Brake light and turn signal question

[ridgerunner6901]

Ok guys, my 09 stratos trailer lights have sucked since I bought it. A couple of years ago I switched to led lights and thought I had solved my issues, wrong. All the sudden my right brake/ turn signal is dimmer than the left. I have cleaned connections, made a new improved ground, , test light shows good Power at the back but still the thing is dim. I thought the light was bad so I went and got a new one and put it on, no change. Anyone ever ran into stuff like this? Any ideas ? Thanks for any replies. I've checked fuses ln the truck also

[Bassman Ia.]

Ground, dim points to a grounding issue. How is the wiring ( ground wire in the pigtail ) on that side? Corrosion on the wire inside the shealthing?

[billnorman1]

At this time, I would run a ground meter lead all the way back to where the white wire connects to the frame from the plug at the front of the trailer. Then I'd check the input voltage at the splice to the LED. Then I would check the ground wire with the positive meter lead. If you have any voltage on the ground lead, the problem is there.

[CatFan]

A test light isn't really good enough to troubleshoot a problem like this. You need a meter.

[Dually13]

Sometimes a meter can decieve you. I like to use a old fashion high beam headlamp. They put a load on the circuit that a meter does not. The other thing to try is run a seperate wire from a good ground on the tow vehicle to the dim light as a test. If it lights bright it is a ground issue if not power side is suspect.

[blkfalc4]

At this time, I would run a ground meter lead all the way back to where the white wire connects to the frame from the plug at the front of the trailer. Then I'd check the input voltage at the splice to the LED. Then I would check the ground wire with the positive meter lead. If you have any voltage on the ground lead, the problem is there.

All well and good for incandescent lamps, but LEDs won't back feed a circuit like filament lamps.

[ridgerunner6901]

Thanks folks, this am I checked all connections in the plug, re grounded all 4 grounds on the trailer, fixed a couple of issues I didn't like the way the factory had routed a couple of wires and everything I've done has made no impact. I hooked my truck to my mower trailer and everything was good with the truck end. I honestly don't understand everything I know about voltage meters so I haven't really went into much testing, tomorrow I plan to pull a new brake/ turn Signal wire and see if this will fix the damn thing. So far all I've done is replace a set of lights that didn't need it... Oh well

[Jeff Hahn]

Thanks folks, this am I checked all connections in the plug, re grounded all 4 grounds on the trailer, fixed a couple of issues I didn't like the way the factory had routed a couple of wires and everything I've done has made no impact. I hooked my truck to my mower trailer and everything was good with the truck end. I honestly don't understand everything I know about voltage meters so I haven't really went into much testing, tomorrow I plan to pull a new brake/ turn Signal wire and see if this will fix the damn thing. So far all I've done is replace a set of lights that didn't need it... Oh well

Just an FYI, in case you didn't think of it, run the new wire loose and make sure it will solve the problem before pulling it inside the trailer frame.

[billnorman1]

When you say dim, with the parking lights on, does the brake or emergency flasher make the brake light come on stronger than the parking light? You may have the wires to the light hooked up wrong. Hook up the ground (white or black) wire from the LED to the frame of the trailer. Turn on the parking lights. Strip the wires, and touch the brown wire to each of the two remaining wires one at a time. One will produce a much brighter light from the LED, that wire is the brake light and should be hooked to the Green trailer wire. The remaining wire should be the parking light, and should hook up to the Brown wire.

[ridgerunner6901]

Yes they are hooked up to the right wires, that is my plan jeff. Thanks again

[ridgerunner6901]

Well turns out my alot of the mysteries about that trailer over the years can be traced back to it most likely being wired by a drunk 12 year old at 430 on a Friday evening. It's not fixed yet but another morning before work will have it taken care of and completely re- wired. It's been a great boat but that trailer has been a continual headache since 2009. Wish I'd have just done this year's ago. Thanks for the help. The problem was that when they spliced in for marker lights they almost cut the wire into in 2 places.

[billnorman1]

Marker lights....brown wire, brake light, green wire. Hope it works out for you.

[ridgerunner6901]

That's another interesting thing... they start of with green and brown and when they really appeared at the rear of the trailer there were two different shades of brown, got it fixed today