Wiring License Plate Holder...

[sdtripper2]

Here is some more information that may help or at least give you pictures:

Note: Your connector choice above will have common wire colors for picture below:


Click here and scroll down to see more data for the above picture:

NOTE: License Plate light will be wired to
Brown wire= same as (side marker lights) AKA (running lights). The white
ground wire should run to a fixed block and all lights having a white wire to
that block for best results. Using frame ground is not recommended see
A Guide to Maintaining Trailer Lights and Wiring. clicky For more on Grounding. Search on Ground~
(Seven way plug will have a different color wire setuP) See above chart ~:thumbsup:

Note these color wires are NOT for a Seven wire plug setup but 4-6 pugs only.

"The brake and signal light work off of the same wire and the other wire is for running lights...and of course a ground...
white...ground
brown...running/marker lights <& Licenses plate light>
green...right turn/brake light
yellow...left turn/brake light

Special Note:
IF the Tow Vehicle (TV) has separate bulbs for brake and turn and your trailer doesn't, you will need a converter/logic circuit to get them to working proper...another setup, has a separately powered system for the trailer since there is not enough voltage on the regular lights to power the trailer"

Question:
External trailer lights are notoriously intermittent or go out, what causes this?
Answer:
Improper grounding of the white wires for lights are the usual problem.
A Guide to Maintaining Trailer Lights and Wiring.
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/2358/ ... s/a08.html
Search on the word "ground" in your browser to
narrow down your point of interest on the above link :
http://tnttt.com/viewto ... 794#186794

[kayakrguy]

Cutter, MJ and Tripper,

First, thanks very much for the blowing the fog out. Cut, what I hear you saying is do BOTH, frame and white wire ground. MJ seconds that at least to the point of saying that white wire ground is better than frame.
and Trip's diagram shows me the wiring routing.

I have two questions: First, for Tripper....not sure what b/w and lg mean in the diagram? Seocnd for Cutter and MJ...I'm thinking to myself 'to connect three separate lights to the white ground wire from the car, I am gonna have to ahve at least four splices. Now, if ground wire failures are one of the commonest causes of load failures, I seem to be multiplying my problems? A trailer frame only ground leaves me with only that ground to ook at if a fixture fails (assuming it isn't the bulb or another wire etc) On the other hand, I do understand Cut's point about redundancey.

Thanks,

JCW

[sdtripper2]

kayakrguy:

<snip> questions: First, for Tripper....not sure what b/w and lg mean in the diagram <snip>

Sorry for the confusion::oops:
I took away the offending picture in my previous post and put this picture:





Click here and scroll down to see more data for the above picture:

NOTE: License Plate light will be wired to
Brown wire= same as (side marker lights) AKA (running lights). The white
ground wire should run to a fixed block and all lights having a white wire to
that block for best results. Using frame ground is not recommended see
A Guide to Maintaining Trailer Lights and Wiring. clicky For more on Grounding. Search on Ground~

[madjack]

Jim, I prefer to run the White wire to a gounding/terminal block and then run a ground from each light to that block...this gives me one common point to check all grounds...I do not run any 12v grounds to the frame!!!!!!!
madjack

[bobhenry]

Jack,

Thanks for the heads up and explanation. Now two questions:

1) I am not clear what the issue is about frame grounding. To wit: The white ground wire from the car comes back to the trailer....and the car's ground is to the car frame....so, if the white ground wire attaches to the trailer frame that would take all grounds back to the car, no?

2) If each load is to have a separate ground (which is what I understand you to mean--correct?) and the ground wire from the load--say the license plate light--gjoes to the white wire from the car....what is the difference from 1) abovv? I think I am missing something in this scenario!


Thanks,

Jim

I hooked up a million U-haul trailers ( or so it seems ) and 99% of all lighting problems were bad grounds. We found a shiny bolt or trunk latch in the trunk and ran a short section of wire to the screwdown coupler and made a ground. Each time you hear the coupler rattle going down the higway it is your ground being interupted if you do not dedicate a wire to do the grounding. Yes your coupler should ground to the car frame but it will cause lights to flash off and on causing tail lights to dim as turn lights are flashing. All kinds of spookey crazy stuff that will drive you insane trying to figure out. a dedicated ground to each and every fixture hard wired thru the 4 way 6 way 7 way what ever will save you a ton of head scratching. As for a 1 wire fixture I have added a ground by mini clamping a dedicated ground wire to the outside of the lamp holder canister and run it out were the black wire exits the fixture.

[Nic]

Jim, I used a separate plate holder and light on my tear. I tapped into the brown wire on the trailer's wiring. Brown is the one for the tail lights and running lights. The signal/brake wires are yellow and green. I used a separate ground wire for the lights. I don't like using the trailer frame for ground.

I have been having a ground problem with my lights. I am using the trailer for a ground. If you dont us the trailer what do you use?

[madjack]

Jim, I used a separate plate holder and light on my tear. I tapped into the brown wire on the trailer's wiring. Brown is the one for the tail lights and running lights. The signal/brake wires are yellow and green. I used a separate ground wire for the lights. I don't like using the trailer frame for ground.

I have been having a ground problem with my lights. I am using the trailer for a ground. If you dont us the trailer what do you use?

...wire(the white one)...or wire and a grounding block/terminal strip..............................