Trailer Brakes/Lights
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From: Washington State
Trailer Brakes/Lights
When I bought my 1963 Airstream Land Yacht the lights and brakes worked fine. Untill a couple months later. They haven't worked right since. Every time I use it the lights are different. The brake lights are really dim or the blinkers don't work right. Sometimes it works fine. Also, the brakes stopped activating automatically. I pulled my trailer one weekend and the next weekend the brakes stopped working right. The brakes still work if I use the manual lever on the brake control. I have gone through the entire wiring system and I cannot figure it out! There is only one wire that activates the brake controller. The wire that goes to the brake light switch on the brake pedal. It is fine. As for the lights. I am lost. It makes no sense at all. How can I trouble shoot this? This is very aggravating.
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From: Virginia
Trailer Brakes/Lights
Do you have a wire bolted to the trailer frame, and hooked to the trailer plug?(my ground is the center pin). And then have the center pin wire on the truck plug running to the frame of the truck?
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From: Memphis, TN
Trailer Brakes/Lights
Originally posted by Hi Ho
How can I trouble shoot this?
How can I trouble shoot this?
See if you have power & ground to each one, then trace it back toward the battery until you get to the fault.
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From: Virginia
Trailer Brakes/Lights
I am still leaning toward a ground problem, since you have several separately fed circuits. The one thing common with all of them is ground. One way to test it, is measure the voltage like you have been, and if it's giving you bad readings, take a piece of wire, and bolt it to a good ground on the truck(battery negative would be excellent). Make it long enough to run to the back and hook to the negative of your voltmeter. If the voltages stabilize, then you know you have a grounding problem somewhere.
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From: Billings MT
Trailer Brakes/Lights
You might want to check out the grounds in each light socket. I have chased the same darn problem many a time. Sometimes they worked perfect, and other times nothing worked. You need to check the wiring on the trailer and make sure that it isn't smoked somewhere, and also on the truck. I smoked a fuse panel due to a bad ground on the trailer. Check your grounds, on that old of a trailer, I wouldn't be surprised if the sockets were corroded. As said, a few fixes and it may all come back around.
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From: Washington State
Trailer Brakes/Lights
The wiring on the trailer is very difficult to check because it is an Airstream. Which brings me to another problem. One day when I plugged the trailer in and leaned against it I got a good ZAP. I traced to one circuit but I can't figure out how to find where it is grounding out. I can't exactly open up the walls. I hope the problem is at an outlet or a junction box. As for the light sockets. The sockets are fine. Any suggestions on the brakes? That is my most aggrevating problem.
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Posting Guru
Joined: Dec 2002
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From: Billings MT
Trailer Brakes/Lights
You might need to pull the brakes apart and check the magneto, or whatever the part is called that energizes with current. They do go out. Or, the brakes might be the controller itself.
Just another idea.
If your lights are dim, that is sign of a bad ground.
PS I hate electrical problems, it takes me forever to chase them down.
Just another idea.
If your lights are dim, that is sign of a bad ground.
PS I hate electrical problems, it takes me forever to chase them down.
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From: Washington State
Trailer Brakes/Lights
The brakes work fine. They were replaced a couple years ago. As I said they work if I activate them manualy. The brake controller cost 60 dollars and I'm not going to go out and by another one.
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From: Minneapolis, MN
Trailer Brakes/Lights
One day when I plugged the trailer in and leaned against it I got a good ZAP.
Just my 2¢
Greg
Last edited by macguyver; May 8, 2003 at 02:03 AM.
Post Fiend
Joined: Jun 2002
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From: Atlanta GA
Trailer Brakes/Lights
> The wire that goes to the brake light switch on the brake pedal
The problem is that the brake lamp switch is not meant to be used for a high load application. Each time you use it for such you create a small arc when power is connected, on a large load this is almost akin to arc welding with the spring contact that is within the switch.
If you take the switch apart it is quite flimsy and yours is probably melted inside. Either that or it is not aligned correctly and got smushed too much.
What to do is run a relay from a high amp FUSED source (20-30 amps) and use the brake light switch to activate the relay to feed power to your tail lamps and trailer. On the fused source, you might be better running a 15-20 amp relay (two prong $5) as a fuse and just use a regular BOSCH relay (5 prong) to drive the brake and trailer lights.
The problem is that the brake lamp switch is not meant to be used for a high load application. Each time you use it for such you create a small arc when power is connected, on a large load this is almost akin to arc welding with the spring contact that is within the switch.
If you take the switch apart it is quite flimsy and yours is probably melted inside. Either that or it is not aligned correctly and got smushed too much.
What to do is run a relay from a high amp FUSED source (20-30 amps) and use the brake light switch to activate the relay to feed power to your tail lamps and trailer. On the fused source, you might be better running a 15-20 amp relay (two prong $5) as a fuse and just use a regular BOSCH relay (5 prong) to drive the brake and trailer lights.
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From: Virginia
Trailer Brakes/Lights
rebocardo,
He's using a brake box, so that has all the "relay" stuff inside it for the current. The controller is using the brake switch just for a "signal" to the brake box. It has a seperate feed like you are talking about for the high current to the brakes. Although he doesn't say how he has the high current feed hooked up. But he must have two seperate feeds because he said he can move the lever on the box only, and it activates the brakes.
They must have a transistor set-up in these boxes that switches the high current, because it varies the current to the brakes for more or less braking. Some of them have a pendulum inside that swings and varies the braking current, while the cheaper ones just use an adjustable ramping timer.
He's using a brake box, so that has all the "relay" stuff inside it for the current. The controller is using the brake switch just for a "signal" to the brake box. It has a seperate feed like you are talking about for the high current to the brakes. Although he doesn't say how he has the high current feed hooked up. But he must have two seperate feeds because he said he can move the lever on the box only, and it activates the brakes.
They must have a transistor set-up in these boxes that switches the high current, because it varies the current to the brakes for more or less braking. Some of them have a pendulum inside that swings and varies the braking current, while the cheaper ones just use an adjustable ramping timer.
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From: Washington State
Trailer Brakes/Lights
It is a brake controller. The switch only activates it. The power comes from another source. Also, I think if the switch didn't work teh brake lights on the truck wouldn't work. But they do. The "ZAP" was 110V and I do believe it is a ground. I just hope it is not inside the walls. I went through all the wires for the trailer lights and now I get everything but a left blinker. I still have to do the brakes manually but it will have to do because I am going on a trip tommorrow.
Last edited by Hi Ho; May 9, 2003 at 12:44 AM.