another trailer light issue

[BowtieJC]

i just hooked up my new trailer and now I don't have any lights working on the trailer. plus my trucks tail lights are dim. brakes are normal and turns signals normal. when i unplug the trailer my tail lights are back to normal. i did tie up some wires under the trailer to tuck them up a little better. thats all I've done . any ideas. seem like everything I've touched this week has went to crap.

 

[AK49BWL]

I suspect you have a short to ground on the trailer park lights circuit. That's about the only reason the truck lights would be affected to that degree.. Is it just the park lights that don't work on the trailer, or no lights at all period?

 

[BowtieJC]

No lights at all on trailer . The 12v accessory still works because the interior light will turn on , but nothing else .

 

[thegawd]

you "might"have a bad ground. when this happened with my boat trailer it turned out that the axle that the fenders were mounted to that held the lights, was not electrically connected to the frame. SOOOOOO I attached a 12 foot jumper to connect them permanent. I was very frustrated and started with a 20 foot jumper screwed to the trucks frame, I then touched the rear lights ground and everything started working again, of course this was after I ripped all of the vehicles wiring apart that I had soldered and shrinkwrapped and knew that it should be fine.... it was..... problem was trailer side and in most cases when a trailer isn't lighting up right, when it looks legit, is a bad ground, usually because most of these lights use the mounting screws for ground. which rust and break ground.

one time an hour after picking up a newly commercially registered enclosed trailer all lights stopped working..... took it back to the dealer and they started tearing the interior apart. they found a screw put through a few wires shorting to ground, it was a wonder that it worked at all. we demanded another trailer instead....

Al

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

you "might"have a bad ground. when this happened with my boat trailer it turned out that the axle that the fenders were mounted to that held the lights, was not electrically connected to the frame. SOOOOOO I attached a 12 foot jumper to connect them permanent. I was very frustrated and started with a 20 foot jumper screwed to the trucks frame, I then touched the rear lights ground and everything started working again, of course this was after I ripped all of the vehicles wiring apart that I had soldered and shrinkwrapped and knew that it should be fine.... it was..... problem was trailer side and in most cases when a trailer isn't lighting up right, when it looks legit, is a bad ground, usually because most of these lights use the mounting screws for ground. which rust and break ground.

one time an hour after picking up a newly commercially registered enclosed trailer all lights stopped working..... took it back to the dealer and they started tearing the interior apart. they found a screw put through a few wires shorting to ground, it was a wonder that it worked at all. we demanded another trailer instead....

Al

Yup! Bad grounds are the bane of electrical existence! Rebuilt a trailer connector and stinger ( cable between car plug and trailer plug) after dinner in a Dairy Queen parking lot on the way home from Dallas once. Dad rewired the whole trailer when we got home. Found a few sketchy connections. Another time, had to try 3 U haul trailers before getting one with properly working lights. Driving at night, that might be a good idea.....

 

[BowtieJC]

I found it. When i fixed the wires from
Hanging down , where the factory had connected the electric brakes , they didnt have the ends covered good so when i pulled them up and zip tied them, the ends touched the back of the drum and shorted out. All fixed now . Thanks for all the help