Troubleshooting Problem with Lights on Trailer Towed By 1998 Toyota RAV4

Question:

I have installed a CURT Manufacturing 55486 T-Connector kit on my 98 Rav4. The trailer lights work intermittently or not at all. I have ground to bare metal taillight bracket and hole ground to bare metal the grounding screw and used a n eyelet connection. I have run a ground wire from the grounding screw to the driver side taillight aeembly and grounded with eyelet then run another wire from this ground to the other light. I have power through each wire and the 12 volt test light responds to lights, brake turn signal, emergency flashers, turn signals left and right test light will blink when brake light and turn signal are on, I have tried two different light sets - one a Peterson Manufacturing 440 Combination Tail Light set and the other is a Blazer Trailer lighting Kit C6423. Neither light set works with the 55486 connection. Help! My boat is setting in my garage and Im not fishing!

asked by: Mike S

Helpful Expert Reply:

It sounds to me like you've covered just about everything. Intermittent wiring problems can drive you nuts, as you're finding out.

Does your trailer have a folding, swinging or tilting tongue? Over time, the pivot or hinge can become a bit worn. It'll still work, but it might not be tight enough to provide a continuous ground connection. If this is the case, you can simply make a jumper wire, a short length of wire with a ring terminal on each end, used to bridge the connection.

If this isn't the case, you'll need to try to further isolate whether the problem is with the trailer or with the wiring on the vehicle. If you have friends or neighbors that have trailers, you can try your trailer with their vehicle and their trailer with your vehicle. This will quickly show where the problem lies.

You might also check the point on the Rav4 where the # C55486 grounds. You'll need a length of wire like 12-1-1. Disconnect the ground from the vehicle and cut off the ring terminal. Use a butt connector to splice in a length of wire long enough to reach the battery, and touch the end of the wire to the negative battery terminal. If everything works okay at that point, relocate your ground on the vehicle. If that doesn't fix the problem, disconnect the ground wire on the trailer tongue, and splice on a length of wire and again run it to the negative battery terminal. If this fixes the problem, recheck and relocate the ground connection on the trailer.

Finally, its possible that the taillight circuits of your RAV4 just aren't fully capable of getting the necessary power drawn through to power the trailer lamps. If this is the case, you could either use LED lamps which draw only a fraction of the power that incandescent lamps do or you can use a powered converter, like part # C59496.

If everything checks out, please let me know. We'll bring Curt into it at that point, and see if they have any suggestions. I've linked you to our Trailer Wiring Troubleshooting Article that you might find helpful.