Trailer light problems

[jt24]

I just bought a 03 Chevy 1500HD and found that my trailer light hook up isnt working properly. I have surge brakes on my boat trailer so in order to back up the surge brake is suppose to be disabled when the pickup is put in reverse. If I am not mistaken this should be the center poll of the trailer hook up right? My question is how do I find where the power is suppose to be coming from? The fuses look fine. The guy I bought it from took out a brake controller but not sure if that did anything.

[Valv]

Did you check with a test light there's actually power to the center pole ?

There could be a broken/melted wire caused by previous wrong installation.

A brake controller shouldn't have any effects on the system unless it was wired incorrectly.

[Jeremy airjer W]

I'll check diagrams at work tonight and get them to you. Checking for power at the center terminal is a good start. If there is power there I might be a little suspicious of the trailer. Are you using an adapter? If so is there power out of the adapter for reverse?

[Scott K]

Here is the trailer connector for it!

[Jeremy airjer W]

I have never had to check one of these for power to the reverse terminal so I am just as curious as jt to find out if this is powered through the PRNDL switch directly or if there is a relay/fuse that is controlled by the PRNDL switch. I'll be in about 3:00 and I'll post what I can find out. Out of curiousity I went and checked the toyota and sure enough it is powered up in reverse (sometimes its the little things that humor us the most! ).

[Scott K]

Here are the wiring diagrams for it.

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Looks like it goes through the switch then through the fuse!

[Scott K]

Start on the top picture on the left hand side it goes through the 20 amp fuse, then through the reverse switch to the 10 amp fuse on the right hand side out to "D" . Into the bottom picture on "D" to pin A on the bottom of the picture. Its that easy!

[Jeremy airjer W]

Thanks 4!

If the reverse lights work on the truck and the trailer B/U fuse in the underhood fuse block is o.k. than the problem is somewhere along the lt. green wire. That is assumeing that there is no power out of the center pin on the vehicle side of the plug. It wouldn't hurt to pull the B/U fuse and make sure that one side has power to it with the truck in reverse to illiminate a possible problem with the fuse block?

[Dooley87]

just one simple sugestion for a quick temporary fix for backing up the boat, the coupler slides in and out of the trailer frame a few inches and when it slides back into the frame this is were it will make contact and signal the trailer to apply brakes.

to teporarily disble the brakes to back up first pull the trailer forward a few feet and there should be a space were the coupler slides in and out, stick a trailer pin in this space/slot and the coupler can no longer slide all the way back into the frame and make contact to signal breaks. this wont solve the problem but if you NEED to back it up you can this way.

[jt24]

Well I think I fixed the problem. There was power to the lite green wire going into the trailer hookup but not center pole itself. I pulled the back off of the light hookup and the center spade was bent up slightly so it wasnt making contact with the wire side. Looks like it was this way from factory. Thanks for all your help.

[Jeremy airjer W]

That was easy, glad you figured it out!

[Valv]

WE LOVE easy fixes !!!

[Jeremy airjer W]