Boat trailer wiring help

Stroud

Stroud

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 12, 2008
Location
Eastern NC
hey guys I’m having some issues with my G3’s trailer, ran through the wires can’t find anything, this sounds like a ground issue to me but I have been over everything 3 times and can’t find anything, trailer harness is grounded with a fresh clean mount to trailer tongue, when the lights are on they are dim, all lights go out when vehicle brake is applied, turn signals are funky(everything blinks) and dim, everything is wired correctly as this problem happened recently and everything used to work flawlessly, another kick is that when the trailer is not hitched on the ball of the Jeep everything is bright and works as it should, the moment it touches everything dims and then the rest of the issues follow, brand new hutch installed on a 2014 jk with plug and play harness so vehicle Side is good, any ideas???
 
Last edited:
Check the ground on the jeep side of the plug in, mine is grounded to the trucks frame. My 2003 G3 trailer harness has a ground on one of the tail lights mounting bolts that got loose recently causing the lights to come on and off. You might need to unground one or the other or ground the plug in end to the jeep, not the trailer tongue.
 
Last edited:
Stroud said:
2014 jk with plug and play harness so vehicle Side is good, any ideas???
Click to expand...

Is this a recent change? Seems the most likely source of a problem...

I've had bulbs and housings short internally and cause all sorts of problems similar to what you're describing... But it sounds like it's trying to ground through the ball.
 
Grab a multimeter and start digging around. Assumptions can be the biggest time-waster when troubleshooting, and you need to make sure that what you think is working properly is actually working properly. Therefore, verify everything on the Jeep side first, including resistance between trailer plug ground and chassis ground, etc. Once that's all in a known-good state, move to the trailer.
 
Never assume ground is good.

Ive got similar problems. Got a wire that's onlydelivering 5.0v to the light. Corrosion is bad
 
Check the Jeep side first and ensure you ground pin has good continuity to ground, each function(Brake, turn, etc.) is supplying ~12-14v. Once your good there then move to the trailer and check for poor connections and shorts.

Side Note: I basically just echoed @Fabrik8 didn't see his post till after I typed all this.
 
I greatly appreciate all your replies, and the time you all took to help, means a lot that so many would offer advice to help! I will take some time with y’alls info and do some testing and see where I’m at, I will try and update y’all soon
 
Back
Top