How to Troubleshoot Vehicle Wiring and Alpena Trailblaze Tailgate LED Lights ALP77229

Question:

I hooked these up and during the day when my head lights are off the tailblaze lights seem to work fine. But at night when my headlights are on the tailblaze lights do light up but brake or turn signals dont seem to work on the tail blaze lights. Is that normal seems weird that they would work like that.

asked by: Matt

Expert Reply:

The Alpena Trailblaze Tailgate LED Lights # ALP77229 rely on the lighting signals from your vehicle in order to operate. The lights use the same type of 4-pole connector found on trailers; this type of wiring carries brake, turn and tail light signals. You can see which signals appear on which pin by referring to the linked photo.

I suggest testing your vehicle's wiring with a tester like # PTW2993 to confirm that the necessary signals are present on the vehicle wiring. Please refer to the included video link to see how the tester is used to do this. If so, then make sure your main ground wire is solidly attached to a clean bare metal surface.

You can also test the light itself directly by applying +12V power and ground connections to each circuit, one at a time to see if they function correctly.

expert reply by: Adam R