Replacing Factory 7-Way Connector on 1997 Dodge Ram 1500

Question:

On my 97 Dodge ram 1500 4 x 4 I have I am needing to replace the trailer light plug but when I told the old one off and has two quick connects and the seven wires are separated three and four. The new connector Does not have the quick connect. However they both have seven wires.do I Follow the previous wiring set up to connect this and if I attach the white ground wire on the pick up I still have to ground the trailer correct

asked by: Brandi

Expert Reply:

In order to install your new 4-Way/7-Way harness on your 1997 Dodge Ram 1500, which looks like our Hopkins part # 37185, you will need to start by cutting the plug ends off the truck side connectors that would have plugged into the harness you just removed. Then cut off the 4-Way connector from the new harness.

Then it will be just a matter of splicing the wires from the new harness to the factory wires under the truck by function. You will want to use a circuit tester like # PTW2993 to test each of those factory wires under the truck to determine their function. You can have a buddy sit in the cab and run through the various functions (signal lights, brakes, etc) while you test each of the wires to see which one carries power with each function.

On the new harness white is ground (for both white wires), blue is brake output, black is 12V power, purple is auxiliary (typically used for reverse lights if needed), brown is running lights, yellow is left turn/brake light and green is right turn/brake light. The ground wire will indeed just get attached to a clean bare metal surface on the truck.

expert reply by: Chris R