Kyle:
Here is the standard setup for trailer lights. There are 4 wires,
one white (ground), one brown (running lights), one yellow (left turn signal
and brakes), one green (right turn signal and brakes). When you apply the
brakes, it is like putting on both turn signals at the same time.
If your "brake" lights shine when you have your running lights on,
then you have got the yellow and green wires hooked up where the brown wire
should be. The brown wire needs to go to both sides of the trailer,
taillights and side marker lights. It sounds like your side markers are
okay, but that you have hooked the brown wire up to the "bright" terminal on
the taillights. This would also mean that when you turn on the turn signals,
that the lights only come on to the dim setting, instead of the bright
setting.
Another thing to check is that you have got a good ground on the
truck, and at all points where the lights ground to the trailer. It's a good
idea to grind each of these grounding points down to bare metal, then put
some "cold galvanizing" zinc paint on each of these spots. About half of all
trailer light problems can be traced to a bad ground.
The other half can be traced to crossed wires. Remember - white is
ground, yellow is left turn, green is right turn, brown is running lights.
You can check these circuits one at a time by using a couple of jumper wires,
while the plugs are disconnected between the truck and trailer. Keep the
white wires jumpered, then test each of the other circuits one at a time.
Jumper the brown wire, and turn on the truck's running lights. The trailer
running lights should come on, with the taillights on "dim". Jumper the
yellow wire, and put on the left turn signal. The signal on the trailer
should work, on "bright". With the yellow jumper still hooked up, put on the
brakes. The left trailer taillight should come on "bright". Jumper the
green wire, put on the right turn signal, and the trailer turn signal should
work. Again, apply the brakes with the green wire jumpered, and the right
side brake light should come on.
Good luck, and let us know how it works out.
Steve.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Jun 20 2003 - 12:13:39 EDT