Electrical Problem

[Ed Coyne]

I hooked up my trailer and the trailer lights did not work. I wiggled the connection where it connects to the ST and the lights would come on briefly then go off. Well, since then strage things have been happenning without the trailer even hooked up. Specifically, the gas guage will all of a sudden go from reading 1/2 tank go directly to empty and the "Low Fuel" indicator will come on. Then, the interior lights will not consistently work and also the "Engine Check" lights stays on.



Any ideas as to what could have happenned ? fuse ? short circuit ?

 

[Bill Ellis]

Not fuse nor short circuit. A short circuit will blow a fuse. What you are experiencing is usually caused by a bad ground connection somewhere. They can be very difficult to find. Start with finding the ground connection for the trailer light harness. Disconnect it and clean it real good using sandpaper. Reconnect and see if that solves problem. Bad grounds can cause all sorts of electric system mischief.

 

[A1cntrler]

Aren't the grounds sometimes through the trailer connection?? (the tow ball??) Maybe if you drive it a bit to get the rust off of it, that will fix it.

 

[Bill Ellis]

Trailer ground is through the connector not the ball.

 

[A1cntrler]

Some of the older horse trailers we used to use when I was groung up used the ball as the ground.. Maybe that wasn't the right way, but the ground on the truck side was attached to the hitch, and ground on the trailer side was attached to the frame of the trailer.