taillight convertor boxes and trailer wiring problmes.

[Shadow Catcher]

I will second SC on this. We encountered some one at one of the rest stops in the middle of a very hot no where who was obviously trying to figure out why his trailer lights were not working so I walked over with tester I carry, 7 prong< and suggested this might help. http://accessories.etrailer.com/trailer ... %207%20Pin He plugged it in a low and behold all of the tests worked. When I looked at his harness to the trailer it is a total mess with multiple splices. His problem was not the converter, mine has been, and I do carry a spare along with all of the necessary tools to replace a bad one.

[Todah Tear]

Amen to that. I had a similar problem. The convertor went bad. Tractor Supply has a good selection of convertors, light harnesses, and accessories...better than Lowes and Home Depot.

That is a good idea to buy and extra one in advance...before you need it. If I remember, I will do so tomorrow when I am out and about.

Todah

[mary and bob]

Sticking the pointed end of the tester into wires just causes a place for moisture to get in and corrode the wire, another trouble spot waiting to happen. And if a "suitcase" connector is one of those that you slide over one wire and stick another in next to it and squeeze the thing to bite into both wires, they are the worst thing you could use where they are exposed to the elements. I've used the heat shrink connectors for years on trucks, and even they aren't 100% foolproof. But, use what you want if it works for you, just my opinion.

[pete42]

slow glad you got it fixed having worked as a electrician for 41 years I know how sometimes a problem is hard to solve.

Just last week when I had hooked up my brother's flat trailer I told him to stand in back and let me know if the lights are working
I tried the running lights first he said YUP......
I then tried brake lights he said YUP............
then the left turn signal he said YUP..... NOPE.....YUP.....NOPE.....YUP.....NOPE.....YUP.....NOPE..........."HERE'S YOUR SIGN".

PETE

[starleen2]

yep - dem ' converter boxes do go out. I ordered a custom harness from E trailer for my Jeep commander. It was basically a plug in wiring adapter with a converter box. Real simple to install. It worked for about two years - then it went out. I went to Autozone and bought just the box - wired it in and now its good to go. . . .and yes folks, do a walk around to check them lights

[rowerwet]

my boss was selling his 60 something convertable camaro, but the high beams made the headlights dimmer instead of brighter, spent hours trying to figure out what was wrong. His boss walked out looked at it and said "clean the ground connection", problem solved. corrosion was limiting the flow of electricity, adding another filament to the wires meant half the power needed instead of double, got through.
I have seen this many times with trailer lights the tail lights are fin but it gets dim when you step on the brake. I always run a ground wire, avoiding using the frame. a corrosion in the bulb socket will do the dimming thing also.