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Tail light stays on ... Lance 992

Freep
Explorer
Explorer
We've got this weird issue where the left tail light of our Lance 992 comes on and stays on. Last time I had this issue it was winter and I just disconnected the battery and then the fuse for the umbilical for a few days and it went away. My wife has the TC in the desert now and reports that the light is back on again.

Has anyone had an experience like this before? How do I even begin to troubleshoot if it's not happening anymore when she returns? For that matter how do I troubleshoot it if it is still happening?
2014 Lance 992
2014 Ram 3500 DRW Turbo diesel
18 REPLIES 18

Freep
Explorer
Explorer
OK, I've finally had a chance to test out the new harness on the truck. I had to replace the umbilical from the Lance to the truck too since it was so corroded and was shorting out. For the last two days of driving we have had the fridge on DC and have arrived at our destination with a full battery and a cold fridge.

The new protocol works like this. I set the fridge to auto, close up the camper and then shut off the valves to the propane before we start driving. When we arrive I open the propane vales again and open up the camper. Unfortunately the fridge doesn't seem to recognize that the gas is back on until I power cycle it. This is unfortunate since I could simply turn the gas back on without going in the camper if I stopped for an extended period and didn't need to go into the camper. But that's good enough for now. I'm confident that I'm not going to run my battery down by driving with the fridge on DC.

Actually, I'm pretty ecstatic. Worrying about whether the food would stay cold with the fridge off while I was driving was a PITA and forgetting to turn it off and arriving with a dead battery was even worse.

For anyone with a Lance camper, install the Lance harness and use the correct gauge wire. You won't be sorry.
2014 Lance 992
2014 Ram 3500 DRW Turbo diesel

tattoobob
Explorer
Explorer
Freep wrote:


The previous harness was not ony 12 gauge wire but it was also ~12 feet longer and we could not keep the fridge on DC while driving without having a low camper battery upon arriving at our destination.


I hope it works out for you, I also tried the drive with 12 volt running the fridge and when I got to the beach (an hour away) the Battery was just about dead so I now drive with the fridge either off or on LP
2005 Ford F350 SRW 4x4

2000 Lance 1010

Freep
Explorer
Explorer
Maybe you got the wrong impression or I'm misunderstanding you. To test my issue I plan to bring the camper battery down, maybe half. Then load up and take a drive with the fridge on DC. If things are working better, the fridge is still cold and the battery is charging up. I always use gas or AC when stationary and don't see being able to change that until I get Litium iron batteries with more capacity, more solar and a new fridge.

The previous harness was not ony 12 gauge wire but it was also ~12 feet longer and we could not keep the fridge on DC while driving without having a low camper battery upon arriving at our destination.
2014 Lance 992
2014 Ram 3500 DRW Turbo diesel

tattoobob
Explorer
Explorer
Freep wrote:
.

I'm dying to drain the camper battery, put the camper on the truck and test it out with the fridge running on DC. But I can't do any meaningful testing until the week after next at the earliest. ๐Ÿ˜ž


I wouldn't suggest doing this, Gas is your best option if not running on 110v
and you don't want to drain your batteries past 12.2 volts to many times
2005 Ford F350 SRW 4x4

2000 Lance 1010

Freep
Explorer
Explorer
I went ahead and bit the bullet and bought a new Lance wiring harness and had the dealership install it in the truck. I made sure to tell them multiple times that it was important to have 8 gauge or better from the truck battery to the harness, in case they needed to go longer. They did come up a bit short, needed a little extra and bought themselves some 8 gauge to finish the install.

I just hope the run isn't too long.

I'm dying to drain the camper battery, put the camper on the truck and test it out with the fridge running on DC. But I can't do any meaningful testing until the week after next at the earliest. ๐Ÿ˜ž
2014 Lance 992
2014 Ram 3500 DRW Turbo diesel

Freep
Explorer
Explorer
GeoBoy wrote:

Not if you pack the new plugs with dielectric grease.


Thanks.

In doing a little more research on fixing this, I now know why I can't run the fridge on DC while driving and why the batteries don't charge well while driving. The previous owner didn't use 8 gauge power lines from the truck to the outlet. It's just the factory wiring on the truck.

Any idea if I will need to do more than just rewire the harness in the truck? It's a 2014 Ram 3500 dually diesel.
2014 Lance 992
2014 Ram 3500 DRW Turbo diesel

GeoBoy
Explorer
Explorer
Freep wrote:
Troutguy wrote:
Freep,
Looks like you found your problem.......all of that green gunk on the TC end connector.
TG



Yeah. Not quite sure how to fix it. Even if I replace everything I will still run the risk of getting water in the connector.

Not if you pack the new plugs with dielectric grease.

Freep
Explorer
Explorer
Troutguy wrote:
Freep,
Looks like you found your problem.......all of that green gunk on the TC end connector.
TG



Yeah. Not quite sure how to fix it. Even if I replace everything I will still run the risk of getting water in the connector.
2014 Lance 992
2014 Ram 3500 DRW Turbo diesel

Troutguy
Explorer
Explorer
Freep,
Looks like you found your problem.......all of that green gunk on the TC end connector.
TG
2018

RAM 3500 Crew Cab 4x4 DRW

Cummins HO, Aisin trans and 4:10 gears, 14,000 lb GVWR
2018 Arctic Fox 1140 Truck Camper &

Honda EU2000

Freep
Explorer
Explorer
It looks like it is definitely the umbilical. I finally got around to taking the camper off and this is what I found:

corrosion
It wasn't taped very well.

One end of the cable that connects from the umbilical to the truck.

The other end
2014 Lance 992
2014 Ram 3500 DRW Turbo diesel

Freep
Explorer
Explorer
wnjj wrote:

The tail and brake are different lights or at least different filaments in a bulb. The point is if it's the tail light, the other side and the clearance lights are wired in parallel to it.

Since it's by itself, it's likely the brake/turn light (same filament).

I'd check inside the 7-pin (or whatever Lance uses) for a strand of wire that is bridging between the charge pin and the left turn pin. If it's the Lance plug, a diagram I found shows the left turn and +12V are next to each other on the bottom.


As I think about it, the original owner (re)wired the umbilical from the truck. I bet that's where the issue is.
2014 Lance 992
2014 Ram 3500 DRW Turbo diesel

wnjj
Explorer II
Explorer II
Freep wrote:
jmckelvy wrote:
Is it really the tail light or might it be the left turn light? Tail lights are normally wired in parallel with both rear tail lights as well as the marker lights on the same circuit. Either way it sounds like you have some sort of wiring issue.


It's the leftmost red light. So that would be tail/brake light.


The tail and brake are different lights or at least different filaments in a bulb. The point is if it's the tail light, the other side and the clearance lights are wired in parallel to it.

Since it's by itself, it's likely the brake/turn light (same filament).

I'd check inside the 7-pin (or whatever Lance uses) for a strand of wire that is bridging between the charge pin and the left turn pin. If it's the Lance plug, a diagram I found shows the left turn and +12V are next to each other on the bottom.

This guy had the same symptoms on a TT, but with a standard RV 7-way plug the right turn is next to the +12V. Unfortunately he never posted again.

lol, I've suffered in silence with similar. It's frustrating.

Our right turn, LED, will come on and stay on. Sometimes. For weeks on end I found out. I've checked, traced and back tracked, nada. Wiring isn't foreign to by by any means. I have 20-25 trailers any given date, and up keep and diagnosis is constant.

I usually start with the obvious and most likely culprits, the plug ins. They get the most 'action'; even one little strand on a wire crossing can pick up enough current to keep an LED on. Problem with campers, trailers, etc, they are not very good at maintaining color coding (brn tail, green right, yellow left, etc) and the wires disappear into areas not readily accessible. All this leads to a hard to trouble shoot problem and often, hard to fix/work around.

My light doesn't come on currently, so I don't worry about it this month.

Let us know what you find.
'16 F550 CC, 4x4 with Link Ultraride air suspension, '18 AF 1150. Just so we can play with our snowmobiles, dirt bikes and fishing boat. And new 20' tag along...kayaks, bikes, mc's and extra water and food!!

jimh406
Explorer III
Explorer III
That looks like the Curt test light I just bought which is available at Amazon.

'10 Ford F-450, 6.4, 4.30, 4x4, 14,500 GVWR, '06 Host Rainer 950 DS, Torklift Talon tiedowns, Glow Steps, and Fastguns. Bilstein 4600s, Firestone Bags, Toyo M655 Gs, Curt front hitch, Energy Suspension bump stops.

NRA Life Member, CCA Life Member