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What the heck is up with my trucks trailer lighting?


bluebombersfan

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I hooked up my first trailer to this truck a few weeks ago. Did a light test and left blinker wasn't working on my old trailer. Big deal I thought it was an old trailer needed new lights and wiring anyway. Upgraded all the lights and wiring and same problem.
I tracked the problem to my truck. But it's not that simple. Here is whats going on. Left light and brake light don't work. Then I put my night lights on then left light is very bright. left brake light then works but left signal light will still not work.
Please someone make my day a tell me there is a quick fix to this because this is the most screwed up thing. This makes no sense to me.
 


shane96ranger

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Take the bulb out and see if the socket is melted/corroded. Also, pull the harness apart that is behind the rear bumper and check for corrosion.


Sent from my Quad Core Acer A210
 

bluebombersfan

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Like mentioned lights are new. its coming from my truck all screwed up. I already put on a new harness myself. I checked many times I lined up all the wires correctly on the new harness.
I hooked up a single light to each wire I could not get a flashing left signal light from any wire. Something is very off and very strange about this. I am almost wondering if this might be some kind of wiring screw up from the factory because I have never experienced such strange behaviour like this for a simple 4 wire trailer wiring.
 

shane96ranger

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I'm not talking about the bulb. I am talking about the socket the bulb goes in to. And by replacing the wiring, I assumed you meant you rewired and replaced the trailer stuff, seeing as how all of that is in your paragraph about the trailer. Did I misunderstand? What exactly is new then (on the truck)? Did you buy a new harness, junkyard harness, etc.?

Sent from the can
 
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RonD

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If it makes no sense then it's probably a ground problem, lol.

This is a good resource for trailer wiring
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/TrailerLights.html


Brighter light can mean that light is being used as a ground by something else or if its a double filament bulb then the wrong filament is coming on or both are coming on.

The bad ground could be, and most likely is, in the truck
 

fyre82

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+1 on the ground issue.
I completely pulled the wiring out of my first trailer because it was wonky, but when I hooked it into the truck harness it worked fine.
I fixed grounds between the truck and trailer and have great function and bright lights.

What I did was add a ground wire to the hookup. One end grounded to the truck, the other to the trailer.

Rich
 

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