Changing from European 7 Way Plug to US 5 Way Plug on Land Rover D90
Question:
I just bought a European imported car that has the 7 way euro trailer plug on it. My trailer has the US style 5 way plug. How can I get them to connect properly and maintain all my lights and brakes on the trailer? Do I need to completely remove the euro style plug on the car and install the US style 7 way plug on it? How difficult would that be?
asked by: Mike
Helpful Expert Reply:
First off, huge LR Defender 90/110 fan here, so congrats on the new Rover; they're the only truck I would trade my Jeep for!
Now I'll stop being a fanboy and try to answer your question....
I think in order to preserve some of the integrity of the vehicle (considering how valuable they are in original condition), your best bet is going to be to leave the Euro 7 way plug on the vehicle as is and splice in a separate US style 4/5 way wiring harness to the vehicle. The main issue here, is that it's not going to be the easiest project since the Euro plugs separate out the functions of each individual light-where US style electrical systems and wiring harnesses mostly operate on a combined system. What I mean by this, is that the Euro plug has the left blinker wire separate from the left tail light (same on the right side) as well as a single brake light wire; to put it more simply, the Euro 7 has basically the same functions as our 4 way plugs, so we can do this.
You're going to need the following parts:
Curt Powered Tail Light Converter with 4 Pole Flat # C59236
Curt Trailer Connector Adapter - 4-Way Flat to 5-Way Flat - Vehicle End # C57187
I'm attaching a diagram of the Euro 7 way harness as a reference for you to use, but I also recommend using a circuit tester similar to # PTW2992 to make sure that your harness is wired in the same manner- you'll need someone to run through the functions while you test the voltage on each pin on your 7 way. As long as everything lines up, you'll need to start by connecting the Curt Powered Tail Light Converter # C59236 to the red wire on the input side to the brake light wire on the 7 way vehicle wiring harness . The white wire grounds to the frame. The yellow wire will attach to the left turn signal wire on the vehicle. The green wire will attach to right turn signal. Once you've completed this, you can attach the Converter box to the battery, so that it allows you to draw power.
Once you've finished installing the 4 way-run a quick test to make sure all of the circuits are receiving 12v; as long as everything checks out you can move on to adding the 5-way.
To add the 5-way adapter # C57187 you'll need to connect the blue wire included to the reverse light circuit on your vehicle (fog lights in diagram) and then plug in the 5 way adapter to your newly installed 4 way. Going about it in this manner will preserve the original factory 7 way Euro style connector while also adding a 5 way connector compatible with your existing trailer.
It's a lot of work, but on top of being the only permanent solution, it allows you to keep the vehicle in its' factory condition. On top of the products you'll need to complete this installation, I've linked a couple of helpful articles on troubleshooting and some wiring diagram FAQs- this might be helpful to refer back to once you've gotten started on this in the event you get stuck somewhere along the way.
Products Referenced in This Question
Curt Trailer Connector Adapter - 4-Way Flat to 5-Way Flat - Vehicle End
- Trailer Wiring
- Wiring Adapters
- Single-Function Adapter
- 4 Flat
- Plug and Lead
- 5 Flat
- CURT
more information >
Curt Powered Tail Light Converter with 4-Pole Flat Trailer Connector
- Custom Fit Vehicle Wiring
- Trailer Hitch Wiring
- Converter
- Universal Fit
- 4 Flat
- CURT
more information >
Product Page this Question was Asked From
Adapter 7-Pole Round Pins To 4-Pole Flat
- Trailer Wiring
- Wiring Adapters
- Single-Function Adapter
- 7 Round - Round
- Plug Only
- 4 Flat
- Hopkins
more information >
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