Posted 2007-03-13 11:28 AM (#57048) Subject: Interior Lights not working - now what?
Member
Posts: 23
Location: Kansas
Although, running, brakes, and turn signal lights all work, the interior and loading lights of our trailer won't come on. Talked with a trailer dealer and the business that installed our GN hitch. Here are the things they suggested, which we've checked.
- black wire connected to black wire in junction box under GN nose - yes
- fuse in place for Constant Hot connection - yes
- all plug prongs making contact - yes
What else can we check? Could it be faulty wiring or a short?
We'll be having it wired for outlets, soon, but would like to avoid an additional service fee if it's something we can resolve ourselves. Thanks for any suggestions.
Posted 2007-03-13 4:55 PM (#57052 - in reply to #57048) Subject: RE: Interior Lights not working - now what?
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 378 Location: Nebraska
Did they work before? If yes -Do you have voltage at the junction box under gn nose? If no- Do you have voltage at the proper terminal on the truck side of the plug? If no -What kind of truck do you have ? If you answered yes to the last 2 ?'s Check ground and Check voltage at the lites and the switch, If you have replaced lites with LED lites, could be backwards
Posted 2007-03-14 8:04 AM (#57063 - in reply to #57048) Subject: RE: Interior Lights not working - now what?
Member
Posts: 23
Location: Kansas
Originally written by farmbabe on 2007-03-14 7:42 AMawwww.just buy a new trailer...problem solved
LOL! It is a new trailer (to us), an '05. According to the previous owners, the lights worked. No change to LED lights.The truck is an '07 Chevy and we haven't tried testing the voltage - need to get a tester, but sounds like that's the next step.Thanks for the input!
Posted 2007-03-15 10:39 AM (#57100 - in reply to #57048) Subject: RE: Interior Lights not working - now what?
Member
Posts: 23
Location: Kansas
Wish that were the case. sigh We got a tester and the truck end is hot and the constant-hot fuse is in place. The trailer cord doesn't look corroded. Prongs look fine. We didn't test connections in the junction box, and that's next. The previous owners told me again, yesterday, the lights worked for them. Any other ideas?
Posted 2007-03-15 1:47 PM (#57110 - in reply to #57100) Subject: RE: Interior Lights not working - now what?
Expert
Posts: 2828 Location: Southern New Mexico
Did they ever work for you? Your trailer may be wired differntly than your truck. There is no industry standard. When I got my trailer, the interior lights werent wired to the hot lead, they were spliced in to the tail lights and only worked when my trailers running lights were on. I had to change the wire.
Posted 2007-03-15 1:55 PM (#57111 - in reply to #57048) Subject: RE: Interior Lights not working - now what?
Member
Posts: 23
Location: Kansas
We just bought the trailer less than 3 weeks ago and didn't have our hitch installed until last week, so didn't hook up the trailer until over the weekend. According to the trailer wiring diagram I downloaded from the Titan website, the number 4 pin is the connection for the interior lights, which corresponds to the truck outlet connection that tested hot. Not sure what to do next. How did you go about changing the wiring?
Posted 2007-03-15 2:07 PM (#57113 - in reply to #57048) Subject: RE: Interior Lights not working - now what?
Member
Posts: 23
Location: Kansas
How do I check to see if there is actually power with the plug in? Through the junction box? All the running lights, brake, and turn signals are working. Appreciate all the brainstorming on this - it's rather frustrating.
Posted 2007-03-15 2:26 PM (#57116 - in reply to #57048) Subject: RE: Interior Lights not working - now what?
Member
Posts: 23
Location: Kansas
'nother question - if one of the interior light connections were bad, would that cause all the other interior lights not to come on? The outside loading light doesn't come on either and that would be because it's on the same circuit as the interior lights, right?
Posted 2007-03-15 4:18 PM (#57120 - in reply to #57048) Subject: RE: Interior Lights not working - now what?
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 402 Location: Lockport, Illinois
Once you establish you have power to the #4 terminal, check at the junction box for power on the black wire. Make sure you have good ground by checking the marker lights at the junction box for power when you have the marker lights working on the trailer. If you have then have current at the black wire, then go to the first light in the trailer, remove the cover, put the clip to ground, take the bulb out, and make sure you only make contact with the little button in the center. If you touch both the center and the outside you will short it out. If you don't get current there, then your problem is isolated from the junction box to the first light. This could only be used if you have on and off switches on the lights, if you have seperate on and off switches, you will have to check current to them first.
Posted 2007-03-15 5:04 PM (#57121 - in reply to #57116) Subject: RE: Interior Lights not working - now what?
Expert
Posts: 2828 Location: Southern New Mexico
When you plug into your truck, don't turn on anything (running lights or blinkers). That way only the hot wire should have power and you'll know for sure you have the hot lead. Also, don't go by what color is in the manuel, they may have used a different color. On mine the interior lights are supoosed to be on a black wire according to the manuel, but they are actually on a blue wire. Check all the wires and find which one is hot in your junction box. If you have power at the junction box and not at the light, you should trace the wire between and see if there is a bare spot or splice that is coroded or has come apart. On my trailer it has a covering that is split on one side so you can pull the wires out. I haven't had any problems on this trailer, but on my last one I just gave up and rewired the whole thing. It was easier than trying to find the shorts.
Posted 2007-03-15 8:05 PM (#57128 - in reply to #57048) Subject: RE: Interior Lights not working - now what?
Member
Posts: 48 Location: Kansas
KatB- Peepers Mom here.....just a thought in case you overlooked it, if you have two toggle switches on the right rear exterior of the trailer those switches would control the horse section lights and rear loading light. Are those switched on??? I don't have a rear loading light but my horse section light is right back there. Good luck!
Posted 2007-03-16 7:58 AM (#57144 - in reply to #57048) Subject: RE: Interior Lights not working - now what?
Member
Posts: 23
Location: Kansas
Thanks, everyone, for the suggestions. We're going to go over everything with a fine-toothed comb, er, I mean tester ;-) this weekend. If all else fails, we'll have the nearby dealer figure it out for us. Hiya, Peeper's Mom! Yes, there are those toggle switches and we tried them both ways - nada. How's little Blackie Jr. getting along? BlueCow8 - How did you figure out which bulb was out if none of the interior lights come on?
Posted 2007-03-16 3:10 PM (#57182 - in reply to #57048) Subject: RE: Interior Lights not working - now what?
Member
Posts: 48 Location: Kansas
The only other thing to offer is to spit or spray WD40 on both ends of the light plug ins. Dirt and debri collect in there not allowing for a good contact. In fact, a client at the clinic needed to transport a horse to KSU for surgery last week and the trailer lights were't working. I "fixed" them w/ my potion and off she went, with all the lights working. Hope your cure is as simple as that! Your trailer is very nice!
And the little guy is doing terrific, thanks! Just turned him & Momma out w/ the other two today & all is fine.
Posted 2007-03-17 1:49 PM (#57230 - in reply to #57048) Subject: RE: Interior Lights not working - now what?
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 378 Location: Nebraska
On my trailer the center post is auxillary power, interior light, load lights,and etc. if you want ot use the #4 post you need to move some wires around.
Posted 2007-03-17 3:28 PM (#57234 - in reply to #57230) Subject: RE: Interior Lights not working - now what?
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 402 Location: Lockport, Illinois
Originally written by hconley on 2007-03-17 1:49 PM
On my trailer the center post is auxiliary power, interior light, load lights, and etc. if you want to use the #4 post you need to move some wires around.
It really depends on the plug, if you are using a RV type plug the #4 is the hot wire, if you use a common small horse trailer plug, the center is used for hot. Could it be that the trailer has the RV type plug and the truck has a small plug, and an adapter is used? which I know there are two different adapters for this type of arrangement, and they are wired differently.
Posted 2007-03-19 8:05 AM (#57299 - in reply to #57048) Subject: SUCCESS!! Thanks, All!
Member
Posts: 23
Location: Kansas
We now have interior lights! It WAS a matter of switching wires around in the junction box. I didn't witness the *surgery*, but my husband said something about one of the black wires needing to go to another connection. Plus, I also got ALL advertising decals removed over the weekend. Just facing them in the sun was enough to allow them to peel off pretty easily. Thanks, everyone, for the great advice offered on this forum! :)
Interior Lights not working - now what?
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Hope your cure is as simple as that! Your trailer is very nice!