All running lights, turn/stop lights work. Except when I shift to reverse none of the lights work including the back up lights. I checked the wiring and everything looks OK, brown to running lamps, yellow to left turn, grn to right turn, white wire to ground on each lamp. Disconnected the back up lamps and still nothing works in reverse. Anybody got any ideas?
White ground wire connection to the tongue is bad. Everything is grounding through the reverse solenoid, but when you go to reverse that doesn't work anymore.
If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity,
nothing else matters.
check the blue wire from the reverse solenoid to be sure it is not pinched.
Makes sense. I'll focus on that connection. Thanks.Originally Posted by CatFan
xcellent.
Catfan, here's an update. Visually inspected the wiring inside the tongue. No broken or crimped wires. Ground on truck receptacle checks out good.Ranger installed a 5 pin flat connector inside the tongue that is connected to the plug that goes into truck receptacle. I'm calling that the pigtail.The other end of flat pin connector goes to trailer wiring.Disconnected that and checked each pin for continuity plug to flat pin connector , all OK. Next step will be to put a voltmeter across the backup pin(red) of the pigtail and ground and shift into reverse. If no voltage then something must be screwed up between the plug - flat pin connector pigtail. What do you think?
Look at the screw that connects the white wire to the tongue.
If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity,
nothing else matters.
Because of the filaments and solenoid, ohm checks aren't very accurate on a trailer. Voltage will give you a better idea. I think you'll find your trailer frame rises to 12 volts when you select reverse.
Easy to see wiring inside tonque when it swings open. There is no connection to trailer frame. Ground from the plug goes to flat 5 pin connector where it connects with two white/gnd wires plus one white wire from solenoid. The solenoid white gnd is connected to the two white gnds(on male side of 5 pin connector) going to each side of the trailer.Ground from plug checks out with ground of truck. Ranger runs a gnd wire to each lamp. That gnd lead goes to the three white wires which merge into two white wires, one for each side.
Try it on a different vehicle and if it does the same thing, that eliminates a vehicle problem. Do the brakes engage when you try to back it up?
The brakes do not engage when backing up which means solenoid is working OK. When I connect a voltmeter across each pin of the receptacle and ground I get 12v for each function. That tells me that the module in the tow vehicle is also OK. Ranger runs a ground wire to each lamp and each lamp wiring OK. Think there may be an intermittent ground somewhere under the tongue. Last time I checked everything was working.Thanks for all your suggestions.
Rule of thumb: almost all screwy wiring issues wind up being ground related!
Speed cost money. How fast ya wanna go?I have done so much for so long with so little. I can now do the impossible with nothing!
Ditto on the ground comment.
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