts. Looks like we need another black box. If that were all, I wouldnt be calling on the brain trust here. The new to me trailer that I now have connected to the van, has substantially more LED lights than the previous trailer. Ive only run this one a week or two. I am wondering if the resistor inside of the black box isnt sized large enough to handle the additional load. If that is the case, then just replacing what I have in kind probably wont last long. Does Curt or any other manufacturer make a heavier duty black box? Am I on the right track?? Does anyone on this site install Curt hitches and might have the parts that I need? If the Curt device isnt readily available, can I just use a Reese or other companys wire harness? Any and all help appreciated.
asked by: Rich G
Expert Reply:
If you have power passing through the convert box on the Curt T-Connector Vehicle Wiring Harness part # C56106 then it is working properly. It sounds to me like there's a connection issue somewhere along your wiring harness. The first thing I would do is check the trailer connectors. I suggest using a bit of electrical cleaner between the pins on the 4-way trailer connector for both the vehicle and trailer. You will also want to check the wires leading into the connector to ensure they are properly attached. Before mating the two connectors back together use a bit of dielectric grease like part # 11755 to prevent further issues.
The next thing I would check is the ground wire on both the trailer and vehicle. Remove the ring terminal and sand down the mounting surface then re-attach the wire. If neither of these procedures yield a result you will need to begin tracing the running light wire from the vehicle to the trailer. You can use a circuit tester like part # PTW2992 to check intermittent points in the harness to see where the break occurs.
Once the above steps are completed the problem should be fixed but if the problem still continues, please let me know and I would be glad to provide additional troubleshooting procedures for you.
Products Referenced in This Question
Curt T-Connector Vehicle Wiring Harness with 4-Pole Flat Trailer Connector
- Custom Fit Vehicle Wiring
- Trailer Hitch Wiring
- Powered Converter
- Custom Fit
- 4 Flat
- CURT
more information >
Product Page this Question was Asked From
Dielectric Grease for Electrical Connectors, 2 oz.
- Accessories and Parts
- Trailer Wiring
- Wiring
- Dielectric Grease
- LubriMatic
more information >
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