Troubleshooting Lost Power on 7-Way Trailer Connector on 2018 Ram 1500

Question:

I was installing LED bed lights by tapping into 12 volt always on power at the trailer hitch. I confirmed power prior to install, then disconnected battery and installed. Reconnected battery and there is no power to the hitch at all. Checked F30, F29, F28 fuses - none are blown. No power for any of the hitch wires - turn signals, parking or brakes. Seems like a fuse must be blown somewhere. Any ideas of what could be going on?

asked by: Doug

Expert Reply:

I'd start by making sure that your 7 way didn't get disconnected from the US car connector it's plugged into. If a fuse was blown, it would normally only effect the circuit that it's tied to, so I don't believe that would be the cause of your issue. For everything to completely shut off would lead me to believe that something has either become loose or disconnected completely.

If that isn't the case, it might be possible that something overloaded the 7 way connector and fried it. You can replace it with the Curt # C55774 if needed, which will plug directly into the US car connector on your 2018 Ram 1500.

I'll also mention that tapping into the 7 way connector really isn't recommended to get power your power source for these LED lights. I recommend wiring directly to the battery and installing a switch in between the battery and the lights in order to avoid potentially shorting out the 7 way or draining the battery. You can use 12 gauge wiring part # 12-1-1 (sold by the foot) and the Pollak Universal-Design Rocker Switch - SPST - On-Off - 12 Volt - 20 Amp - Black # PK34308 for the switch.

If your 7 way is still plugged in completely, please let me know and I can give you some other things to look at.

expert reply by: Erik B