Another DANG Right Brake Light problem...

[lokerd]

Ok, I know you all get sick of this. I have just read: http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=317398&highlight=right+brake+light (and a lot of other thread and general Google searching) which I have nearly an identical problem in terms of the symptoms and the steps to try to trouble shoot it. I spent 3+ hours yesterday trying to fix this.

The problem is no Brake Light. I ran a separate brown line all the way to the front and tapped into a marker light that works. Still no brake light.

I also drilled a hole in the break light, attached my own ground wire to the base that is attached to the post...and ran it to various grounded places. Still no brake light.

So, after the above and several other steps, I replaced the brake light. Well, that was no surprise...still no brake light.

Ok, so, who the HECK do I get a ground to work at the right brake light? The new light also does not have a ground wire...just the brown and the green.

The marker lights worked by simply attaching to a bolt on the frame. And when I attached the separate ground wire to the bolt, NOTHING.

So, I was certain it was the bulb base and the two little bars that are supposed to touch the bottom of the contacts of the bulb were out of alignment. In fact, the old light case had a broken pin to hold the light base in place and was off by about 1/8" which I why I concluded last night that it must be the light itself. So, now at this point, I am thinking I might as well take the new light off and put the old one back on that has a hole for it's own ground...but I just don't know what else to do.

Any other ideas????

On the above link the OP left it with having to rewire everything. What am I missing here? How can I get that stupid break light to ground out?????

EDIT: BTW, the flashers work, parking lights work, and turn signal works.

Thanks for your time!!

 

[109jb]

Re: Another DANG Right Brake Light problem...

You may have already checked some of this so if you have you can disregard.

First of all, you talk about the rt brake light and then about the brown wire. That isn't right. The brake light is operated by the green wire. The brown wire operates the tail and marker lights. The color code on a 4 wire system is as follows:

Greeen - Right turn and stop lamp
Yellow - Left turn and stop lamp
Brown - Tail and marker lights
White - Ground

If you just mis-stated and the colors are right then proceed---

I start at the front and work to the back. No right brake light means no right turn signal. I would do the following steps:

1. Check tow vehicle wiring - With rt turn signal on, use a test light and check from the green wire to the white wire at the tow vehicle plug. The test light should flash. If it doesn't, the problem is in the tow vehicle.

2. Check the ground (simple check). Plug the trailer in, start the tow vehicle, turn the hazard flashers on, turn the headlights on, and check the trailer lights. If the tail lights and the other turn signal work you know you at least have a good ground to them. If the rt tail light lights then it probably has ground too.

3. Check the rt turn signal and ground wires - Plug in the trailer and with the rt turn signal on, hook a test light to the green wire at the tail light and to ground (dedicated or trailer frame). You may have to stab the test light probe through the jacket of the wire to get electrical contact with the conductor. If the test light doesn't flash now you either have no ground, or the green wire is bad.

4. If the green wire is good, the ground is good, then the problem is in the light assembly. Either corrosion, bad bulb, broken wire.....

Some light assemblies ground through the mounting bolt. Take a grinder and grind a spot where the mounting bolt is. When you install the light, you can put a ring terminal on the bolt/stud and run a dedicated wire to the front of the trailer for ground, or just rely on the trailer frame for the ground. I prefer a dedicated ground wire AND the frame. When you install the light, use the star type lock washers as they bite in pretty good. Once you get it working you can shoot a little rust-o-leum on the bare spot on the trailer frame. As for wiring terminals, if you use crimp terminals you should use the waterproof type that have a heat shrink covering. I personally solder and heat shrink boat trailers since I know they will get wet.

 

[109jb]

Re: Another DANG Right Brake Light problem...

EDIT: BTW, the flashers work, parking lights work, and turn signal works.

Thanks for your time!!

Just saw this snippet. By any chance does your tow vehicle have amber rear turn signals?? If it does then I would suspect the wiring adapter in the tow vehicle. Reason is that if the tow vehicle has separate bulbs for brake and turn, a converter box is required because the trailer uses the same bulb for brake and turn. The simple fact that the turn signal works, but the brake doesn't on the trailer leads me to suspect the tow vehicles converter box. I'v seen this before. The fix is to get a new converter box. I would see if you can check the trailer with a different tow vehicle to test this theory. Maybe a buddy's to vehicle.

Edit: really what I should have asked is if your tow vehicle has separate bulbs for brak and turn signal functions. I guess they could be separate and both be red.

 

[ridefst]

Re: Another DANG Right Brake Light problem...

If your flashers/turn signals on the trailer are working properly, there is definitely nothing wrong with the trailer lights/wiring/etc. The problem must be in the tow vehicle, since there is only one wire dedicated to the bright light on each side (either brake or turn), you can't have one working and the other not.
I'd try borrowing a different tow vehicle, see what that does. I imagine your tow has separate brake and turn bulbs, and is using some sort of converter box as previously mentioned.

 

[P 0 P E Y E]

Re: Another DANG Right Brake Light problem...

Hope you don't have the problem I did on one of my trailers.

I had a family of rodents living in the square stock of the tongue.

Rat salad

Made for interesting troubleshooting.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Another DANG Right Brake Light problem...

Get a tester to check the tow vehicle out first. Wasting your time on the trailer if the tow vehicle has an issue.
Try the trailer on someone else's vehicle that is known good and see what happens there.

 

[lokerd]

Re: Another DANG Right Brake Light problem...

Get a tester to check the tow vehicle out first. Wasting your time on the trailer if the tow vehicle has an issue.

WoW!!! Thanks for all the feedback. I got the first reply on my phone on the way to Uhaul, who had installed the receiver hitch about 4 years ago. But, until recently, I only carried a bike rake...and only used the lights once. Point is, I am not sure if the converter ever worked right.

I have a Honda CRV...and yes, it has separate lights and a converter box. Uhaul tested the car with out the trailer connected and determined that the box was bad. 1 hr later, and $45 lighter, the right brake light was working.

Wow!!! I can't believe how many hours I had put into that. I had put the new light on this morning, fooled around with it some more. Kept checking for replies here. Actually, I had gotten confused. I should have been further along in the diagnostic than I was. When I tried isolating the wire, and running to the front with a new wire...I did it on the brown. I did have it wired correctly, brown to brown, green to green, but I singled out the brown wire thinking it was it. Anyway, it just might have helped me realize sooner that there was no voltage on the green wire...because the converter wasn't sending anything.

So, in this case, I did have a ground issue, but it was resolved early on in getting the flashers working as well as the marker lights (which had to have their own wire attached to the frame). But the brake light turns out it was the 1 out 10 times it wasn't a ground issue.

Well, I learned a lot about the trailer in the mean time.

Thanks for all of your time on this one. Heading out first thing in the morning before sunrise now safely with all lights working, license plate now illuminated, holes sealed on bottom of boat, etc. Looking forward to a great sunrise on the river.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Another DANG Right Brake Light problem...

Glad you got it sorted. Have a great day.