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Prepare Bad Boat and Utility Trailer Light Wiring

Trailer Lights Not Working?

Introduction

Trailer lights out? Hither'southward how to diagnose and fix trailer lights that are dim or don't work. Most fixes are quick and easy.

Tools Required

Materials Required

220-dust sandpaper
Electrical contact cleaner
Replacement lite bulb
Wiring kit

Keep your trailer light wiring in tiptop status

If your utility trailer is starting to prove its age, you no doubt take had problems with your lights. Properly operation trailer lights are a must for safe, so bank check your lights every time y'all use your trailer. Some bug, such equally a burned-out seedling or a bad trailer light ground wire, can be a snap to fix—others tin exist a existent pain to diagnose and repair. Follow the steps in our photograph sequence to keep your trailer lights in peak status.

Projection stride-by-pace (9)

Step 1

Trailer Lights Not Working Solution: Troubleshoot your vehicle with a tester

Cheque the vehicle organization

tester

Plug a tow vehicle tester into the connector in the vehicle to make sure the trailer lite wiring system works.

Trailer Lights That Always Piece of work

Shut-up of tow vehicle testers

wiring

Two types of a trailer wiring tester. Cheque your vehicle's plug configuration. Hook up your trailer and connect the trailer light harness. Have a helper stand back to encounter if the running lights, stoplights and blinkers are working properly. If all the lights appear dim or yous have no lights at all, check the trailer calorie-free harness at the tow vehicle. Beginning disconnect the harness and plug a tester (Photo) into the receptacle from your vehicle. This tester will tell y'all immediately if you have a trouble in the trailer light wiring from your auto or truck. If the tester shows a problem, bank check the operation of all your vehicle lights to make sure you lot don't accept a diddled fuse, a bad flasher or a burned-out low-cal. Make clean the connector (Photo, Footstep ii below) and check again. Cheque for broken wires well-nigh the connector. If you still have issues, make an date to take the wiring checked. If the lights on the tester function properly, the trouble is the trailer lights or harness and you lot need to some trailer lights troubleshooting.

Stride ii

Trailer Lights Non Working Solution: Clean both connector plugs

Clean the trailer light wiring connectors

Clean

Make clean the plug and socket with a special cleaner. If after yous check the tow vehicle for problems the trailer lights nevertheless appear dim or aren't lighting at all, clean the connector plug. Spray the connector with an electrical contact cleaner and apply a fine wire brush to make clean the contact pins.

Selecting a Tow Hitch

Step iii

Trailer Lights Not Working Solution: Check the trailer lite wiring footing

Tighten the ground

Tighten

Clean the footing contact and tighten the basis wire to the metal frame. Next, check the basis wire. About problems occur hither. Remove the ground screw and sand the wire terminal and trailer chassis contact with sandpaper. If the basis screw itself is corroded, replace it with a new screw.

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Step 4

Trailer Lights Not Working Solution: Replace bad bulbs

Supercede the seedling

bulb

Remove a seedling with a slight twist and install the new ane by reversing the twist direction. If y'all accept one low-cal out (either running lights or blinker/finish lights) yous probably just need to replace the seedling. Remove the lens, replace the seedling and check it. If it works, y'all're on your way.

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Step 5

Trailer Lights Not Working Solution: Clean corroded sockets

Sand corroded sockets

dowel

Remove corrosion with fine sandpaper and three/8-in. dowel to get into tight spaces. If the light nevertheless doesn't piece of work, y'all may have corrosion in the socket at the contact points. Attach a flake of 220-dust sandpaper to the butt end of a iii/8-in.dowel with hot glue. Clean the contact points by spinning the dowel and moving it side to side. Put a dab of dielectric grease (from a hardware store) on the contacts and insert the seedling. If the lite still doesn't work, check the mounting bolts for the low-cal to brand sure they're making a clean contact with the trailer frame. If you meet corrosion hither, scrub it with sandpaper and check the lights once more.

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Stride 6

Trailer Lights Not Working Solution: Run a continuity exam

test

Check the trailer wiring past running a continuity test by connecting a jumper wire to the connector pins and a continuity tester to the sockets.

Close-upward of connector pins

Connect the jumper wire to i of the pins in the trailer socket.

Restriction Lite-Check Assistant

Step vii

Shut-upwardly of a continuity tester

continuity

A continuity tester contains a light bulb and a bombardment. The bulb lights when a circuit is skilful.

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Step 8

Shut-up of a jumper wire

wire

Alligator clips at the wire ends make continuity connections quick and piece of cake. If the lights on 1 side still aren't working, you may have a intermission in the wire. To test for a cleaved wire, check the color of the wire going to the socket and so find that wire on the connector in front end. Clip ane cease of a long jumper wire (Photo 2) to the connector pin and then prune the other stop to the continuity tester. Probe within the socket with the tester (you'll meet the color of the wire that connects to the socket inside). If the light fails to go along, trace the wire and check for bare spots or breaks. If you find a suspension, cut the wire at the pause, solder a new connection and repair the insulation with heat-shrink tubing, which is available at hardware stores.

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Step 9

Trailer Lights Not Working Solution: Replace the trailer light wiring

How to wire a new trailer light system

system

Don't hesitate to supervene upon the entire wiring system if it's desperately corroded. If all else fails and you're finding badly corroded parts, you can purchase a new wire harness for most $xx. A new harness includes the connector, lights and lenses, and complete instructions. In most cases, it tin be installed in about ii hours.

High-Visibility Trailer

Originally Published: April 30, 2019

Barton Sursity