Car trailer wiring problem

[chiefplt]

I have a wiring problem with the trailer hitch on my car that I can't figure out. Here's what is happening.

I just got out my boat again for the season and noticed that all the lights were working except the right blinker. However, the brake light was working on that side, so I knew it wasn't the bulb. Using a voltmeter, I determined that there was no signal coming out of my trailer hitch for the right blinker connection.

Then I checked all the fuses on my car and tried to follow the trailer wiring. In the back of my car, my trailer connection used a tail light converter -- five wires coming in and four wires coming out. I tested the right blinker wire coming into that box and it was working on the way in. I tested the wire coming out of that box and it wasn't working. I tested it using the ground (white wire) on either side of the box. All the other wires were working coming into the box as well as coming out of the box.

I concluded that the tail light converter box had gone bad. So I bought a new one and just now replaced it. Now, the problem has gotten worse. Now neither of the blinker lights are working. Again, I test the signal coming into the new tail light converter and I get signal. When I test the wires coming out of the new tail light converter, I don't get any signal. I DO get signal on the tail light so I know at least something is working in the new tail light converter.

Is it possible that my new tail light converter is defective? It must be pretty simple inside -- it seems unlikely that it would be DOA. Is there something else I'm missing? It seems like a lot of light problems come from bad ground, but since I'm testing using the ground wire, I don't understand how the ground could be my problem.

Here's a picture of the new tail light converter spliced in:


Here's a picture of the old tail light converter:


Does anyone have any ideas?

 

[chiefplt]

Re: Car trailer wiring problem

Hmmm. Never mind on this one. I just went out to play with it some more and everything started working. I'm not sure what was wrong or what fixed it, but it's working now. Thanks anyway...

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Car trailer wiring problem

Any connector is better than the SCOTCH LOCK connectors on there.
Butt Crimps, Closed End Crimp Caps or even Wire nuts.
Murphy will be back very soon!

The original Converter is probably still good.
Are you saying that the Right Turn Signal did NOT work, but the Right Brake Light DID?
When you measured the voltages, were they measures before or after the splices?

 

[Grub54891]

Re: Car trailer wiring problem

Them connectors will go south rather quickly,use a good butt connector,good crimper,and get the ones that you shrink the insulation with a heat gun. More than likely you lost a ground in the systym someplace,that will make strange things happen:backfeed as the power in trying to find a ground somewhere.
Grub

 

[tomwsk]

Re: Car trailer wiring problem

I have one of the folding tongue trailers I had a lighting issue on my trailer lights where some of the lighs worked. When I was trying to figure out what's wrong I broke one of the pins on the connector on the trailer side.
I had a spare harness in my garage so I went to replace the connector. When I took it all apart I found that the harness was attached to the end of the tongue with a plastic tie, but it was tied so hard that the wiring got worn out and created a short. The harness was inside a vinyl protective sleeve but that didn't help.
This trailer is only 3 years old so this was done at the factory.