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Old 08-01-2021, 05:46 PM   #1
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Rear lights always on and slow pulsing

Hey all. I have a 2020 Jay Feather SLX 174BH I just picked up. I noticed that the rear lights that stretch across the top are always on. It's very low and they slowly pulse every 20 seconds or so. This happens on battery and shore power. The previous owner stated that this has been happening since new. Any ideas out there?

My concern is battery draw while it's parked but also, thinking it shouldn't function this way.

Photo attached of the lights for reference.

Thanks all!
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Old 08-01-2021, 06:34 PM   #2
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Humm, no real help here. But a few thoughts.

I noticed my marker lights dimly blink now when a turn signal is on. I suspect a bad ground, but have not looked. Those lights only get power from your 7 pin wire harness when it is connected to your TV. Totally independent of the TT power system. They do use the chassis as the ground, just like the rest of the 12V system.

If it only did it when connected to shore power, I would say trace the wires as they run through the TT, as AC power does wierd things to DC power when the cables are in close proximity over a distance. But it does it when not connected to shore power.

By chance when you are connected to the TV, and your turn signals are on, does the upper corner turn signals blink too? That is a new thing on a alot of new trailers. Not sure how they are wiring that in, but worth a look.

I would also look at your 7 pin wire harness transitions to the TT wires. Might have a few bad wire connections.

By chance does your tt have J-command? If so, I would disconnect its power source to it and see if the issue goes away.

Lastly I would look at you ground connections the the chassis. If you have an enclosed underbelly this could take some effort.

Sorry for not being more helpful, but this is going to take some investigating to figure out. The key in opinion is figuring out what cycle every 20 seconds.

Edit: additional thought. Pull one fuse at a time, and see if the issue goes away, that might direct you to what is causing the pulse. My guess J-Command if you have it.
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Old 08-01-2021, 06:56 PM   #3
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I would consider pulling every 12v fuse, one at a time to help determine what else is on that same circuit as the one causing the lights to be on. Are they LED bulbs? ~CA
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Old 08-01-2021, 07:43 PM   #4
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Humm, no real help here. But a few thoughts.

I noticed my marker lights dimly blink now when a turn signal is on. I suspect a bad ground, but have not looked. Those lights only get power from your 7 pin wire harness when it is connected to your TV. Totally independent of the TT power system. They do use the chassis as the ground, just like the rest of the 12V system.

If it only did it when connected to shore power, I would say trace the wires as they run through the TT, as AC power does wierd things to DC power when the cables are in close proximity over a distance. But it does it when not connected to shore power.

By chance when you are connected to the TV, and your turn signals are on, does the upper corner turn signals blink too? That is a new thing on a alot of new trailers. Not sure how they are wiring that in, but worth a look.

I would also look at your 7 pin wire harness transitions to the TT wires. Might have a few bad wire connections.

By chance does your tt have J-command? If so, I would disconnect its power source to it and see if the issue goes away.

Lastly I would look at you ground connections the the chassis. If you have an enclosed underbelly this could take some effort.

Sorry for not being more helpful, but this is going to take some investigating to figure out. The key in opinion is figuring out what cycle every 20 seconds.

Edit: additional thought. Pull one fuse at a time, and see if the issue goes away, that might direct you to what is causing the pulse. My guess J-Command if you have it.
This is great. Thanks very much. I don't have J Command installed on this trailer. I will pull each of the fuses out one at a time to see what is causing it....or trace the wiring back. Thanks very much for the advice!
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Old 08-01-2021, 07:44 PM   #5
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I would consider pulling every 12v fuse, one at a time to help determine what else is on that same circuit as the one causing the lights to be on. Are they LED bulbs? ~CA
Hey Craig, yes they are LED. I will follow your suggestion and try that. I'll report back. Appreciate the help!
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Old 08-02-2021, 09:05 AM   #6
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So pulled out every fuse one at a time....rest marker lights did not go off. The interesting thing I noticed was that when I pulled the fuse for a set of the interior lights not controlled by the main light switch...the interior LED lights didn't completely go off, they just dimmed which tells me 12V power is somehow fixed or bypassing the fuse maybe??? Attached pics off before/after....any ideas?
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Old 08-02-2021, 09:29 AM   #7
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So pulled out every fuse one at a time....rest marker lights did not go off. The interesting thing I noticed was that when I pulled the fuse for a set of the interior lights not controlled by the main light switch...the interior LED lights didn't completely go off, they just dimmed which tells me 12V power is somehow fixed or bypassing the fuse maybe??? Attached pics off before/after....any ideas?

When I was asking if they are LED the reason I asked is that LED bulbs require only a very little amount of electricity compared to incandescent lights (so a very little bit of transient voltage could light them). With that in mind, I have never seen any RV that powered the rear marker lights from the RV's 12v power as the power for the clearance lights should be only from the trailer connector (same for all of the clearance lights, turn signals, parking, and brake lights).

What I suspect is happening, is that when the RV was wired (or sometime before you got it) that the trailer connecter's ground connection was tied into the RV's 12v ground and feeding back through the lights as you saw with the rear marker lights and with the fuse pulled and the interior lights. I suspect you could correct this issue by running another ground from the RV's trailer connector (or re-secure the ground that it already should have) to the frame of the RV, and if needed perhaps another one (ground to the frame) from the 12v power panel's ground connection (fuse box) to the RV's frame.

You may be able to verify this simply using a jumper cable from the battery ground to the frame although that may not be where the issue is. Have you noticed if the behaviour changes when the trailer connector is plugged into the tow vehicle? ~CA

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Old 08-02-2021, 09:49 AM   #8
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Or the previous owner changed the incandesent bulbs to LED. If you replace the entire unit with a new one that is LED, there's a resistor in it to avoid the voltage issue. Either way, a ground or a 'bad' idea is most likely at the bottom of this owner's problem.
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Old 08-02-2021, 10:31 AM   #9
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Or the previous owner changed the incandesent bulbs to LED. If you replace the entire unit with a new one that is LED, there's a resistor in it to avoid the voltage issue. Either way, a ground or a 'bad' idea is most likely at the bottom of this owner's problem.
The 2020 Jay Flight SLX line came with LED interior and marker lights from the factory, so I don't think this is the issue. Good thought though!
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Old 08-02-2021, 10:33 AM   #10
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Or the previous owner changed the incandesent bulbs to LED. If you replace the entire unit with a new one that is LED, there's a resistor in it to avoid the voltage issue. Either way, a ground or a 'bad' idea is most likely at the bottom of this owner's problem.
Does this trailer have the Jay smart lighting? If so there is a box in the front pass thru on drivers side that you can remove 2 screws. Make sure all connections there are in good order….

This jay smart acts as a relay, it sends power to the marker lights via an electronic relay that is controlled by the marker/brake/turn signal lights of your tow vehicle. So if it’s bad it could theoretically send power to the lights without the tow vehicle being hooked up.
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Old 08-02-2021, 01:32 PM   #11
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Does this trailer have the Jay smart lighting? If so there is a box in the front pass thru on drivers side that you can remove 2 screws. Make sure all connections there are in good order….

This jay smart acts as a relay, it sends power to the marker lights via an electronic relay that is controlled by the marker/brake/turn signal lights of your tow vehicle. So if it’s bad it could theoretically send power to the lights without the tow vehicle being hooked up.

I was not aware of the "jay smart". With your description of it I would also suspect that it may require a good ground connection for it to work properly as I suspect feedback through the ground somewhere, certainly could be something like this. ~CA
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Old 08-02-2021, 02:01 PM   #12
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I was not aware of the "jay smart". With your description of it I would also suspect that it may require a good ground connection for it to work properly as I suspect feedback through the ground somewhere, certainly could be something like this. ~CA
Yes it could, it looks like this. One other thought is that maybe somebody screwed thru some wires.
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EA8DEA64-9A9C-4AC8-9FC0-9434C01CFDC6.jpg   82F8E287-D000-455F-907F-3365E2A7BB4A.jpg   93BAAEFD-A2D7-4CE6-9C0E-C267845C3BA2.jpg  
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Old 08-02-2021, 02:43 PM   #13
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Yes it could, it looks like this. One other thought is that maybe somebody screwed thru some wires.
Thanks for posting. Mostly what I expected it to look like. It would be nice if there was a pinout diagram for the wires, as there are 9 wires, for a 7 pin wire harness. I suspect the two green wires and yellow wires with strips are for the added flasher options for the marker lights, as those are the base colors for right and left turn signals.

The blue wire should be the E-brake power, Not sure I like to see a fuse inline from what looks like a feed wire from the battery, it also appears to power the Jsmart controller. Loose the fuse and could loose e-brakes in an emergency.

The white wire connected to the black wire with a scotchlok. I would like to know were the black wire is going. The wire wire should be a ground. I would want the best wire connection possible there, or the system could fail or cause issues.

Why is there a fuse holder connected to the brown wire? Maybe it is for the electric tongue jack as I do not see it going into the JSmart. So many questions. A wiring diagram would be very helpful.

OP if you have Jsmart, I would look this device over. Looks like the relay might be replaceable, but it might just be just the image and how it is potted in. You may have a wire strand that is sticking out and touching something. Also check those wire ground wires, and power feed connections closely.

If I am correct in how it is wired up, it would be fairly easy to disconnect it, and wire it back in old school. If you do mark each wire carefully, and cut on the long wire side of each connector, so you have long enough wire length to put it back in.

I would cut the neutral first, and see if your blinking goes away. If not, then try the hot wire.

https://www.ajtnt.com/Info/7-Way-Diagram
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Old 08-02-2021, 03:43 PM   #14
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Here is the pin out, thought I included it earlier… those scotchlocks are on there from something I was trying… I corrected the blue wire when I realized it was for brakes.
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Old 08-02-2021, 05:04 PM   #15
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When I was asking if they are LED the reason I asked is that LED bulbs require only a very little amount of electricity compared to incandescent lights (so a very little bit of transient voltage could light them). With that in mind, I have never seen any RV that powered the rear marker lights from the RV's 12v power as the power for the clearance lights should be only from the trailer connector (same for all of the clearance lights, turn signals, parking, and brake lights).

What I suspect is happening, is that when the RV was wired (or sometime before you got it) that the trailer connecter's ground connection was tied into the RV's 12v ground and feeding back through the lights as you saw with the rear marker lights and with the fuse pulled and the interior lights. I suspect you could correct this issue by running another ground from the RV's trailer connector (or re-secure the ground that it already should have) to the frame of the RV, and if needed perhaps another one (ground to the frame) from the 12v power panel's ground connection (fuse box) to the RV's frame.

You may be able to verify this simply using a jumper cable from the battery ground to the frame although that may not be where the issue is. Have you noticed if the behaviour changes when the trailer connector is plugged into the tow vehicle? ~CA

~CA
Hey, thanks again for the help. Yes, when I plug it into the TV, it operates as expected. The markers lights are off until I turn the parking/headlights on the TV on.
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Old 08-02-2021, 05:09 PM   #16
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Yes it could, it looks like this. One other thought is that maybe somebody screwed thru some wires.
Hey there, thanks for the tip. I am not sure if I have JSmart but I will check. This unit does not have pass-thru storage. Storage on the passenger side only and I was told the fresh water tank on the drivers side. I will have a look later today though. I'll have to remove a panel under the front queen bed.
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Old 08-02-2021, 05:32 PM   #17
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This same thing happened to me with my travel trailer once I attached my new truck. The reason was my new truck is always looking at the trailer's bulbs. If your truck is like mine and your trailer's lights are LED, you may need to purchase the "Curt 7-Way Trailer Adapter for Towing Trailers with LED Lights"
https://www.etrailer.com/Custom-Fit-...rt/C57003.html

When parked all the lights on my trailer would blink. In my dash it would periodically say I had a brake light/turn signal light out too. I guess the resistance is so much lower with LED my truck couldn't figure out what was going on.
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Old 08-02-2021, 05:35 PM   #18
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This same thing happened to me with my travel trailer once I attached my new truck. The reason was my new truck is always looking at the trailer's bulbs. If your truck is like mine and your trailer's lights are LED, you may need to purchase the "Curt 7-Way Trailer Adapter for Towing Trailers with LED Lights"
https://www.etrailer.com/Custom-Fit-...rt/C57003.html

When parked all the lights on my trailer would blink. In my dash it would periodically say I had a brake light/turn signal light out too. I guess the resistance is so much lower with LED my truck couldn't figure out what was going on.
Hey thanks. But this is also happening with the interior lights. I pull the fuse. they dim but they don't completely go out.
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Old 08-02-2021, 06:42 PM   #19
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Sounds like a backfeed. I would pull ALL fuses. Put in one,check lights. Pull it out, put in next fuse, repeat. When u find circuit check for ADDONS. Worst case is screw in wall hitting 2 12v wires
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Old 08-02-2021, 08:17 PM   #20
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There is a wire that is feeding power to the lights......just barley. Turn the inside light on, pull it’s fuse so it will stay on dimly lit. Then pull one fuse at a time until thee light goes out. That will tell you where the power is coming from. Once you know what is feeding the lights,the wire that is feeding them power will have to be tracked down. Be careful when pulling on wires or you could “cure it” temporarily by moving the wires apart when looking. Jay
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