Trailer Lights

[TNBronzeback]

So i put some new Harbor Freight trailer lights (non-LED) on my boat. They are non-submersible and the way they are installed, they wont be going in the water. The first few times i took the boat out, the lights worked great. last sunday when i took it out, they worked great going out, but when i was leaving the launch in the evening, i noticed the tail lights werent on! Break Lights, blinkers, hazards all work great, but if i dont have my foot on the break, they dont light up!
Any insight onto why that might be or even how that might be?

[Reel Tune]

Find out which wire is just for the tail lights at the plug on the back of your truck, follow that wire with a 12v tester until the tester dosen't light up anymore. Probably at a connection, where it splits for both tail lights. I have also jarred the trailer hard enough to brake the filaments at the same time. Check fuses immediately if you don't have anything coming out of the pigtail at the rear of your vehicle.

[jad2t]

Yea you just need to get a voltmeter and trace back where you lose 12 volts. Be careful with those test lights. IF you should accidentally probe a wire with one of those that is connected to your vehicle's computer or airbags, the results could be very bad.

[TNBronzeback]

Cool guys thanks! i appreciate the help!

[tkwalker]

Trailer lighting really messes with folks .... Here is what it is ..

The Brown wire is you tail and running lights ...
The Green wire is your right Turn signal ...
The Yellow wire is the left turn signal ...

It is imperative to always ground the white wire to the frame of the Trailer ...

A simple check to see if everything works with out stepping on brakes and turning on turn signals is do the following ...

Turn on your lights and flashers ... If the lights are on and the flashers are working ... Your brakes and turn signals will also .... <'TK>< Hope this helps ...

Note: sometimes a dirty connector to the vehicle will cause problems ... Clean these contact pins , both male/female ...