Trailer Wiring
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New User
Joined: Jun 2006
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Trailer Wiring
Several years ago I bought a used Windstar (96) from the dealer and requested the addition of a receiver hitch and electrical harness for a trailer. Got around to getting a utility trailer last year, but the lights aren't working correctly (Left signal good, right is dim; brake only on left light; when brake is on with left signal, rt and lt blink alternately, etc). Bought a test which plugs into the harness and lights up for rt/lft/tail. Same response as on the trailer. I checked the wiring and it appears logical (although I don't know how it SHOULD be wired). Any ideas?
Here are the particulars.
Flat 4 way with five wires. From the trailer harness to the Windstar wiring:
Red (brake) to Green (brake)
Green (Rt turn) to White w/blue (Rt turn)
Yellow (Lt turn) to Green w/white (Lt turn)
Brown (tail) to Brown (tail)
White (ground) to black (common to each light).
The Windstar has separate tail, brake, and signal lights.
Here are the particulars.
Flat 4 way with five wires. From the trailer harness to the Windstar wiring:
Red (brake) to Green (brake)
Green (Rt turn) to White w/blue (Rt turn)
Yellow (Lt turn) to Green w/white (Lt turn)
Brown (tail) to Brown (tail)
White (ground) to black (common to each light).
The Windstar has separate tail, brake, and signal lights.
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Freshman User
Joined: Apr 2006
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First thing I would check is all the grounds. That accounts for 90% of lighting problems. Just becuase they are attached doesn't mean they are connecting well. Also if it isn't that way already you can run a ground from the vehicle plug to the vehicle frame, bypassing the wiring harness ground. Hope that helps.
Nate
Nate
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Joined: Jun 2006
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It's the wiring harness. Checked all the connections (more than once) and added a test ground--kept getting the same results. Finally figured it had to be the harness (which is an adaptor) so I bought a new one and tested it with correct results.
FTE Legend
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 65,938
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From: Millersville, MD
I think that white on the plug should have gone to the trailer ground, NOT the common for the lights. When they were connected, as soon as you energized either light, it would have shorted to ground.
