Trailer wiring issues. Might just rewire...

[gt2003]

My sea-doo trailer is possessed! It does a lot of strange things. I'm thinking it might be easier to simply rewire the whole thing rather than try to figure them out. Let me know what you think.

With the headlights OFF:

When I turn on the left signal, ALL of the lights on the entire trailer blink
When I turn on the right signal it works fine

With the headlights ON:

When I turn on the left signal, ALL of the lights on the trailer are solid
When I turn on the right signal it works fine

It obviously sounds like something on the left side. Give me an idea where to start and i'll work on it a bit tonight. Thanks

 

[crisso]

mate.nine times out of ten the earth is a problem.In Oz you can get a set of LED for about 50 bucks(dollars)so in the states I would bet they are cheaper.Once wired up correctly,they are pretty much there for the life of the trailer.Give them a run and save all the dramas you get with bulbs and water

 

[jro804]

My sea-doo trailer is possessed! It does a lot of strange things. I'm thinking it might be easier to simply rewire the whole thing rather than try to figure them out. Let me know what you think.

With the headlights OFF:

When I turn on the left signal, ALL of the lights on the entire trailer blink
When I turn on the right signal it works fine

With the headlights ON:

When I turn on the left signal, ALL of the lights on the trailer are solid
When I turn on the right signal it works fine

It obviously sounds like something on the left side. Give me an idea where to start and i'll work on it a bit tonight. Thanks

I would rewire and use a test plug on the vehicle side before you start to make sure it is the trailer. I just got a 4-prong flat trailer wiring kit for $19.99 and some watertight crimp splices with embedded heat activated sealant for the light connections. I taped the new wires to the old and fed it through the trailer frame and was done in about two hours with running wire, connections and testing it out. Saved me time and energy compared to trying to fix through troubleshooting.

 

[Popsslowdog]

Hey, jro804, I am new to working on PWC's and just got initiated with a pair of 94's with gray fuel lines and everything stopped up. BUT, I started pulling motorcycle trailers and boat trailers in 1970. I have not been without at least one boat trailer since then. And I get them wet year-round.

The Aussie, Crisso, said it right. What you are describing is-99 times out of 10-a ground problem. Before you spend any money or time on rewiring, be sure you have a really good ground wire connection on the tow vehicle and on the towed vehicle (trailer). You will probably need bulbs and need to repair various butt connectors and Scotch-Locks, and may even need new wires in places. But always start with a good connection from the tow vehicle to the trailer-especially the ground.

Crisso is also right in that a good LED light system can be had for around fifty dollars including 25' wiring loom, two amber running lights and two tail/stop/side marker red llights at (don't know if I can put a retailers name here so-)at that farm and ranch stores named after those big green or red plow pulling vehicles. Led's are not affected by the water like incandescent bulbs so your water-bulb problems go away. You can also get light kits on-line, or at your big box retail stores. Good Luck and go for it but check that Ground Wire Connection first. Popsslowdog

 

[jro804]

Usually bad grounding causes blown fuses and bulbs or backing your trailer in the water with it plugged in to the vehicle still.
I offer the rewire if you have no idea what the problem is; then the small $$ you spend to rewire, and sorry I did not clarifyearlier, update to LED may save you time in the long run if there is no issue with the vehicle side signals. Time is money to me and I'd rather not spend the time not riding the ski working on my trailer.
Below works well if there is a store near you. Look for the 20% off coupons they frequently send and it is a good deal. $39.00-20% is a good deal to me!
http://www.harborfreight.com/led-trailer-light-kit-95974.html

 

[Popsslowdog]

jro 804, please accept my sincere apologies, I am truly sorry. I did not mean to critique your response to the Thread on trailer wiring. I am also new to this forum/blog stuff. I actually thought I was offering an IMO to the originator of the thread-gt2003-regarding the particular symptoms he listed. I just did not notice that I had not scrolled all the way to the top of the thread when I got the handle that I used.

I am actually in agreement with you. I noticed that you recommended using a test plug on the vehicle side to be sure that it was the trailer where the problem is.

Again I am truly sorry. By the way you did get a good price on the wiring kit. Pops

 

[guitarsjm]

Usually bad grounding causes blown fuses and bulbs or backing your trailer in the water with it plugged in to the vehicle still.
I offer the rewire if you have no idea what the problem is; then the small $$ you spend to rewire, and sorry I did not clarifyearlier, update to LED may save you time in the long run if there is no issue with the vehicle side signals. Time is money to me and I'd rather not spend the time not riding the ski working on my trailer.
Below works well if there is a store near you. Look for the 20% off coupons they frequently send and it is a good deal. $39.00-20% is a good deal to me!
http://www.harborfreight.com/led-trailer-light-kit-95974.html

sounds like youre referring to that store.. we have one down the road here, harbor freight that is good... when you KNOW what you are looking for but MOST of all with them.. the QUALITY you will be 'ok' with... join their 'club' for some really great bargains and yes.. those 20% off coupons are fantastic. for things that arent 'too' critical or industrial like demanding, for the most part, their stuff will do for the average person's average use. oh.... for most items, they offer a NO B.S. full replacement warranty with no hassles for a few bucks more... for items ofer 40.00, that will most likely faulter, i get it and have used said warranty with a smile. if you are looking for 'industry standard' tug boat, yacht ready, durability... this place is not for you. but for basically most needs like trailer stuff.... they are a good choice.. sign up... they send out monthly flyers with great buys... gonna get a set of those led trailer lights if not for anything else... the water issues.

 

[LouDoo]

Most newer vehicles require a factory wiring harness on the car. You can no longer just attach trailer wiring directly to the tail lights. I installed a factory wiring harness to my Jeep, it attaches to a plug at the fuse block in the engine compartment, then it's routed under the Jeep to the rear. The wiring harness' is not cheap mine was a little over $100.00 and I got it at dealer cost.

I've been told by an Engineer at Chrysler if you don't use the factory wiring harness you stand the risk of frying your computer and voiding the factory warranty.

Lou