Help troubleshooting trailer lights not working

[The Grayt 1]

I have a 2003 Sea Ray 176 with the factory single axle trailer and the lights are not working, none of them. It looks like there are a couple white wires that ground to the trailer frame behind where the fold away tongue is. My first thought is a grounding problem and I am new to boats and trailers so need help. I tried tightening the bolt attached to the frame and eveen drilled a new hole and roughed up the surface a bit and nothing. Could the 4 pin plug be bad? Any other ideas on ground issues or fixxes?

 

[JASinIL2006]

First thing I would do is buy a tester for about four or five bucks and make sure the trailer plug on your tow vehicle is working.

 

[The Grayt 1]

First thing I would do is buy a tester for about four or five bucks and make sure the trailer plug on your tow vehicle is working.

It works I have towed with it before with our jet ski

 

[GA_Boater]

What are you towing with? Some new vehicles need trailer lights enabled through the computer.

If you still have the ski, hook up the trailer to make sure it still works.

 

[The Grayt 1]

What are you towing with? Some new vehicles need trailer lights enabled through the computer.

If you still have the ski, hook up the trailer to make sure it still works.

It is a 2013 Toyota 4Runner and I do not have the ski with me

 

[The Grayt 1]

I did find a test light and my tow vehicle is working

Do I physichally have to hook the trailer to the ball?

It has to be something with the trailer lights....

 

[dingbat]

I did find a test light and my tow vehicle is working

Do I physichally have to hook the trailer to the ball?

It has to be something with the trailer lights....

If it’s grounded through the harness as it supposed to be, don’t need them hooked up.
Trailer wiring is not standardized. Check to make sure the trailer is wired the same as the truck

 

[The Grayt 1]

If it’s grounded through the harness as it supposed to be, don’t need them hooked up.
Trailer wiring is not standardized. Check to make sure the trailer is wired the same as the truck

Look at the picture attached and it looks like the white ground wires 3 all connect tot he frame of the trailer behing the removable tongue. Am I suposed to have 3 wires for ground? Do I need to remove paint from the trailer for the ground to be good?

 

[gm280]

Your vehicle SHOULD be grounded properly to the white wire AND the frame. However, IF the white wire is broken, either on the vehicle side or trailer side, nothing will work. So verify the white wire is grounded both on the vehicle AND the trailer. A simple digital volt/ohm meter will enable you to do that. I never ever rely on just a trailer frame ground for all lights. I do have separate ground wires that goes to each and every light AND the trailer frame as well. Therefore if any wire breaks, only that light will be out, not all of them. Never reply on the trailer ground only for the ground. Wire the white wire to each light and the trailer frame. Then you have dual grounds and probably never have any issues again. JMHO

 

[jrm7997]

I have a 2003 Sea Ray 176 with the factory single axle trailer and the lights are not working, none of them. It looks like there are a couple white wires that ground to the trailer frame behind where the fold away tongue is. My first thought is a grounding problem and I am new to boats and trailers so need help. I tried tightening the bolt attached to the frame and eveen drilled a new hole and roughed up the surface a bit and nothing. Could the 4 pin plug be bad? Any other ideas on ground issues or fixxes?

If you have a spare battery or a 12vdc source you could hook the negative of the battery to the frame (BTW, yes you should scratch the paint off the frame where your white wires attach) then use a wire from the positive to each of the posts of the trailers wiring harness EXCEPT the ground post. You could then see if the lights are working. Yellow is left, green is right and brown is running lights and markers.