hitch lights all wrong!
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hitch lights all wrong!
I have a 97 explorer and I bought a hitch receiver for it and also a wiring harness for hooking up trailer lights. The only place to plug in the harness is where the license plate lights plug in. So I plugged it in and tried it and nothing was right they all were mixed around. Should I cut the wires and put the back together so the work or am I missing something? I double checked the harness, it is for a my truck. Any advise would be nice thanks.
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From: Virginia
If your explorer has amber turnsignals(I think it does) then you should have a special spot for any type of harness you buy to plug in. If it has the amber turnsignals, it has seperate circuits for the turn and brakes, but any trailer you plug in has the standard red only combined turn/brake circuits.
Ford usually ran two special wires to the rear from the turnsignal switch to use for trailer towing. If it turns out you can't find or don;t have these wires, they make an adapter box you can buy at the store for foreign vehicles, that electronically combines the amber turns and the red brake circuits into two single wires for the trailer.
This diagram shows the special wires running from the turnsignal switch.
http://www.autozone.com/images/cds/g...3d800ba9ee.gif
Ford usually ran two special wires to the rear from the turnsignal switch to use for trailer towing. If it turns out you can't find or don;t have these wires, they make an adapter box you can buy at the store for foreign vehicles, that electronically combines the amber turns and the red brake circuits into two single wires for the trailer.
This diagram shows the special wires running from the turnsignal switch.
http://www.autozone.com/images/cds/g...3d800ba9ee.gif
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From: Blue Hill Township
Check for a round connector right by the hitch and bumper. IIRC all of the Explorers had separate relay circuits for the trailer lights. There is an adapter that you can buy which will plug into this connector to make your lights work.
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I did some more research on my own and if I don't have the tow package, which I asume I don't,do I need a T-connector instead. That is what one parts store said. I don't understand why that would matter it looks like it just has a another plug to put the license plate lights back in. I would think the single plug would work if you just left the license plate lights unplugged, but it doesn't, all the lights were messed up on the trailer. Unless there is more to it then that?
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From: Virginia
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Where would the wires be hanging if ford did run some for me. Also what would I ask for at the parts store if I needed to buy that box you where talking about earlier.
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From: Virginia
MisterCMK explained that in his post above.
If you look at the diagram in the link I gave you in one of my posts above, you will see you are looking for a darkblue/white and a brown/yellow.
It was not Ford's practice to leave spare wires hanging around to get in harms way. So you might have to dig some of the wrapping off the harness to find this wiring and or plug, whatever it may be.
If you look at the diagram in the link I gave you in one of my posts above, you will see you are looking for a darkblue/white and a brown/yellow.
It was not Ford's practice to leave spare wires hanging around to get in harms way. So you might have to dig some of the wrapping off the harness to find this wiring and or plug, whatever it may be.
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The lights for the license plate, are those colors is that what I need, also what would I do with them.
I found this T-connector, and reading it, it makes it seem like it has the converter built in. The one I brought and tried it not. Would this work?
http://www.bageco.com/tconnector/t-connect_ford.htm
I found this T-connector, and reading it, it makes it seem like it has the converter built in. The one I brought and tried it not. Would this work?
http://www.bageco.com/tconnector/t-connect_ford.htm
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