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Trailer Directional not working

joelc
Explorer III
Explorer III
Getting ready for trip. Neither the left or right directionals are working on my 2012 Cameo 5er. The lights work, but no stop lights or directionals. I checked the plug for the truck and I have voltage for the lights, but not for blinkers, directional or stop lights. All the same filament on the bulb. For what I can tell all other 12V systems are working. Any ideas? Is there a separate fuse box just for 12V? If not any ideas to get them working. It is not nice to drive without break or blinker lights.... We live in the RV full time and it has been sitting on our pad for about 2 years without moving. All worked last time we were out.
12 REPLIES 12

mhardin
Explorer
Explorer
Bulbs and fuses are the first things to check because they are the most likely to be the problem. Also, they are the easiest thing to check before jumping through hoops chasing wires.
2013 Ford F-350, 4x4, Crew Cab, Long Box.
2001 Jayco Eagle 266 FBS.
2014 Heartland Elkridge 37 Ultimate.

joelc
Explorer III
Explorer III
Found the problem. Hope this might help someone else out. All the suggestions above were good and I followed through with all of them as well as others. After all, I kept thinking what is the common denominator to both lights and I kept thinking "ground". Keep in mind one bulb was NEW and the other old, but as I recall last time we went camping the directionals did not work. Well, I took out each bulb and checked with my VOM the continuity between each contact point and the side of the bulb (ground). Only one contact point in BOTH bulbs had continuity. I installed 2 NEW bulbs that I had purchased today and checked them. Behold, continuity with ground on both contact points. Plugged in the truck to the RV and tested. Surprise EVERYTHING worked. What are the odds of having to new bulbs that are bad?

cummins2014
Explorer
Explorer
MFL wrote:
joelc said: "checked the plug for the truck and I have voltage for the lights, but not for blinkers, directional or stop lights"

So you are saying the truck receptacle for 7-pin is not powering these lights?

Does the truck itself have operating brake/turn signals? If so, it would likely be a bad connection in the harness to the 7-pin connector.

If truck stop lights not working, most likely a fuse under hood or dash. Your owners manual should give the exact fuse location.

Jerry



Jerry , I don't think the trailer ,and truck wiring are related ,they are all separate . I think one could be working without the other , in other words the trailer lights could be out because of fuse ,connection ,bad wire etc ,and the truck would be working .

cummins2014
Explorer
Explorer
midnightsadie wrote:
if a ford? mine has a separate fuse box by the passengers right leg.



Yes ,and both right ,and left signals have a fuse for the trailer . It seems odd both would be blown at the same time , but it's sure possible . I have had one or the other blown ,but never both at the same time .

To the OP get your manual out ,and see where those fuses are in your truck . both Ram ,and Ford have separate fuses for the trailer light directional signals etc .

TXiceman
Explorer
Explorer
corvettekent wrote:
There are no fuses on the trailer for the brake lights, turn signals or taillights, these are all powered by the truck. Some trucks do have separate fuses for the trailer lights.
I would start checking at the 7-pin connecter and work back to the taillight bulb connections.


I beg to differ. Our trailer and one other we had in the past, had fuses on the wiring for the lights. They were located in an area close to the pinbox where the harness came into the trailer. My truck also has the trailer wiring on a separate fused circuit.

Ken
Amateur Radio Operator.
2023 Cougar 22MLS, toted with a 2022, F150, 3.5L EcoBoost, Crewcab, Max Tow, FORMER Full Time RVer. Travel with a standard schnauzer and a Timneh African Gray parrot

midnightsadie
Explorer II
Explorer II
if a ford? mine has a separate fuse box by the passengers right leg.

joelc
Explorer III
Explorer III
When I used a jumper on the trailer connector I got 12 V for the lit back lights, but none no voltage for either directional. I am going to check the truck today, in case there is a problem there. Took apart the RV connector and cleaned it. All seem good there. If it was a bad ground, I am thinking the rear tail lights would not work, so there has to be a common denominator somewhere for the direction filament.

enblethen
Nomad
Nomad
Trailer fuses in the truck. Check location in truck's owner's manual. Most are in the fuse block under the hood.

Bud
USAF Retired
Pace Arrow


2003 Chev Ice Road Tracker

chiefneon
Explorer
Explorer
Howdy!

Had the same problems once. Rats got in and ate into the wiring. Was a real mess finding the problem.

โ€œHappy Trailsโ€
Chiefneon

BB_TX
Nomad
Nomad
Check your truck fuse box(es) to see if separate fuses for taillights and stoplights.

You can check the trailer brake lights by using a jumper at your 7 pin connector.

MFL
Nomad II
Nomad II
joelc said: "checked the plug for the truck and I have voltage for the lights, but not for blinkers, directional or stop lights"

So you are saying the truck receptacle for 7-pin is not powering these lights?

Does the truck itself have operating brake/turn signals? If so, it would likely be a bad connection in the harness to the 7-pin connector.

If truck stop lights not working, most likely a fuse under hood or dash. Your owners manual should give the exact fuse location.

Jerry

corvettekent
Explorer
Explorer
There are no fuses on the trailer for the brake lights, turn signals or taillights, these are all powered by the truck. Some trucks do have separate fuses for the trailer lights.
I would start checking at the 7-pin connecter and work back to the taillight bulb connections.
2022 Silverado 3500 High Country CC/LB, SRW, L5P. B&W Companion Hitch with pucks. Hadley air horns.

2004 32' Carriage 5th wheel. 860 watts of solar MPPT, two SOK 206 ah LiFePO4 batteries. Samlex 2,000 watt Pure Sine Wave Inverter.