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Alternate Wiring for Trailer.

Lefty2053

Well-Known Member
Joined
December 17, 2011
Messages
192
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9
City, State
Lazear Co
Year, Model & Trim Level
1997 Explorer 5.0
Is there a way I can wire in trailer lights then the Plug in behind and under the drivers side tail light? I have a short in there somewhere. I thought I found it and bought another trailer light plug and it still blows fuses. The trailer light plug in there was being pinched and I saw a burnt wire so I got another wiring harness and still it blows fuses.

So can I wire it from somewhere else and hook in a 4 wire flat plug?

The Trucks lights all work fine it is just the Trailer light plug that is bad. And I can't find where it is bad. I took apart the fuse box under the hood and didn't see any burnt wires in there. The wire going to that fuse location looks good also.
 



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when installing my OE trailer light harness, I noticed that both the driver's and passenger's side tail lights had the same red rubber cap covering a socket for the trailer harness. I also found it much easier to remove the tail light housing to get at the socket to remove the cover and plug in the trailer harness's plug. I packed the plug with dielectric grease to keep it water tight and free from corrosion. I don't know if this helps your situation.
 






when installing my OE trailer light harness, I noticed that both the driver's and passenger's side tail lights had the same red rubber cap covering a socket for the trailer harness. I also found it much easier to remove the tail light housing to get at the socket to remove the cover and plug in the trailer harness's plug. I packed the plug with dielectric grease to keep it water tight and free from corrosion. I don't know if this helps your situation.

Mine only has it on one side. I do believe both sides would be affected by the wiring coming from the front of the truck anyway. I am going to try one more thing. I will buy another Fuse(burned 4 already) and put it in without any harness attached. I figure if it is the truck wiring it will blow. If it doesn't blow it has to be something in the trailer causing the problem. I hope it is the trailer wiring as I can easily change out all of that. I just don't want to take it in and have someone charge me $70 an hour and never find the problem either.
 






if it has already blown 4 fuses, obviously something is shorting out. Einstein's definition on insanity... if you want to bypass the plug, you can always use those blue splice things that clamp over the individual wires, but I really don't see how the plug can be the problem unless its wires are damaged somehow. even then, that should be blowing the fuse with or without the trailer harness being plugged in. is the trailer hooked up when the fuse blows?
 






First fuse I just found it had blown. Second Fuse I had the Trailer hooked up and blew it. third Fuse I rewired the Trailer wires when I found a week spot and blew it. Fourth fuse I bought a new wiring harness and tried that. Blew that one too.

Fifth fuse I had no harness hooked up and guess what. It blew out also. So I narrowed it down to the truck wiring has the problem. I could use the wire clips and go that way. I would just hook into the Individual wires from the tail light. I just don't know if the extra bulbs would cause blown fuses as well. All lights on the truck work it is just the Hookup for trailer lights that is the problem. I would hate to hook in the extra lights and have a problem. I would then just have to take out the extra wires.
 






if the truck blows fuses and the problem is narrowed down to the truck, then you have a short somewhere. I believe the wires that go to the rear begin (after they come from the light switch and column) by going behind the driver's side kick panel. then run under the carpet, along the front and rear door sills (they just pop off and are held down by metal clips) a problem area for other wires is near the rear seat where corrosion has been know to effect some splices. after that I assume the wires that go to the tail lights go behind the driver's side cargo trim panel. start looking and you'll eventually find the short. if it's the tail lights vs the turn signals that are blowing fuses, that makes it somewhat easier (fewer wires to deal with) and don't forget the tag lights as they are part of the same circuit.

for free wiring diagrams for your truck:
http://search.ebscohost.com/. Use RRCC and rebsco when signing in
 






if the truck blows fuses and the problem is narrowed down to the truck, then you have a short somewhere. I believe the wires that go to the rear begin (after they come from the light switch and column) by going behind the driver's side kick panel. then run under the carpet, along the front and rear door sills (they just pop off and are held down by metal clips) a problem area for other wires is near the rear seat where corrosion has been know to effect some splices. after that I assume the wires that go to the tail lights go behind the driver's side cargo trim panel. start looking and you'll eventually find the short. if it's the tail lights vs the turn signals that are blowing fuses, that makes it somewhat easier (fewer wires to deal with) and don't forget the tag lights as they are part of the same circuit.

for free wiring diagrams for your truck:
http://search.ebscohost.com/. Use RRCC and rebsco when signing in
I've looked at the wiring diagrams and they are no help to me. I followed the wires from the back to the front. They go through the jack panel and then down through the frame wells,then up through the front seat and then into the firewall. Can't see anything there and while in the frame wells I can't see the wires at all,so that would be hard to fix even if you narrowed it down to that area. I will use a flash light tomorrow and look over the rest of it. I see a few connectors along the way. Sure is strange how all of a sudden you get a bad wire. There is no sun affecting the wires. And little water can get in most of the track of the wires.
 






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