Brakes lock when in reverse ?

[LeeinAlabama]

2010 Bullet 21'-10" XRD.
For some reason my backup lights on the trailer have stopped working and I have to insert the little key in the neck of the trailer when backing up an incline. Backing down an incline is no problem, but sill no back up lights. Thoughts and suggestions please.

[Jim285pro]

CHeck your plug and make sure juice is getting to the 5th prong.

[21XDC]

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by Jim285pro &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">CHeck your plug and make sure juice is getting to the 5th prong.</td></tr></table>

+1

Either you have no power "blue wire" to the tow plug or the plug/wire on the trailer side is bad.

First thing is to check the back up light fuse.

[Shadillac1]

I am going through this right now. Found that the mini fuse under the hood of the truck was blown. Replaced it and it went out again..

Like yours, all of the other lights on the trailer work except the back up lights and now the brakes lock up. I am guessing there is a bad ground somewhere which may be our case. Hope it's on the lights and not the braking system.

I am also watching this thread to see if someone has any other ideas..

Thanks for posting.

[Sharkey]

Shaddilac, If the mini under the hood is blown you likely have a hot wire that grounded against the frame. I have had this happen and it killed my tail lights w/o me knowing. I doubt its a ground issue. Check loose wire connections that are in electrical tape or something similar. Even a small section of exposed wire can swing in the wind and barely touch your frame or reese hitch and cause the short.

[Sharkey]

Lee, the plug itself could have come apart. The wire just runs up into the 7 way and is set screwed in place. Take it apart and check. Or it just corroded and broke off. I had a ground wire corrode on my trailer and couldnt see it! It was exposed and right in front of me! My gf saw it in 2 seconds....

[Shadillac1]

Thanks. I am going to get under there this afternoon and try to trace everything. I am thinking it has to be the reverse light wire because all the other lights work fine. I think this might be the case for the OP as well.


Afternoon edit:

Thanks again Sharkey. Decided to start at the business end up by the plug and go back from there. I hadn't messed with my swing away tongue in a while so took it apart and swung it out to look at wires. Sho nuff. the white wire going back to the lights was knicked pretty good exposing bare wire. This was probably catching the frame and shorting the fuse for the reverse lights trailer fuse on the truck. It was like doing heart surgery through a rectum but Using a couple sets of fishing forceps and a soldering iron I was able to splice more wire inside the trailer tongue tube and problem solved.




Modified by Shadillac1 at 3:13 PM 1/5/2012

[taeheel2az]

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by Shadillac1 &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">. . . . . heart surgery through a rectum . . .&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
</td></tr></table>

Bwaaaa haaa haaa haaaa!

[transamz9]

The white wire is the ground. I won't hurt it to touch the frame.