Fuse Blows After Towing Dolly With 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan

Question:

I purchase Item # c56331 in 2014 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan and have used it with my pop up without issue. I recently purchased a tow dolly and used this vehicle to tow it home. I have never had issues towing my pop up previously, but after towing the tow dolly after about 1 hour on the way home the fuse blew in the wiring in the yellow fuse holder. Once I replace the fuse all lights, signals, braking etc. are working on the tow dolly. Is this an overload issue and how can I check this? There are a lot of LED lights on the tow dolly. At first glance and run through on the wiring I cannot find a short in the wiring but have not yet located the grounding on the trailer. What else should I be looking for? Thanks in advance.

asked by: Matt M

Expert Reply:

From how you described it, there might be an overload situation with the Curt T-Connector Vehicle Wiring Harness # C56331 on your 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan with the tow dolly. That said, LED lights don't normally have much draw and the maximum amps the harness can handle are 7.5 amps per circuit for the tail lights and 4.2 amps per circuit for the stop/turn lights. You said there were a lot of lights which is why this still might be the case. You can check the maximum draw of the lights and match them up to the amperage rating of the harness. You will also want to check both your vehicle and trailer connectors for corrosion, which can be green or white in color. A build-up of corrosion can interfere with the signals getting through the connectors so if it is present you are going to need to either replace the plug or clean the corrosion. You'll also need to make sure your grounds are attached to bare metal surfaces and free of any paint, dirt or corrosion.

I have added links to a pair of help articles on trailer wiring, including a troubleshooting guide which I highly recommend taking a look at.

expert reply by: Kyle S