Tail lights not working

Being new I was getting ready to take my first trip only to discover my taillights aren't working. I just bought this 2008 17T. I am thinking it is the 7 pin female connection. Has anybody had this problem?

It COULD be the 7-pin connector, but the current to the tail lights comes all the way from your tow vehicle battery, so the problem could be anywhere along that path to the tail lights themselves, including inside the trailer.

When you say the tail lights are not working, do you mean the brake and turn signal lights, or the night time running lights, or both? And, are the other running lights on the trailer at the top front and rear working?

You can buy a simple 7-pin plug tester that you plug into the 7-pin socket in the tow vehicle to check ALL the outputs at that point. I highly recommend you get one of these. This is one like I have: https://www.amazon.com/CURT-58270-Vehicle-Socket-Trailer/dp/B001EOWQY4

If all those circuits check good, the problem is on your trailer side. You can check all the running lights in the trailer, their circuits, and the trailer plug part for them with a simple turn signal flasher, as discussed in Post #2 of this thread: https://www.hilotrailerforum.com/f11/lost-running-lights-2008-15-ft-hilo-5381/

If you make a couple jumper wires for the flasher, you can connect the trailer's battery to each of the brake/turn signal lights for the trailer too. You simply have to connect the battery +12V blade to the appropriate brake/turn signal blade. This would be the 11 o'clock to the 9 o'clock (right turn) and then to the 3 o'clock (left turn) positions, I believe.

I think the most common cause of non-functioning lights is rodent damage to the wires inside the trailer. I had this and had to replace one wire. Then, I "rodent-proofed" the trailer!

- Jack

Sounds like either a ground issue or trailer plug issue to me check bulb's out see if blown .

There is one ground which connects to all the upper lights, etc. It is where all the wires converge rear right corner and is covered in a cloth holder. all the grounds are tied together with a wire nut and tape.

Thanks for the replies, as it turned out it was U Haul who did the wiring in the vehicle by hard wiring to one of the tail lights instead of using an approved wiring harness which made it a Plug and play. This was after many days of scratching my head trying to figure out what was wrong. The final correction I had to make was that the green and brown wire had to be swapped making the green wire connected to the brown on the plug to the Vehicle making the brown wire was then connected to the green of the camper. Must of been wired wrong in the camper.

Sounds like my brain.

In my 2305 I found that HILO did not follow industry standard wire colors, you should check the HILO manual

How did you rodent proof your trailer?

WayneinMaine said:

How did you rodent proof your trailer?

Click to expand...

Put hardware cloth (a wire screen, 1/4" openings) and pest block foam in all the openings they could go through.

- Jack