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PHX ATC
08-03-2006, 07:30 AM
I have a boat trailer wiring question.
Is there any particular color that matches to a particular function? Like, say, brown is for brake lights, etc?
I have a problem with a trailer of mine that the only lights I have are a right rear brake light that functions and the right front running light also turns on when the right rear brake light is working. Wacko!
I don't have any other lights except for that, so running at night is out until I get it fixed. It is wired (backyard mechanic special is appears) into a common day 7 pin connector. The normal one that is stock on all newer tow vehicles.
The trailer is a 2001 Metalcraft Boat Trailer DV24, whatever that means. It has 4 colors, plus a white wire which is grounded to the trailer.
Thanks!
Toby

Insurance God
08-03-2006, 07:35 AM
Make sure it is grounded properly. Just hooking the trailer to your vehicle doesn't always give you the best ground. Also, the colors do mean something (white is ground, brown is running lights and green / yellow are for the brakes - I forget witch color goes to which side).

uvindex
08-03-2006, 07:44 AM
Is there any particular color that matches to a particular function? Like, say, brown is for brake lights, etc?Yes, there is a standard for trailer wire colors. You can google it, but here's an image that shows the colors:
http://www.etrailer.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/hh/ele/wiring_6pole.jpg
Good luck! :)

jbtrailerjim
08-03-2006, 07:49 AM
This is how a standard trailer wiring goes. Your white is the ground. The green is your right turn/stop light. Your yellow is your left turn/stop light. Your brown wire is your tail/marker lights. The extra wire you have is an auxiliary wire. It could be hooked up to the reverse lock out solenoid on the brakes if it is newer trailer. Hope this helps you out.

PHX ATC
08-03-2006, 07:51 AM
You guys friggin rock!
Thanks...I am outside, sitting in backwashed dirt from my pool, on hot concrete, sweating like a pig, attempting to rewire this stuff. I wouldn't have it any other way! :)

HocusPocus
08-03-2006, 07:53 AM
i had a simular problem with an older trailer, just ended up being a bad ground.
if your playing with the wires on your trailer i would suggest your don't leave it hooked to your truck, unless you have some extra fuses laying around. :)

PHX ATC
08-03-2006, 07:54 AM
Thanks, thanks.
Back outside to sweat. :rollside:

RitcheyRch
08-03-2006, 08:05 AM
Those are nice although a little on the pricey side.
I think you need this Jet Connex (http://www.become.com/shop?pid=202171841&q=jet+connex&utm_campaign=become&utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=ssp&utm_term=jet+connex) :)

uvindex
08-03-2006, 08:25 AM
Thanks...I am outside, sitting in backwashed dirt from my pool, on hot concrete, sweating like a pig, attempting to rewire this stuff. I wouldn't have it any other way! :)Two more things:
(1) You have a voltmeter, right? (Makes the wiring and troubleshooting MUCH easier. :))
(2) It helps to have a "known good" tow vehicle. In other words, make sure that the tow vehicle is wired correctly to begin with -- if you rewire your trailer so that it works correctly with an incorrectly wired tow vehicle, it won't work when it gets hooked up to a tow vehicle that is wired correctly (I've seen it happen! :))

PHX ATC
08-03-2006, 08:41 AM
Here's the poop:
2004 Dodge...worked perfectly on our (sold 2005) Nordic boat trailer, works perfectly on wifey's 2004 horse trailer, and works perfectly on my model year unknown flatbed do everything trailer...so the truck is good. Great suggestion though...could save people tons of work.
The boat trailer has 4 wires coming out of the boat. Green, yellow, brown w/green tracer, and brown w/yellow tracer.
It was wired:
green wire to brown connector slot (RT/stop)
yellow wire to red connector slot
brown w/yellow tracer wire to red connector slot (piggybacked with yellow wire)
brown w/green tracer wire to brown connector slot.
Ah hell, I can't remember now, but it appeared to be messed up with 2 wires going into one slot on the connector.
It is now wired:
green trailer wire to brown connector slot (RT/stop)
yellow trailer wire to red connector slot (LT/stop)
both browns w/tracers to green connector slot (tail/marker lights)
The white wire is the ground and where it was connected on the trailer was not a good spot. It had a screw just screwed into the frame right on top of the paint. I stripped the paint from around the screw hole (if you will), put a wire end connector on the wire and then screwed it back into the hole...so the ground wire should have a much better contact point with no paint to deal with and not just bare wires touching the trailer.
What do ya'll think about the way I wired it?
I can't test it with the truck right now as I've got to go to work and don't have time to move my wife's horsey trailer to get to the boat.
This is bench testing at it's finest!!
Thanks again.

PHX ATC
08-03-2006, 08:45 AM
Oh, no electric brakes on the trailer.
I'm now wondering if one of those browns w/ colored tracers shouldn't maybe be for the reverse lockout...then again, I don't know if it even has that feature.
It's a 2001 Metalcraft trailer for a 2001 Sea Ray. Hmmmmmmmmmm.
I might have burned out light bulbs too, but I wouldn't think that many!