1st timer in trailer tech.
My 40 has the 4 prong flat black connector, I need to rewire my trailer (4 wires 2 lights) simple right? what are the simple steps to rewire this? Which wires go where?
thanks in advance
Kyle
Pick up a trailer wiring kit at any autoparts store and the directions will walk you through it. And do NOT expect a good ground through the trailer ball. Make sure your white(IIRC) ground wire is firmly attached to the trailer and the tow vehicle is similarly attached. Otherwise, you will be chasing gremlins.
It's a good idea to run a separate white ground wire for EACH light to a common ground post near the tongue, and from there take the main ground up front to the connector. That way you KNOW the grounds are solid, and it's easy to visually and electrically troubleshoot any future problems.
I used a couple of marine (stainless) terminal strips for making the connections (for this 7 wire system), rather than butt splices. Ditto the troubleshooting - you can lie there with a meter and check the entire system easily. Cover all exposed terminals with "liquid electrical tape" from NAPA (including down inside the insulator side of the terminal).
Another route is to use a 7 wire junction box, same set up as above but with built in labels and they come water tight. Mine was a whopping 3 bucks on ebay. Then you have all your wires at one spot, but this could be overkill for a 4 wire system. But if you plan on adding lights and brakes down the road, it would be well worth it.
Here is a 7 wire connection using old video boxes, wire blocks, and a converter from seperate turn/brake to single lense trailer. Makes a clean trailer connection harness and can add wires later. LId closes to keep everything clean
for the 4 wire setup, one wire is a ground (white), one is for the tail/running lights/license (brown), one is left stop/turn (yellow) and one is right stop/turn (green).
BTW I eliminated my separate blinker lights on the back bumper by wiring in a 5 to 4 wire converter and splicing in the tail lights to the trailer wire harness. Makes things a little cleaner if you are going away from stock tail lights.
