Notices
All Things Towing Conventional, 5th Wheel, Toy Hauler, Flatbed, Gooseneck, Electrical/Brakes/etc.

Never seen this

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Mar 22, 2007 | 06:42 PM
  #1  
Always something's Avatar
Always something
Thread Starter
|
New User
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Never seen this

redoing trailer lights wire and all...Bought what I assumed was regular kit!3 wires out of each light. 2 wires to each side from truck. The schematic actually has the wrong color codes and is useless but says 2 of each side tie-in together to the turn/brake wires...all lights work...turn, running lights on side and rear...Except when I hit brake ..rear lights turn off instead of lighting up..My guess is I've miswired but I have nothing to go off of...also All fuses are fine..I've done this a few times and never seen this..Any suggestions Greatly appreciated.......Left trailer light -Brown, black, and yellow ..same side from truck- brown and yellow../....Right side light -white black yellow...from truck same side -brown ,green.....brown on both sides from truck is my turn signal/brakes
 
Reply
Old Mar 22, 2007 | 06:57 PM
  #2  
suzuki0702's Avatar
suzuki0702
Elder User
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 835
Likes: 1
i had a similar problem with my trailer..one of my wires was actually grounding out on the frame..and it just so happened to be the brake lead...make sure u have no splices anywhere touching any kind of metal! good luck to you!
 
Reply
Old Mar 22, 2007 | 07:22 PM
  #3  
cdrmotorsports's Avatar
cdrmotorsports
Postmaster
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 2,992
Likes: 2
From: Lancaster, MA
Gotta love trailer wiring. I have spent more time with trailer wiring than anything else. I hate them. Check the ground first and look for cut wires like suzuki said. Those are usually the problems. What type of trailer is this? 4 plug or 7 round plug? How does your trailer ground? If it is through the ball hitch, make sure that the ball is clean and has no rust on it. You can take the trailer around the block a few times to clean the ball and coupler off. Just before a boating trip last year my boat trailer lights were acting up and that solved most of the problems. I figured this out 5 hours later and drove through the night making up for lost time! I have done 5 trailers in the last year and have never seen a set up like this before.
 

Last edited by cdrmotorsports; Mar 22, 2007 at 07:25 PM.
Reply
Old Mar 22, 2007 | 08:25 PM
  #4  
BEECHBM69's Avatar
BEECHBM69
Senior User
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 150
Likes: 0
From: Virginia Beach
Originally Posted by Always something
Left trailer light -Brown, black, and yellow ..same side from truck- brown and yellow../....Right side light -white black yellow...from truck same side -brown ,green.....brown on both sides from truck is my turn signal/brakes
If you wired the brown to your turn/brake lights that is your problem. Brown on both sides is your running lights (although I've never seen brown used as running lights). Your brake lights work when both separate turn circuits are energized at the same time. In your case it sounds like yellow and green on your truck are your turn/brake wires.

On your trailer lights, sounds like brown(left) and white(right) are your turn/brake lights and black and yellow are ground and running lights . Considering how odd the colors are your dealing with, I couldn't tell you which was which. Since black and yellow are on both sides, and ground and running lights must go to both sides, it's only logical.

Now that I've thoroughly confused myself, I hope you understood what I meant....

Dan

On edit: BTW Welcome to FTE
 

Last edited by BEECHBM69; Mar 22, 2007 at 08:28 PM.
Reply
Old Mar 22, 2007 | 09:05 PM
  #5  
Always something's Avatar
Always something
Thread Starter
|
New User
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Its a 4 way hook-up....Thanks for all the replys ..lots of good info,this site is cool....after 8 + hours today I'm hitting it first thing in the morning..let y'all know what I find
 
Reply
Old Mar 22, 2007 | 11:04 PM
  #6  
Greywolf's Avatar
Greywolf
Fleet Owner
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 29,941
Likes: 46
From: Drummonds, TN USA
My method for 4 wire is:

yeLLow is left turn and brake

gReen is right turn and brake

Brown is for RUNNING through town...

The last wire is usually white. In trailers, ground is white on a twelve volt system. I DON'T KNOW WHY!

Black is ground in every other DC circuit. Trailers are different.

But anyway - check for shorts, especially from wire abrasion due to rubbing at holes they pass through.
 
Reply
Old Mar 24, 2007 | 09:46 AM
  #7  
Always something's Avatar
Always something
Thread Starter
|
New User
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Worked on problem for 4 hours...Finally figured out wiring was eventually correct after 2 days ..12 hours....But this is how cheap the light system was...when I went to bolt them into place..Bolts had round head w/ underneath square that locked into light ...when I started tightning nut the bolt spun a circlein light hole! Real junk...instead of looking for hardware I punted the lights...To wal-Mart boght 2 solo lights for $15 dollars Had all working in ten minutes after return! After this I continued to punt(literally) the old lights...Lesson- Do not buy 3rd world products! Thanks to the replys because that helped to reaffirm my wiring was right. I just had the worlds worst pair of lights
 
Reply
Old Mar 24, 2007 | 10:50 AM
  #8  
horsepuller's Avatar
horsepuller
FTE Leadership Emeritus
25 Year Member
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 7,298
Likes: 45
From: Southern California
FTE Emeritus
Always something, thanks for joining us in the Towing forum! Glad you were able to fix your trailer wiring. Thanks everyone, who took time to help out!
 
Reply
FTE Stories

Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts

story-0

This Hennessey Takes the Expedition Tremor's Off-Roading Capability to the Next Level

 Verdad Gallardo
story-1

Top 10 Fords at 2026 Carlisle Ford Nationals

 Joe Kucinski
story-2

3 Best / 3 Worst Parts of Modern Ford Ownership

 Brett Foote
story-3

10 Amazing Upgrades That Solve Common Ford Truck Owner Headaches

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-4

Every 2026 Ford Engine Explained

 Brett Foote
story-5

10 Ugly Ford Trucks That We Still Kinda Love

 Joe Kucinski
story-6

10 Things Every Truck Owner NEEDS (2026 Edition)

 Michael S. Palmer
story-7

Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath

 Verdad Gallardo
story-8

Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer

 Joe Kucinski
story-9

2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)

 Brett Foote
Old Mar 24, 2007 | 09:27 PM
  #9  
cdrmotorsports's Avatar
cdrmotorsports
Postmaster
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 2,992
Likes: 2
From: Lancaster, MA
I was always a little weary of the lights at Walmart, but I used them because I was in a rush once and they worked great. Besides they are almost always Peterson MFG lights which are a good brand IMO. Glad you figured it out.
 
Reply




All times are GMT -5. The time now is 10:32 PM.

story-0
This Hennessey Takes the Expedition Tremor's Off-Roading Capability to the Next Level

Slideshow: The VelociRaptor Expedition gains a lift, upgraded suspension, Brembo brakes, and trail-ready equipment while retaining the stock 440-horsepower EcoBoost V6.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-06-12 11:01:55


VIEW MORE
story-1
Top 10 Fords at 2026 Carlisle Ford Nationals

Slideshow: Top 10 Fords at 2026 Ford Nationals

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-06-09 11:10:08


VIEW MORE
story-2
3 Best / 3 Worst Parts of Modern Ford Ownership

Based on years of owning multiple modern Ford products.

By Brett Foote | 2026-06-09 10:53:36


VIEW MORE
story-3
10 Amazing Upgrades That Solve Common Ford Truck Owner Headaches

SPONSORED: From muddy boots to rain-soaked cargo, these upgrades address some of the most common frustrations Ford truck owners face every day.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-06-08 18:50:34


VIEW MORE
story-4
Every 2026 Ford Engine Explained

Here's everything you need to know about every Ford engine available for the 2026 model year.

By Brett Foote | 2026-06-05 12:58:01


VIEW MORE
story-5
10 Ugly Ford Trucks That We Still Kinda Love

Slideshow: 10 ugly Ford trucks that we still kinda love.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-06-03 09:51:16


VIEW MORE
story-6
10 Things Every Truck Owner NEEDS (2026 Edition)

Slideshow: the best gifts for dads & grads

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-06-03 15:43:58


VIEW MORE
story-7
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath

Slideshow: Called the Fortress, the 850-horsepower pickup combines Raptor underpinnings with military-inspired features, survival equipment, and a starting price of $285,000.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-06-03 11:38:36


VIEW MORE
story-8
Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer

Slideshow: 10 most expensive Ford trucks ever sold on Bring a Trailer.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-27 16:24:34


VIEW MORE
story-9
2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)

Here's everything that has changed for the latest model year.

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-27 16:17:28


VIEW MORE