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On Sun, 23 Apr 2006 17:23:07 -0400, jaminn
<jaminn@remove.this.jaminn.org> wrote:
[color=blue]
>I finally got my pop-up in shape and was ready to wire the harness. I
>very carefully followed the wiring diagram (I have the factory
>installed towing package, so the truck has the harness socket). But,
>something is screwy. As long as the truck lights are OFF, the trailer
>turn signals and brake lights seem to work. But if I turn the lights
>on, the brake lights don't seem to work, and the turn signals are
>acting strange. It's almost like there is not enough power, because
>it seems that if the lights are on, and I turn on the left signal, the
>right tail light will dim as the left signal flashes. Seems like I
>recall having to get a heavy duty flasher back in the day, but that
>was because the normal flasher would flash too fast when the trailer
>was hooked up. Am I missing something here? I know a little bit
>about wiring, but something isn't right.
>Jaminn aka Don Williams[/color]

Check the grounds on the trailer tail light assemblies to the steel
trailer chassis, and the ground wire from the trailer tongue steel,
through the trailer connector to the truck body is continuous and
solid - make sure there's a good ground path the whole way.

The trailer builders often try grounding the tail and marker light
fixtures with a screw through the aluminum skin on the trailer, and
that isn't always a low-resistance path. (Aluminum Oxide is an
insulator.)

When there is a bad ground on a dual-filament lamp, you apply power
to the stop lights and it can't go to ground, so it goes through the
tail filament, to the other lamps, and finds it's way to ground.

If the whole trailer isn't grounded right the same thing happens,
but it's not isolated to one fixture - all the lights act screwy.

--<< Bruce >>--

--
Bruce L. Bergman, Woodland Hills (Los Angeles) CA - Desktop
Electrician for Westend Electric - CA726700
5737 Kanan Rd. #359, Agoura CA 91301 (818) 889-9545
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