Troubleshooting Tow Ready # 118336 Trailer Wiring Harness Installed on 2004 Honda CRV  

Question:

Expert Reply:

The Tow Ready # 118336 has a 1-year limited warranty. There are no recurring problems with this particular wiring harness that I'm aware of. The most common reason for them to fail is a short circuit in the trailer wiring. If this is the case, the harness has served its purpose and prevented the short from damaging any of the vehicle wiring.

The first thing you'll want to do is determine if the problem is with the harness or with the trailer wiring. You can do this by using a circuit tester like part # PTW2993 on the trailer connector on your vehicle. Activate the left turn signal on the vehicle and test the pin on the connector that's fed by the yellow wire. The tester should blink along with the turn signal. If it tests okay, then the problem is in your trailer wiring. Start at the connector on the trailer and trace the left turn circuit from the connector all the way back to the taillight. Look for pinched wires or cracked or worn wire insulation that would allow the copper wire to short out on the trailer frame.

If the connector on the vehicle does NOT test okay, locate the converter box. With the left turn signal on, test the yellow wire entering the converter box, on the input side. Then, test the wire right as it exists on the output side. If you have signal entering but not exiting the converter box, the converter is bad and needs to be replaced. As I mentioned, a short in the trailer wiring typically causes this. If you simply replace the converter without finding and repairing the short, you'll continue to short out converter boxes.

We have a very helpful article telling how to troubleshoot wiring harnesses and trailer wiring. You can see it by clicking the link I provided.

expert reply by: Mike L

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