Troubleshooting Power from Connector on Pickup but No Trailer Lights

Question:

I have power at the plug on the truck, but no running lights,or tail lights,or turn singals

asked by: Samuel K

Helpful Expert Reply:

If the connector on your pickup shows power for the lights when you test it then the issue should be on your trailer. You can verify this by connecting a different trailer to your pickup or by using a 12V battery to power the individual pins on your connector. Just ground the negative terminal and use a wire from the positive terminal to power the different pins.

The most common issue with trailer lights that aren't working is a bad ground. Since none of your lights are working though I would start off by making sure that your trailer connector is still in good working order. Make sure it doesn't have any debris or corrosion and clean out as necessary. The next step is to trace all of your wiring and look for places where it is pinched or damaged with 16 gauge wire like part # 16-1-1 which is sold by the foot.

Attached is a helpful article on troubleshooting trailer wiring for you to check out.

expert reply by: Jon G