Ive checked all fuses. Lights work on truck (2001 f150 4x4) The running lights work on trailor, but the turn signal and brake lights dont work. Good ground, and agian checked all fuses. Also when I change the connector ( have six pin on truck to four pin on trailor) one I have some lights on trailo the other I have nothing.

 

Are you using a factory trailer hook-up or do you have a harness adapter plugged into the rear taillight wiring(or the trailer plug is spliced into the taillight wiring)?

I am guessing you are not using the factory wiring because it came with a 7 pin plug?

 

OK.. long story, but I'll make it short. Hope someone can answer me before tomorrow when I'll have to call the Ford Dealer to tow it up and fix.

Here's what I did.

6 plug connector.. stock issue... grrr.
Right turn and brake lights ... no worky on trailer. No power to correct.. green wire... plug on 6 pin connector. All other appropriate plugs work... via direct 6 plug test... and adapter test. Heck.. I even went out and bought a heavy duty adapter. Nada. No power to green line, which is brake and turn line on this unit.

Crawled under, checked all wiring with pokey tester. No juice to green wire to right turn signal on the plug. Key on, of course. Wasn't born yestiddy, y'know. May act like it sometimes... duh.. like today.

Checked every wire with green on it... no power to blinker or brake lite right side.

Went over to tail light, spliced into correct wire.. blue and green. Gee, how consistant of Ford!! Tested 6 prong plug... presto el worko. In that process, I clipped the original green wire to the plug and left it hang while testing. No short obvious.

OK.. got that far with lights working on tester, etc. Lookin' good, eh?

Not in this life.

Decided to start truck, back it up to trailer and make sure all was still copacetic. ( OH.. I also had bought an adapter.. 6 to 4 wire. Bought two..one cheapo, one not-so-cheapo. Neither worky. )

Got in truck, tried to start. LOUD click click click... NOT dead battery clicky, I know difference, from years of working on my Fords. This was a loud clicky!! Really loud.

Suddenly, computer, dash, everything... went gonzo!! Click click click... getting faster. Lights, dash guages, speedo... everything... went loco. Turned off key... lower toned click starts. Gets faster. Runs and disconnects battery. Rechecks everything one - what seems like ten more times. Still same isue.


So.. I got under truck in 95 degree direct heat, sweating like the proverbial piglett... UN-DID everything I'd accomplished. Re-attached green wire to non-working trailer plug in. Undid, taped all wires to cover. Did I say it was hot? I take lots of meds to be able to do ANYTHING.... heat makes me dizzy, wanna die.. etc. But, I digress.

Still... computer or ???? gone completely bizarre. Click click, whole nine yards. Disconnected battery and checked everything I'd touched. Nary a difference.

Now, y'all gotta understand... I'm an old FTE'er.. and most that know me, know that I'm not wealthy and that my truck is my baby. I KILLLED MY BABY and need help desperately!!

I'll hang out here, in case mod comes on and can give me some ideas of what to do.

And for the OP... GOOD LUCK. I've wired a lot of trailer lights and done a lot of wiring on older Fords. NEVER, have I been so completely blown away by these STUPID computer systems that only another computer can understand.

Major decision tonight. I'm getting an older Ford to pull my older trailer with. At least I know I can't mess up an older, easy to work on, Ford truck.

Right now, I'm so flusterpated and ticked off at Ford, that if I were nearby whoever designed the electrical systems, they'd have serious issues talking me out of blasting a hole thru their forehead. LOL. OK... joking. At least a giant Valium has helped me mellow some..... I repeat SOME!

Hep me bozzman... HEP ME!!

How's that for the short version? I eliminated all cussing, banging head... cussing and more head banging. That'd make it a really long story.

 

Turn the headlights on, and while someone is watching them, try to start the truck.

 

LOL.. OK... I will have to wait until tomorrow. Truck is down at my brother's place, dead in it's tracks.

Just curious. What is that supposed to do? What are we looking for?

That isn't the answer I was expecting, but I'll try anything .. well almost... once. Maybe even twice, if it's good.

 

OH... one other thing... shortly after reattaching the battery... it starts clicking, lights ( interior ) start flashing on and off. That help any? I'm half afraid to connect the battery again, much less try to start it. The guages and speedo go nuts just turning the key on!

Seeing as there's only one reply, I'll try the light thing tomorrow when I can get down where it's at. Sigh. Going to bed with heavy heart. I cannot afford this stuff, if it has to go to the dealer for a repair.

 

I FEEL SO DUMBBBBBBBBB!!!!!!

But, I've still never seen any older Ford do the things my 99 did.

It was a dead battery... corroded posts.

There... see? I can own my own stupidity. BUT... in my efforts... I found the "fix" for both me and the OP's post..... there's a set of fuses... separate for left and right turn/brake signals, UNDER THE HOOD. There's a box on the driver's side, with fuzes just like under the dash. There, you'll find the fuzes for your turn signals for the 6 prong plug. My right turn fuse was blown for some reason. A ten amp fuze will fix your trailer towing capabilities.

 

Corroded posts! At least you found the problem and it is an easy fix. I've experienced the poor electrical connection gremlin too.

Lesson learned. Look for the easy stuff first. Electricity does not flow through corroded wiring.

Lou Braun

 

You can use the headlights as a crude voltmeter. In your case, if you had done the test, the headlights would have gone completely out when you would have tried to start it. That would tell you you have a main power problem.

If the lights would have stayed bright when you tried to start it, then it would have pointed to a control problem of some sort, not a main power problem.

 

Well.. thanks Franklin and Lou. I've had the corroded posts syndrome, many times over the years. Easy to forget about, as beast starts fine every day. My old 68 Falcon was a prime example. Tough car. Ran perfect. One tap of the ignition, it fired, etc. One night I made a pit stop. Came out and nothing... huh? No lights, no dash.. well, immediately I knew it was a battery issue. Got out, cleaned the terminals and cables. No problems forever, after that.

But these new fangled gizzies actually need more power than the regular "older" beasties. The new ones have lots of RELAYS that require "X" amount of power, to operate properly... or they go off and on... off and on... exactly what was going on with the truck. I'd NEVER experienced anything like it. The loud clicking was definitely the solenoid, but it was LOUD, as compared to the wimpy click I'm used to on other vehicles that encountered a bad battery. I should have used my head, but when the dash started freaking out, the speedo and tach jumping all over... it just blew my mind.

By the way.. I pm'd the OP about his problem. I'm pretty certain it's a fuze under the hood... because gazing through the owner's manual, I found the listings for all fuzes and relays, including under the hood. Found one blown fuze. Yep.. right hand turn and brake for trailer plug. Never even knew it was there... as there are similar fuzes under the dash.

Anyway.. you can quit chuckling now. Hey.. I felt so good saving money today, that I went and bought some cool stuff for my AR-15. How 'bout that? Woo hoooo!!