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Old 07-28-2020, 10:33 AM   #1
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Tail Light Problem

Hi all - first time on the forums. Long time camper, first time owning a travel trailer. Just bought a 2006 Jayco Jay Feather EXP, private party. Having an issue with the driver side tail light on the trailer. When the head lights are on, it works. However, brake light and blinker are not working. Doing some online searching, I've read it's most likely a ground problem. I'm just not sure how to check that. It looks like there are a bunch of which ground wires connected to the frame just behind/under the tongue. They seem to be secure. I've Googled and tried all the obvious things. Suburban fuses are good. I've used an automotive tester to check the 7 way plug coming from my Suburban and that all seems good. I've used some electronic connection cleaner on both the Suburban and trailer 7 way plug. I've swapped bulbs with the drivers side (which is the one that works) and verified that it's not a bulb issue. The light socket does not look corroded. This is probably a really easy fix I just can figure it out. Is there an easy way to check the trailer 7 way connector to see if those connections are good? It is a pretty old looking plug. Although, I don't know that replacing it is going to fix the issue. I would think if the plug is the issue, wiggling it would at least cause the light in the back to come on. Any advice/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
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Old 07-28-2020, 11:03 AM   #2
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Welcome to the Forum from Western New York State!

The next thing I would do is check the connection inside the junction box. Then pull the lamp assembly off, and check the connection there with a test light. If they made the connections with ScotchLoks, redo them with weatherproof butt connectors. Electrical gremlins are no fun.
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Old 07-28-2020, 11:20 AM   #3
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if you wiggle the 7way it works intermittently? then it is in the connection between the 7 way. I would bend out the one for the light and make sure it has good connectivity...
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Old 07-28-2020, 12:13 PM   #4
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Thanks for the replies!

JFlightRisk - I tested the light assembly and, as suspected, no juice for brakes or blinker, just for head lamps. No ScotchLoks either. Being a noob, I'm not sure what I need to do the check the connection inside the junction box. I'm not sure how/where to do that. If you have time to reply and walk me through that, I can definitely check it out.

curver900 - Apologies for the confusion. It's not working regardless of wiggling the 7 way connector. The blinker and brake light just aren't working. Only when I turn on the head lights is when the light turns on.
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Old 07-28-2020, 12:26 PM   #5
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the 7 way connector on the bumper or the other end on the trailer can corrode and not make good contact. I had one on a different car that I would have to gently clean. I took very fine sandpaper cut in a tiny strip and cleaned to prong. The one down in the hole I used a drill slightly smaller and twirled it to buff out the corrosion. Then a small bit of dialectric grease to slow down corrosion. I also clean my tail light bulbs and socket and apply grease yearly. Except I am going to order sealed led tail lights when I get back from camping.
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Old 07-28-2020, 12:42 PM   #6
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okay then the grounding is likely the 90% solution...
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Old 07-28-2020, 04:26 PM   #7
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Did you check the trailer connecter at the truck? the reason I ask I blew a fuse and it only affected the trailer lights.. I had to find the well hidden fuse on the truck and replace it..
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Old 08-01-2020, 08:07 PM   #8
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Thanks for all the replies! I did check the fuse and it’s good. I’m fairly certain it’s a ground issue. My plan is to unscrew the ground wires from the frame and lightly sand them as well as the frame to see if that helps. Any other tips for cleaning the ground wires? Ideally I’d love to use a small rotary tool I just don’t have one. I think sandpaper should hopefully do the trick.
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Old 08-01-2020, 10:07 PM   #9
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Ok first step. Unplug trailer from truck and turn on 4 way flashers on the truck. Then with the test light grounded good on the truck check for 2 different terminals flashing at the truck side of the trailer connection. If you have 2 different prongs flashing on the truck, then the problem has just been cut in half. If the truck is ok then plug in the trailer cord, leave the 4 way flashers on and turn on the park lights also. Then take the bulb out of the taillight, ground the test light on the trailer frame. Test both bottom terminals of the bulb socket. Be careful not to touch the side of the socket with any part of the test light. If things are working on the power side, one terminal should flash and one should be on steady. If neither work, then the test light is not grounded to the frame. Do these tests and let us know what you find. Jay
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Old 08-01-2020, 10:11 PM   #10
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dielectric grease will help prevent corrosion for a while and help prevent renewed problems.
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Old 08-02-2020, 09:18 PM   #11
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Found my issue. Removed the electrical tape around my harness and RV trailer wires and 3 of the wires were loose and actually came out of the butt connectors when removing the tape. I’m planning to replace my harness with a longer one that has a junction box. Whoever connected everything originally spliced in some wire because the harness wires didn’t reach the RV wires. I saw a lot of butt connectors that were connected very poorly. Any suggestions on a new harness would be welcomed. Right now looking at the “ MICTUNING Heavy Duty 7 Way Plug Inline Trailer Cord with 7 Gang Junction Box - 8 Feet, Weatherproof” harness on Amazon. Good reviews although a lot of people say the wire colors don’t match up so I’m not sure how hard that is to figure out? Thanks again for all the replies!
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Old 08-02-2020, 09:38 PM   #12
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When you get the new harness, plug it into the truck, and test each wire end with a test light, while a helper operates the lights, signals, etc. in the truck. That will give you a "schematic" of the color code on the harness. Wire them one at at time until it's right.

A harness shipped from a foreign country may not have the same wire color to corresponding function as the US.
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Old 08-03-2020, 09:03 AM   #13
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I have found that if you tin ( solder ) the wire ends before you crimp them in the butt connector you can get a much tighter fit and you won't crush the wire. You can find some very helpful videos on line that will explain the correct way to do this.
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Old 08-03-2020, 09:15 AM   #14
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Thanks for the replies. Looking at replacement wire harnesses and reading the comments, it seems like there are a number of comments regarding incorrect wiring colors (aka wiring colors don't match). So, I'm planning on having to use my automotive tester to check the wires (JFlightRisk's suggestion). Does anyone know of a wiring harness that is specifically made in the USA? I'm thinking too that would help with maybe the colors lining up? However, I'm having a hard time finding anything when looking online. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!
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Old 08-03-2020, 10:52 AM   #15
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Etrailer has some that are coiled they have 8 and 12 footers... here is the 12 footer
https://www.etrailer.com/Wiring/Barg...54006-046.html
and they have the pin out shown
they also carry a normal one...
https://www.etrailer.com/Wiring/Hopkins/H20046.html
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Old 08-13-2020, 05:57 PM   #16
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I have the same problem on my brand new Hummingbird. It worked fine when I left the dealer but the blinker on the passenger side doesn't work now. I hit some pretty hard bumps on the way to the storage spot I have. Could I have jarred something loose?
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Old 08-13-2020, 07:07 PM   #17
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It's possible. Maybe start with the connection at the 7 pin with a test light on the TV side, if so then at the connection inside the junction box. See if there's flashing test light at either of those areas, and lastly at the tail light itself.
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Old 08-29-2020, 06:48 AM   #18
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2013 a17z hybrid rear right tail brake light just stop. New bulb, same and tested 7 wire plug, all working. Looking to see where wires are in this trailer.
Thank you in advance
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