Trailer Help

[BorniteIdentity]

Hey.

 

Wondering if anyone can help me with my trailer woes.

 

I have this BIG GREEN FUN BUS

 

 

It has a nice witter towbar with two electric points. (Excuse the lack of vernacular, the closest I've got to "The Great Outdoors" is freeze framing "Carry on Camping" to see Barbara Windsors completely exposed breasts.)

 

( . Y . )

 

Anyway, I digress.  When I plug my trailer into the bottom point (the top one won't fit) only half of the lights work.  One indicator works (unless I give it a wiggle) and no tail lights.

 

Thoughts? Do I need an adaptor or something? Previous owner used to pull a caravan so I know it all works.

[dave21478]

Two plugs, one black, one grey. The black is the lighting circuits, the grey is for a caravan....second battery charge, fridge, reverse lights etc, so not applicable here.

 

Its 99% down to bad contacts. Give plug and socket a spray with contact cleaner or WD40, then use a wee flat scredriver to open up the gap in the centre of each pin slightly so they make proper contact - its pins that slide into tubes, plug and socket have a mix of the pins and the tubes so make sure you get them all.

 

If you have a wee tester lamp, you can check the socket wiring. Looking straight at the socket, top pin is left indicator, then going ANTIclockwise its brakes, right hand tail light, right indicator, earth and fog; Centre pin is left hand tail light.

 

Also, most trailer lamp clusters are dogshit....loose connections, corroded bulb holders etc. take the covers off and give things a clean up, then open up the wiring plug on the trailer and check for rusted contacts or broken wires.

[danthecapriman]

It's worth opening up the trailers plug too. Sometimes the wires either corrode and break where they screw into the plug contacts or they pull out. Wiggling the wire sometimes moves them enough to make contact but not properly.

Some stupid sod keeps pulling the plug out of the socket using the wire on our trailers at work. Every few months I end up having to open the plug and remake the connections as they've pulled apart.

Check there's no dirt and crap in the socket and plug too, if it's been left on the ground or open to the elements this can cause problems too.

[mercrocker]

99pc this will be down to dirty contacts - as above, switch cleaner or similar. Can be done from outside the socket. If it has to come apart any serious corrosion might be better cured with a new socket. Also the metal backing plates rot for kicks - I have gone through 3 on my van in 9 years. They aren't hard to rewire correctly, even for a ten-thumbed cack-fister like me. New ones I have bought have always come with colour-coded wiring diagrams.

[Dave_Q]

This is the wiring diagram for your lighting plug (12N in trailerist lingo.)

 

I'd get a test lamp and check the electricity is getting this far first, if it is try again after a good clean, if still no lights the problem is the trailer.

 

[gadgetgricey]

It's been many years, but when I had this issue it was just the connectors themselves in the socket.

Over time the connections had been prised apart by the rods.

 

Get a pair of needle nosed pliers and make sure that all the "circular holes" are as tight as they can be, so when they connect with the rods, they make a good connection.

 

Aware that is possibly the worst description ever, but hopefully you get the idea. 

[BorniteIdentity]

This is all great - thanks very much.

 

I have to be honest, half of me was hoping that it'd be something like this.  The other half was hoping that a £20 wiring harness would make it all go away.

 

There lies the inner battle of the 21st century Shiter.  50% tight, 50% idle.  

 

I'll give it a go - cheers!