Ok so yesterday i got the horse trailer out and noticed that i have no lights i have the right side brake and park lamp and on marker light on the fender So i took the plug apart and noticed that i had some bad connections so i re did that whole end of the deal i plugd it back in and still same thing same lights so after comin to the conclusion of having so many burnt out bulbs at once i took them all out and tried them in the working socket well they worked but the bulbs seem like the dont fit the socket that well so my next move is iam goin to replace every light on the trailer its only 4 ambers and two reds and one light bar as these are the orig 1989 units. am i on the right track??? sorry for the long post.

ps i have traced all my wires though the trailer and every thing is good no brakes and grounds are good except the ground on the lights were there rivited are loose.

 

The problem could be in the lamps, or a poor splice just about anywhere. Most trailers are wired poorly, with scotchloks or solderless connectors that corrode quickly. First, I would make sure all circuits have power coming from the truck, then follow the wires from the trailer connector downstream to each junction box. Use a test lamp and see where the live power stops. It wouldn't hurt to resplice each questionable connection. You can't beat solder and shrink tube for a long lasting splice.

 

Could also be a ground problem.

 

When I built one of my stock trailers, I bought and mounted over fifty marker lights.

After a couple of months, I would have to walk around the trailer, removing lenses and wiggling bulbs, to get all the lights to burn.

The bulb-sockets are some kind of rubber, with the metal contact points connected by integral plastic rivets on the back of the light; failure is designed in.

A few at a time, I have been replacing them with a much superior design.

Check your lights out; I bet they are the problem.

 

I will post back tomarow after i stop by the store after work and get a refill on rivits and a new rivit gun

 

Did you ever consider changing over to LEDs. Most of the highway transports and trailers are using them now. They take less amperage to run them and you dont have too many lites on your trailer it shouldent cost too much more. Just a thought.....and by the way I have found on our trailers cheap lights give problems, usually on the coldest winter nights so fix em in the summer........Oh and I just noticed they are the origonal 1989 lights you have, replace them, they dont owe you anything.........

 

I agree.

Many factory-built trailers are wired so poorly, it is a wonder the lights work at all; most are full of those useless blue clip/splices that nearly cut the wire in two and then make only intermittent contact.
Solder everything that can be soldered; then, cover your tracks with heat-shrink tubing and you can't go wrong.

For a ground, either weld a bolt to the frame, to attach the ground wires to; or, drill and TAP a threaded hole in the frame.

Merely drilling a through hole for a ground bolt does not give the bolt anything to BITE into, reducing contact.

 

For a ground the best thing to do is run the wire directly to the connector and onto the truck battery.

 

I agree. I bought a brand new gooseneck and rewired it the next week. Welders sure don't make for electricians!

Use crimp splices with heat shrink. If you solder, mechanically splice the wires before you solder. Don't just lay them next to each other and put the tin to them.

JWB

 

today i checked out the light fixtures them selfs and they have to go at some point water got in and the sockets are toast and the lights dont seem to fit down in the sockets any more and if i wiggle the light i get it to work but it wont make good contact. I have power to every thing on the trailer just one marker and the right stop light so iam goin to re do all the ligths and go from there.

 

I have an old steel horse trailer we bought new a number of years ago. The lights have always presented a constant problem. A mechanic rented the trailer from us for a few years and always worked on the lights. I finally abandoned all the wiring and rewired the trailer under the wooden floor boards. I used black plastic tubing for flexible conduit to run the wire through, and plastic electrical junction boxes to join the wires within. I siliconed all joints, plugs and fittings to make a water tight and moisture proof conduit for all wires. For a good ground first clean the attachment terminals down to clean metal and the attachment surface also. Then screw the clean terminal to the clean surface. Next, cover the ground attachment with a layer of silicon to keep moisture and corosion out. I rewired our trailer about ten years ago. The lights have never fail me to this day, even if the trailer is not used for two years and parked outside. I have even taken a battery out and energized the circuits and they always light up.

 

Update.

So I got all the lights replaced the other day now i have both fender markers and still only the right side brake light and no roof markers and no left brake light. So I went back to the drawing board and i tested the plug on my truck and its good there and i went and plugged into three differnt trailers and every thing is normal. So back to the trailer in question and i started back at the plug there all was good to go then i traced all the wires i could find and found one scotch lock connection and jerked it out and fixed it the right way. the only problem that i can find is i cant for the life of me find a ground wire thats ended on the the frame or nothing. what has me bugged is on the roof there is a three light bar and it looks like all the wires from the trailer meet there and split off now there is a wire that when i got up there that was loose and just cut off i tucked it out of the way but iam thinking since all the wires seem to meet there that it could be the missing ground connection and looking at the old light bar you can just see the traces of broke wire parts under the old rivit. so if this is my ground should i put a ring termanl on it and screw it to the metal frame and see what i get? other than that iam stuck to the point were i want to tie my trailer plug off too the ball of my drop hitch and dump it in second gear.

 

Sounds to me as your are having a ground problem still. Most trailer light manufactors use the little bus bar(if you will) or a ground wire to one of the rivets or screws that attach the light to the trailer. These are famous in this neck of the woods for getting crud built up around them and eventually cause the gound to become disconnected. You can simply clean the connection up with a wire brush, chisel etc... and reattach the ground (most common practice) or if your looking for the longest lasting you could run a ground wire from each light to the plug on the truck.
Also depending on when and how your trailer is wired there was a time when trailers were wired depending on the truck to trailer connection for a ground, this doesn't work well at all due those of use who actually put grease on our ***** and it's just not real reliable.

Just my 2 cents.

 

Properly wired trailers and decks don't use the frame as a ground, do what was suggested and run a "white common ground" from each light terminating at the trailer plug to the truck 90% of trailer light problems start there. Start with 7 wire Arcticflex cable ( which contains a larger white ground wire) and terminal boxes as suggested, we use un-insulated butt crimp connectors with proper crimp pliers and "double wall" shrink tube which acts as a sealer when heated up and glues the joint, and most important use truck style lights/LED's with 2 or 3 wire pig tails which include a ground wire. Don't be cheap buy quality ie; Trucklite that have a real warranty and last, use the ucky yellow grease in the plug connections it seals this contact area from moisture and salt. $300.00 worth of lights and wiring vs roadside repairs and violation tickets plus time = 1 good wiring job with quality lights and no hassle driving. PK

 

As you go through your wiring, connectors, terminals, etc. I would use Di-Electric Grease for anything you cannot silicone to protect from moisture, rusting or corrosion. In other words, anything that is a socket type connection, screw on lug, even in crimp type connections, etc. where water can penetrate.

You can buy a can of the 3.3oz CRC brand [No. 05105] for about $8 at most car parts places.