Exterior lights - Hi-Lo camper travel trailer forum

Jthiel · 03-14-2011, 10:33 AM

i sold my '84 on saturday to Ducatidom and when he hooked up he had no exterior lights. the turn signals, brake and backup lights all worked fine but not other lights came on. i am pretty sure they all worked when i broght it home but i had no turn signals etc.
i had a new plug put on at my RV dealer and he had to put in new wiring as well. so now the exterior lights are out.
is this a fuse somewhere? or is it one of the wires in the plug?
i don't have the manuals of course, they went with it.
thanks

retiredcamper47 · 03-14-2011, 12:40 PM

There should be a fuse/breaker for the lights. It could also be the plug on the trailer or tow vehicle. What I would do first is spray both the plug end and the plug connector on the tow vehicle with a contact cleaner. I use PB Blaster. This will take care of any corrosion on the pins. Plug the two together and see if the lights work. If not, check to see if the lights are good by holding the trailer plug in your hand with the "flat notch" in a 12 o"clock position. Insert a two prong 12v automotive flasher unit into the top two holes of the plug (one to the left of the flat notch and the one to the right of the flat notch). All the exterior lights should start flashing. If not, you have a fuse/breaker problem. The flasher trick works well if you break down on the side of the road. If you use the 4-ways on your tow vehicle, only the tail lights on the trailer will flash. With the flasher unit, all the lights flash making the trailer more noticeable. I use the flasher to check out my exterior lights on my trailer prior to going on a trip. This way I don't have to hook up my truck to check them. Hope this helps.

Bob

Towlighter · 03-14-2011, 12:55 PM

Great idea with the flasher Bob! I will be adding one of these to my emergency kit. Thanks.

Brian

RichR · 03-14-2011, 07:59 PM

I tried that on our 2310H and it doesn't work because all the lights are LED and don't draw enough amperage to make the flasher work. Maybe an electronic flasher would do it.

You should get a 12 volt test light or/and a multimeter and check all the contacts on the tow vehicle end first to see if there is any power coming through. If that is ok go on to check the trailer plug. Loose wire connections and dirty contacts in the plug are prime culprits.

ducatidom · 03-23-2011, 08:20 PM

Yeah gotta figure this out. I haven't looked at the trailer end, but the vehicle end is all brand new within a day or two of purchase. TV is prewired for both 4 and 7 pin plugs. all relays and wiring was installed just before purchase. I suspect the RV place made a not so great connection on the trailer plug. I'll post up when I figure it out

RichR · 03-23-2011, 08:42 PM

If you check the TV socket and find it okay all the way around look first at the ground connection on the trailer plug because everything grounds through it. You can get some grounding transferred via the hitch but it can be very poor. Trying the flasher as suggested will tell allot about the trailer end of the system.

sam · 03-24-2011, 12:50 AM

90 HiLo Our exterior lights on the back of the trailer frustrated for several years. Hubby soldered the wires and they have worked great ever since. Remember bouncing down the road is hard on the lights ect.

vannooch · 03-24-2011, 09:07 AM

Did you check the wiring between the lower and upper halves? Maybe something is pinched?

RichR · 03-24-2011, 06:46 PM

Good thought V. Adding to that, those wires are located in the bathroom area and are with the vent pipe which is usually under a cloth cover.

TrulyOregon · 03-27-2011, 12:08 AM

Just left Oregon coast and running lights worked fine. Traveled about half hour and noticed they were out but everything else worked great. Checked fuse in TV and it was fine. Left multimeter at home, another cklist item, but will ck it at home. All the wires coming into battery compartment seem suspect for problem. Will post results. Did have plethora of rain which may have contributed. Thanks for flasher tip.
Frank

sam · 03-27-2011, 01:27 AM

We got caught a couple of times without the multimeter to check on any electrical problems. Then we purchased one to leave in the trailer. Harbor freight frequently has an inexpensive one on sale. We also purchased one with more features on sale at Sears. Hubby took electrical/electronics in school.