This is THE most helpful "teach a man to fish" (as compared to "give a man a fish") trailer wiring video on RUclips. Thank you! I will always remember the tricks you show us here about which is ground and how to know left from right. *Perfect*
Finally! I know how to do this without the usual spark test. LOL Thanks. I would like to see a vid on the round connectors. I'd like to see a vid on the factory connectors, e.g. Ford truck wiring harness connection at the rear of the chassis.
Hey Dan, Great name... your video was very informative, thanks for taking time from your day to help us all out. I plan to go through my trailer wiring tomorrow as I have side marker lights that aren't working properly, I'm sure that I will be able to get them going now. Thanks again, Dan
Dan, howdy from Texas. You are a really good teacher. Thanks for spending your time with this. I found you just at the right time to complete my wiring project.
@@therapawayhomesteadI have a Jet Ski trailer and the lights aren't working but I'm testing it as it's in storage does it have to be literally sitting on the car hitch ball to make ground for the lights to work
Great video! To the guy who said it was a useless video why exactly did you watch the video at all? I appreciate the information. It's not always easy to get to a trailer without moving stuff.
Great video Dan. Your in-depth explanation of 4-wire (plus 5-wire) flat trailer wiring was easy to understand. Keep up the great videos. Have A Good Day! 🛻🚤🏖️
Thank you sir for this video, never have pulled a trailer before, just bought a 5x8 enclosed cargo trailer, was wanting to know how to test the trailer lights, and now i know. further research, i have a tundra that has the amber turn lights, i just ordered that converter to be able to have turn signals on trailer, here's hoping i can make it work
@@therapawayhomestead The good news is I found a RUclips ad blocker and returned. Your video is GREAT. Thanks so much for posting it! Hey, just for some feedback that might help you, I just wanted to let you know that when I see videos as helpful as this one, I often look at the video notes to see whether the creator has an affiliate link or storefront at Amazon. I order a ton there, so I usually set my Amazon shortcut for a few months such that whenever I go there and buy something, the creator gets a kickback. Thought I'd let you know just in case it could help you going forward. Thanks again.
A long time ago , I had a boat trailer the lights wouldn't work till I backed it in the water , crazy ground I think it was , I ran it for two years that way, we were always loading after dark , lo and behold they would work , but didn't in the daylight on the way there ..😆
thank you for this awesome video, it really helped! my problem was an apparent issue with my yellow side running light on the taillight. . i powered up the trailer using your system and noticed a little spark when i disconnected that light, jumping from the two mounting studs to the plate. that meant i had power to the light. rust and paint on the mounting plate prevented a good ground. Easy fix thanks to you!
Great vid. You are probably a bit over concerned in this case of having your alligator clip hit more than one pin at a time, but I appreciate the abundance of caution around electricity. There won't be any damage if your +12 lead touches more than one pin at a time, you just get more lights on, as long as the wiring on the trailer IS ok... Thanks for the share...
I watched your RUclips video on this thank you very much it worked just as you stated and I was able to make my repairs on my trailer wiring after knowing what was not working. thanks again great video
Dan question I just rewired my boat trailer and I get all my lights but my running lights. The brown wire I have all the marker running lights hooked up to. Do I ground one of the two wires from my marker lights or do I wire it to the side Trailer lights they are on for that side of the trailer? So for instance green side of the trailer do I wire green and brown to the maker light or brown and the other wire to ground? Thanks in advance. Stephan
Great video. Followed your steps and not sure if I have a bad ground or not. Tail light don't turn on when I test the brown but they do turn on when I test the green and/or yellow individually. I can send you a video if you like. Thanks, James
Thanks this was great help. my Green and Yellow are opposite however they do work properly at the vehicle, and trailer. I have just one dim working brake light on my trailer, no running lights or signals. some of the prongs on the trailer appear to have small like splits in them, also seems to fit loosely. Thinking I will change the prongs on the trailer and see if that works. Does the ground work through the 2'' tow ball to the trailer tung? I cleaned them both well, maybe I wasted my time there? Thanks again
This is a dumb question but do you remove the red or hot connector to the battery before moving the red connector to the next pin so as to not arch? I just purchased the Maddox test leads and I’m going to try checking my lights on my utility trailer
Wow, you did an excellent job explaining. I purchased a Kuat Piston Pro X bike rack that has rear lighting. I got fast busy and was trying to find out if it was the LED lights on the bike rack or bad wiring from my car. The dealer put in the after-market wiring some five to eight years ago. I called him, and though I didn't get a quote, I know if he fixes it, it will be expensive. If the bike rack is okay, would you happen to have a video of what I need to do with the car wiring?
I do not at this time but I’ll try make one soon! Quick thing to check would be the fuses in the vehicle. There are usually separate trailer light fuses. Hope that helps! Please sub if you haven’t already😄
Hello there quick question i have tried two sets of tail lights on my boat trailer everthing works great except the clearance lights right one works left one won’t thanks alot
Nice and very helpful video.my trailer connector has 5 wires and 4 pins and its bad.im looking for a similar one but can't find any.all I found is 4 wires.so now how do I connect 5 wires,to 4 wires connector?
I have a 5x8 flat utility trailer and I’m having light issues on it. When I plug in the trailer light plug to my truck the lights all come on but if I turn on the hazard lights or blinkers they don’t work on the trailer but work on my truck. I have a small trailer light tester that is used to test out the trailer wiring on my truck and they are good. Any help work be appreciated. Thank You
left right..how about driver or passenger side,, but thats a first time ive heard green on ditch and yellow on yellow street side.. great visual to remember. thanks for the info...
@@therapawayhomestead edited my orginal comment , your way is alot easier to remember.. lol...last few other ones ive watch keep saying left and right which is confusing for someone who dosent dot it offten.. thanks again
@@therapawayhomestead helped big time, dont have to watch anymore video on lights. im redoing my 16ft tralier , ive got all the wood off and wire brushed and presure washed ,its down to just the frame and the wires are just hanging every where. so tommorow is paint and new wiring and hopefully get the floor in too. and yes sir subcribed . thanks again have a good one
Thanks. Yes. Questions...1. Should I use waterproof wire nuts? 2. Do I have to have ground wires on all areas of the trailer lights then route them to one hub then to the tongue ground? I'm obviously not a wiring guy.
Outstanding video! I've been having intermittent issues with my trailer side lights. I haven't troubleshooted using your techniques on the trailer yet. I believe it is on the truck side of the cannon plug. When I drive down the road, they go on and off randomly. Specifically, I noticed when I'm exiting the interstate, going down the ramp, they tend to come on. I have the 7 pin cannon plug. Its a Tracker trailer, and a 2005 Toyota Tacoma if that helps. Any thoughts anyone?? Thanks!!
I have a problem about how to wiring my Toyota hilux truck. I can't connect the break light since my pick up has a separate circuit for break lights. Can you support me with that?
Hi , I have questions I’m building a DIY wood camper from Bottom up I lay out new 4flat pin harness cable & I put peace’s of metal in each place I set my lights where I’m stuck now is that my lights have black & red wire but I just want the running lights to be on only bc is going to be in top of a trailer how do I wire it together
I apologize for not getting back to you sooner. in a wood structor you will need to run a ground wire all the way from the vehicle plug to the tail lights. thank you for the comment and please subscribe if you haven't already.
I replay ur video & I saw I did not run the ground cable up but now I have lights running thank u for sharing the video I was able to figure my problem
After doing this method, I think I have multiple issues going on that were making it hard for me to diagnose. I think I may have a problem with the plug on my truck related to the running lights and also to the brown wire on my right side. When I hook it to the battery, free of the truck, the left running lights will come on, but not the right. All the turn signals and brake lights work on both sides as well when running from the truck, but neither side of the running lights will. Trailers are so frustrating and I have one where all the wires are hidden inside the frame! Any tips on how you can easily diagnose were the short is without pulling out wires you can't see? LOL! I've checked the relays and the fuses too and the wiring looks good around the 7 blade as do the pins, but that pin is not lighting up my test light or showing voltage on the multimeter.
What happens if you have your right turn signal, and left turn signal working. But, all of your running lights (11 of them) are out? Does that rule out a grounding issue?
I had some rewiring done on my boat trailer yesterday. Before I dropped the trailer off, my forward wheel well lights would blink with each corresponding turn signal. Now they no longer blink. Are they supposed to or not because I'm getting conflicting answers
I have a to replace the 5 wire 4 pin connector on my trailer all i can find is a 4wire 4 pin. I now have turn signals and break lights but no running lights ??? Plz help
This is how I remember the colors . BROWN is running, ups trucks are always running around. Green is right it has an R in it. Yellow is left it has an E in it same as yellow does.
Do to Green Bean or ground I don't see how Antonio lights it should be green Directional being like a easy to see yellow comparison to gold you can also printed R and L
Most likely a truck problem. If none of them work it’s most likely a ground issue at the truck I would check the truck plug to make sure it is getting good connection
@@therapawayhomestead Yes, clearly I know what you meant, and clearly you SHOULD HAVE known I was making light of your flub. Lighten up, dude. I was laughing when I wrote that.
DON'T use the trailer as a ground!!! Cheap trailers and lazy people do this, but it's just sloppy and guaranteed to not last as long. Ground connections always go bad, especially for trailers that see salt water on roads or boat trailers. A full ground circuit (running the lights with ground wires back to connector) ensures a sealed system that will just keep on working for years.
Still one of the best explanations of trailer wiring on RUclips. Great job.
Thank you!!
Thank you. Based on your advice I used your technique and discovered 3 issues with my trailer and vehicle. I am 100% operational. Keep up the videos.
This is THE most helpful "teach a man to fish" (as compared to "give a man a fish") trailer wiring video on RUclips. Thank you! I will always remember the tricks you show us here about which is ground and how to know left from right. *Perfect*
Great video. It seems everyone likes to make it more complicated than it really is. You are very good at explaining things.
This is the best video I’ve seen on this!!
If only I could Diagnose the vehicle and repair the problem!
Thanks for the post. Just used your method and discovered that all I needed was a common ground. Trailer is ready for the road!
Thank you. Best explanation of trailer wiring test!
Finally! I know how to do this without the usual spark test. LOL Thanks. I would like to see a vid on the round connectors. I'd like to see a vid on the factory connectors, e.g. Ford truck wiring harness connection at the rear of the chassis.
Hey Dan, Great name... your video was very informative, thanks for taking time from your day to help us all out. I plan to go through my trailer wiring tomorrow as I have side marker lights that aren't working properly, I'm sure that I will be able to get them going now. Thanks again, Dan
An awesome & excellent presentation on how to determine trailer light issues. Thank you sincerely for sharing this video.
Dan, howdy from Texas. You are a really good teacher. Thanks for spending your time with this. I found you just at the right time to complete my wiring project.
Thank you!
@@therapawayhomesteadI have a Jet Ski trailer and the lights aren't working but I'm testing it as it's in storage does it have to be literally sitting on the car hitch ball to make ground for the lights to work
very helpful. opening a trailer repair shop in Dallas. .will be watching all your videos. Great lessons. watched 1 and 2 on trailer wiring.
Awesome, thank you!
Great video! To the guy who said it was a useless video why exactly did you watch the video at all? I appreciate the information. It's not always easy to get to a trailer without moving stuff.
Thank you for the comment! It’s also very useful to separate the vehicle from the trailer to diagnose
Absolutely! Great information for sure.
Thank you for this video. I will probably be replaying it several times to review.
Great job explaining this so even an idiot like me can't get it wrong. Thanks.
Great video Dan. Your in-depth explanation of 4-wire (plus 5-wire) flat trailer wiring was easy to understand. Keep up the great videos. Have A Good Day! 🛻🚤🏖️
Thank you!
This is a great video. It explains how to for someone who knows nothing about trailer wiring.
Hey good Job no reason to not understand trailer wiring after listening to you ,thanks for sharing
Great video it helped me , my trailer lights do not come on, nor do my blinkers, They did work but maybe it’s a bad ground like you said . 👍
Good video. Followed your instructions and was able to diagnose my problem. Thanks for making it easy to understand.
Im glad I was able to help!
Please subscribe if you haven't already.
Thank you sir for this video, never have pulled a trailer before, just bought a 5x8 enclosed cargo trailer, was wanting to know how to test the trailer lights, and now i know.
further research, i have a tundra that has the amber turn lights, i just ordered that converter to be able to have turn signals on trailer, here's hoping i can make it work
Dude, there is a 5 MINUTE commercial that RUclips wanted me to slog through just to watch your vid. That's aggravating. I bailed.
I don’t blame you! That’s ridiculous
@@therapawayhomestead The good news is I found a RUclips ad blocker and returned. Your video is GREAT. Thanks so much for posting it! Hey, just for some feedback that might help you, I just wanted to let you know that when I see videos as helpful as this one, I often look at the video notes to see whether the creator has an affiliate link or storefront at Amazon. I order a ton there, so I usually set my Amazon shortcut for a few months such that whenever I go there and buy something, the creator gets a kickback. Thought I'd let you know just in case it could help you going forward. Thanks again.
A long time ago , I had a boat trailer the lights wouldn't work till I backed it in the water , crazy ground I think it was , I ran it for two years that way, we were always loading after dark , lo and behold they would work , but didn't in the daylight on the way there ..😆
thank you for this awesome video, it really helped! my problem was an apparent issue with my yellow side running light on the taillight. . i powered up the trailer using your system and noticed a little spark when i disconnected that light, jumping from the two mounting studs to the plate. that meant i had power to the light. rust and paint on the mounting plate prevented a good ground. Easy fix thanks to you!
Excellent video young buck. Made my day much easier in trouble shooting my trailer.
Great vid. You are probably a bit over concerned in this case of having your alligator clip hit more than one pin at a time, but I appreciate the abundance of caution around electricity. There won't be any damage if your +12 lead touches more than one pin at a time, you just get more lights on, as long as the wiring on the trailer IS ok... Thanks for the share...
For sure! I was more referring to the positive clip touching the ground clip
Thanks was very helpful my 97 expedition has some trailer wire issues I think… I will find out after this separate test.
Excellent video and you sir are a good teacher ! 👍
Thank you!
Thank you. Great clear video
Excellent explanation and demonstration.
I tested my boat trailer!! Great job, thanks
Awesome Video, very informative.
very good & simple thanks
Thanks and welcome
Wow. What a great video. Thanks for taking the time to make it.
Very informative video. Thanks.
Liked-Subscribed-Notified - I liked the mnemonic so much ("White/Ground/Shielded, Brown-Turn Signal, Yellow Line - LHS, Green Grass- RHS"
Thank you!
I watched your RUclips video on this thank you very much it worked just as you stated and I was able to make my repairs on my trailer wiring after knowing what was not working. thanks again great video
Well and easily explained, great job!
Dan question I just rewired my boat trailer and I get all my lights but my running lights. The brown wire I have all the marker running lights hooked up to. Do I ground one of the two wires from my marker lights or do I wire it to the side Trailer lights they are on for that side of the trailer? So for instance green side of the trailer do I wire green and brown to the maker light or brown and the other wire to ground? Thanks in advance. Stephan
One wire goes to the brown and the other is ground
Great video and I learned so much. Super helpful! thanks a million!
Great video. Followed your steps and not sure if I have a bad ground or not. Tail light don't turn on when I test the brown but they do turn on when I test the green and/or yellow individually. I can send you a video if you like.
Thanks,
James
More than likely you have a problem with the brown wire.
@@therapawayhomestead Thanks. I'll check out the brown wire tomorrow. Hopefully I find the issue.
Thanks this was great help. my Green and Yellow are opposite however they do work properly at the vehicle, and trailer. I have just one dim working brake light on my trailer, no running lights or signals. some of the prongs on the trailer appear to have small like splits in them, also seems to fit loosely. Thinking I will change the prongs on the trailer and see if that works. Does the ground work through the 2'' tow ball to the trailer tung? I cleaned them both well, maybe I wasted my time there? Thanks again
It is not supposed to ground through the ball. Your on the right track replacing the connector.
This is a dumb question but do you remove the red or hot connector to the battery before moving the red connector to the next pin so as to not arch? I just purchased the Maddox test leads and I’m going to try checking my lights on my utility trailer
Yes I would recommend disconnecting power
Thanks man this was great 👍 really appreciate it super straight forward.
How about the need to replace 4 pin connectors? Can you clean/grind them to shiny brass or just replace? Thanks
Wow, you did an excellent job explaining. I purchased a Kuat Piston Pro X bike rack that has rear lighting. I got fast busy and was trying to find out if it was the LED lights on the bike rack or bad wiring from my car. The dealer put in the after-market wiring some five to eight years ago. I called him, and though I didn't get a quote, I know if he fixes it, it will be expensive. If the bike rack is okay, would you happen to have a video of what I need to do with the car wiring?
I do not at this time but I’ll try make one soon! Quick thing to check would be the fuses in the vehicle. There are usually separate trailer light fuses. Hope that helps!
Please sub if you haven’t already😄
Hello there quick question i have tried two sets of tail lights on my boat trailer everthing works great except the clearance lights right one works left one won’t thanks alot
Check for 12v power on the brown wire and make sure you have a good ground
Nice and very helpful video.my trailer connector has 5 wires and 4 pins and its bad.im looking for a similar one but can't find any.all I found is 4 wires.so now how do I connect 5 wires,to 4 wires connector?
Very helpful thanks
You're welcome!
I have a 5x8 flat utility trailer and I’m having light issues on it. When I plug in the trailer light plug to my truck the lights all come on but if I turn on the hazard lights or blinkers they don’t work on the trailer but work on my truck. I have a small trailer light tester that is used to test out the trailer wiring on my truck and they are good. Any help work be appreciated. Thank You
left right..how about driver or passenger side,, but thats a first time ive heard green on ditch and yellow on yellow street side.. great visual to remember. thanks for the info...
Either way lol
@@therapawayhomestead edited my orginal comment , your way is alot easier to remember.. lol...last few other ones ive watch keep saying left and right which is confusing for someone who dosent dot it offten.. thanks again
@@NoName-be5ir not a problem!! Glad I could help! Please sub if you haven’t already
@@therapawayhomestead helped big time, dont have to watch anymore video on lights. im redoing my 16ft tralier , ive got all the wood off and wire brushed and presure washed ,its down to just the frame and the wires are just hanging every where. so tommorow is paint and new wiring and hopefully get the floor in too.
and yes sir subcribed . thanks again have a good one
Thank you!! Helps a lot!!
That was really helpful diagnostic good job
Very helpful.
Hey I’m working on round plug do you have a video out
Thanks. Yes. Questions...1. Should I use waterproof wire nuts? 2. Do I have to have ground wires on all areas of the trailer lights then route them to one hub then to the tongue ground? I'm obviously not a wiring guy.
Thanks for this big help
Very Useful , thanks
Glad it was helpful! Please subscribe if you haven't already.
how do I check the plug at van end for power etc.?
Outstanding video! I've been having intermittent issues with my trailer side lights. I haven't troubleshooted using your techniques on the trailer yet. I believe it is on the truck side of the cannon plug. When I drive down the road, they go on and off randomly. Specifically, I noticed when I'm exiting the interstate, going down the ramp, they tend to come on. I have the 7 pin cannon plug. Its a Tracker trailer, and a 2005 Toyota Tacoma if that helps. Any thoughts anyone?? Thanks!!
Thank you!
It sounds like a grounding problem on the trailer or corrosion in the cannon plug.
how do I test the van side ? Thanks
I have a problem about how to wiring my Toyota hilux truck. I can't connect the break light since my pick up has a separate circuit for break lights. Can you support me with that?
You're awesome 😎
Just channel surfing 🏄🏽♂️ for a 7-pin, though Cheers 🍻 for the intro, from 📍🦘😉🤙🏼 11:27
? My R-H side trail light has turn signal and brake light, but has no tail light , what do you advise thanks.
Good video thanks...
Hi , I have questions I’m building a DIY wood camper from Bottom up I lay out new 4flat pin harness cable & I put peace’s of metal in each place I set my lights where I’m stuck now is that my lights have black & red wire but I just want the running lights to be on only bc is going to be in top of a trailer how do I wire it together
I apologize for not getting back to you sooner. in a wood structor you will need to run a ground wire all the way from the vehicle plug to the tail lights.
thank you for the comment and please subscribe if you haven't already.
I replay ur video & I saw I did not run the ground cable up but now I have lights running thank u for sharing the video I was able to figure my problem
Can this be tested with a 9v battery or a battery attached to the car. Show the battery connected to the wires
I would use a 12v battery
Awesome man!
After doing this method, I think I have multiple issues going on that were making it hard for me to diagnose. I think I may have a problem with the plug on my truck related to the running lights and also to the brown wire on my right side. When I hook it to the battery, free of the truck, the left running lights will come on, but not the right. All the turn signals and brake lights work on both sides as well when running from the truck, but neither side of the running lights will. Trailers are so frustrating and I have one where all the wires are hidden inside the frame! Any tips on how you can easily diagnose were the short is without pulling out wires you can't see? LOL!
I've checked the relays and the fuses too and the wiring looks good around the 7 blade as do the pins, but that pin is not lighting up my test light or showing voltage on the multimeter.
Sounds like you are on the rite track. Problem with the right brown wire.
Can I use a battery charger and if so what amps to turn it on?
I would not recommend.
@@therapawayhomestead it worked perfectly on 2 amp. Too late done fixed it
@alanthompson723 good to know!
What happens if you have your right turn signal, and left turn signal working. But, all of your running lights (11 of them) are out? Does that rule out a grounding issue?
That means there's a short in the brown wire
Good explanation
Thank you!!
Please subscribe if you haven’t already.
Can I use a battery charger instead of a battery to perform the tests?
If your battery charger puts out a constant 12volts you can.
I had some rewiring done on my boat trailer yesterday. Before I dropped the trailer off, my forward wheel well lights would blink with each corresponding turn signal. Now they no longer blink. Are they supposed to or not because I'm getting conflicting answers
No they should not be blinking.
Very helpful
Can this be don't with a 6v battery
Great simple explanation
Ty learned alot
appreciate it just bought a used john boat and only the passenger turn signal was working
But green wire has no current in it for the brakes or blinker , so is the plug bad
I have a to replace the 5 wire 4 pin connector on my trailer all i can find is a 4wire 4 pin. I now have turn signals and break lights but no running lights ??? Plz help
If the trailer has 2 brown wires you can connect them to the single brown wire on your trailer plug.
My running lights work when hooked to the vehicle, but no brakes or turn signals. I’m not sure where to start.
Start by using a meter or a test light to see if you have power on the yellow and green wires at the lights
Thanks!
Great video!!
you got a sub from me look forward to seeing the other thing you make this has helped!!!
Thank you for the Sub!! I have been posting a lot more videos recently.
Where is the other vedios on trailer proplem fixes
This is how I remember the colors . BROWN is running, ups trucks are always running around. Green is right it has an R in it. Yellow is left it has an E in it same as yellow does.
What’s the difference between a turn signal and blinker
I think he meant turn signal and brake lights.
Yes! Thank you for helping Clarify
Do 1 on the plug?
Why are there two brown wires to one post?
One brown wire runs down each side of the trailer for the running lights.
Guess I could run jumper cables as far as I can and then use my alligator clips to test
Do to Green Bean or ground I don't see how Antonio lights it should be green
Directional being like a easy to see yellow comparison to gold you can also printed R and L
i did that and they work but when i plug it up to my truck it don't work
Most likely a truck problem. If none of them work it’s most likely a ground issue at the truck I would check the truck plug to make sure it is getting good connection
@@therapawayhomestead thanks
I've always thought Green has an "R" for right. Yellow has an "L" for left.
Grass on your right....had to think about that one for a minute.
gReen wire for Right side. yeLLow wire for Left side.
Green , starboard.
Another way to remember the colors is yelLow = Left and gReen = Right. I like your way better.
All lights work on trailer except for Middle marker light
I should’ve looked up this video three hours ago.
Glad I could help!
Wait. The YELLOW and GREEN are for my turn signal AND blinker ??? Ya wanna re-phrase that?
Sorry I misspoke. Clearly you know what I meant
@@therapawayhomestead Yes, clearly I know what you meant, and clearly you SHOULD HAVE known I was making light of your flub. Lighten up, dude. I was laughing when I wrote that.
Good, basic how-to video. Too bad manufacturers don’t follow a SINGLE color coding. White, here, was HOT, not COMMON as found elsewhere.
12 volt trailer wiring should always fallow this color code.
DON'T use the trailer as a ground!!! Cheap trailers and lazy people do this, but it's just sloppy and guaranteed to not last as long. Ground connections always go bad, especially for trailers that see salt water on roads or boat trailers. A full ground circuit (running the lights with ground wires back to connector) ensures a sealed system that will just keep on working for years.
That is true and would be the best way to do it when wiring a trailer