I "do not!" like products from China

ArkansasDon

ArkansasDon

Adventurist
I was going to take my build trailer for a test run down the hwy this morning. So I hooked up and went down the hwy pulling to see how it does behind my GMC truck. State Trouper friend flags me over and we started talking about the trailer. So time to get on my way I hit the turn signal(left) to pull out onto the 2 lane my trouper buddy flags me over again. Told me my left turn signal wasn't working along with the brake light. So I head back to the farm pull into the shop and being to trace the left side of my wiring thinking maybe my solder joint came loose, then check my grounds. I spent all morning & afternoon on my wiring. Come to find out its the light figure itself went bad. Have tail lights but nothing else. Grrrrrr!

What T's me is the prep work that went into the tail light housings to paint the same color as the trailer. So back on line looking to find the exact ones so I can use "only" the left light. The funny thing about this is they worked fine earlier when I was doing the wiring & testing them, they still worked this morning before I pulled out.
 
If you are running LED's it MAY be the wiring on your tow vehicle. I'm not a smart enough electrician to know why LED's can cause problems like that, but I ran into a similar issue with my neighbors XTerra and a newer trailer with LED lights.

Pssst...I'd check the country of origin on your Smittybilt RTT.
 
LED "lights" (they are a diode after all) do not offer enough resistance to a circuit to be illuminated, yes I know sounds backwards but thats the PFM of electronics.

I should have been an A-Ganger, I think Bob was one ^^^ @bob91yj
 
Turn signals will typically still work when LED, but they will flash super fast as there isn't enough resistance and the flasher relay is operating as if there is a blown bulb. The trailer turn signal's are *probably* working off the same circuit as the vehicle turn signals so there should be more than enough load to prevent any problems if your trailer lights are LED. If you traced it all the way back to the light and there's voltage up to that point then I'm guessing your diagnosis of the light itself being bad is correct.
 
Gallowbraid said:
Turn signals will typically still work when LED, but they will flash super fast as there isn't enough resistance and the flasher relay is operating as if there is a blown bulb. The trailer turn signal's are *probably* working off the same circuit as the vehicle turn signals so there should be more than enough load to prevent any problems if your trailer lights are LED. If you traced it all the way back to the light and there's voltage up to that point then I'm guessing your diagnosis of the light itself being bad is correct.
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if they are IN-PLACE of your vehicles lights then I would agree they will blink fast, however they are IN-ADDITION to your vehicles lights. They might have blown from over amperage, I.E. not enough resistance.
 
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Get yourself one of these bad boys need a resistor? no prob!

If you want to get fancy, check the resistance of an incandescent blinker, or do the math, (OHMS LAW) and then compare it to your LED resistance, (which is possibly infinite if its blown) but then substitute the difference of the incandescent and LED and put an in line resistor in from radio shack.

or solve all your resistance problems with one of these.


controller.gif

RESISTANCE IS NOT FUTILE! it's voltage divided by current!
 
bob91yj said:
If you are running LED's it MAY be the wiring on your tow vehicle. I'm not a smart enough electrician to know why LED's can cause problems like that, but I ran into a similar issue with my neighbors XTerra and a newer trailer with LED lights.

Pssst...I'd check the country of origin on your Smittybilt RTT.
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yes I know the origin my roof top tent is from. I bought the tent because a friend of mine works for Smittybilt.

The right tail light work fine does everything it should. The left the is lacking the brake light & turn signal,
 
Dave said:
Does the marker light in that housing work? Kinda sounds like a bad ground to me.
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I was thinking that myself Dave. I went through the entire wiring twice. I ran all the wire through rubber wire grommets through the cross frame rails. I drill 1\8" holes with machine screws, lock washers & nuts which the wire clips attached to the frame rails. My ground wire off the 4 plug trailer harness is drilled into the 2" 1\4" thick wall tubing (my tongue) & tapped to be attached solid, ring terminal connector is soldered & shrink wrapped twice. I ground wire from the tail lights I soldered the ring connector & shrink wrapped removed the paint, primer from the frame drilled 1\8" hole where I attached it to. I know the wiring is good along with my grounds.

Thanks for all the replies. I just order regular bulb trailer lights. I'll see what happens.
 
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it is a pretty simple problem if you have a Fluke or other multimeter... my guess is either blown LED or all the power is going to one light and not the other... you just need to find WHERE the power is going rather than to the light that is dark.
 
travis.diller said:
it is a pretty simple problem if you have a Fluke or other multimeter... my guess is either blown LED or all the power is going to one light and not the other... you just need to find WHERE the power is going rather than to the light that is dark.
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I tested that with a probe circuit tester, power is going up to the stop or brake light, the lights will not light up. I even jump wires from the right side (which everything works) to the left & still no turn signal or stop lights but have driving & marker lights. It has to be in the light fixture it self IMO. Why would they work @ 1st when I wired them up, now they wont
 
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