If you hear hoof beats, think horses, not zebras...

[ustmd]

...but this time it was zebras

So wife is complaining that the lights on the left side of her horse trailer were not working and there is a horse thingie in two weeks.

I was sure they were working recently--especially after I reset the plug into the trailer.

So, I move the truck around and hook up the trailer.

No left turn signal, no brake lights left side.

Thinking it is an issue with corrosion on the cable connection between the trailer and truck, I get out the steel wool and clean both sets of connections.

No left turn signal, no brake lights left side.

Get the tester out and check signal on the truck side. Every thing is good.

Decide to buzz the cable between connector and terminal block. After some investigation to determine that assembly guys at Gore decided to follow the standard color codes, but not the labeling on the terminal block, all is good.

Move to the back end of the trailer and just for Sh&ts and giggles, decided to swap the bulbs.

No left turn signal, no brake lights left side. Problem does not follow the bulb.

Check the ground at the lights at the end of the trail. Good continuity, but take it apart, clean it, and reattach it.

No left turn signal, no brake lights left side.

Buzz all of the connections at the back of the trailer. Good continuity.

Reset all of the connections at the back of the trailer.

No left turn signal, no brake lights left side.

Back to the terminal block.

Re-crimp the connections on the wiring for the left turn signal.

No left turn signal, no brake lights left side.

Swap the wiring for the right turn signal and left turn signal, i.e. switching the turn signal for a right turn, should be make the left lights go on and vice verse

No left turn signal, no brake lights left side.

So I am left with the conclusion that it has to be a short in the wire between the terminal block and the back end.

Off course, I don't have a piece of wire long enough to make a jumper to quickly verify, so before heading out to get a piece, I decide to see if there is something I can find visually and low and behold:



:laughing:

Of course looking where it is at, most likely, I am going to have to run a completely new wire from the terming block (not a lot of slack for a splice). Also, I am going to need to put in a grommet or something to prevent a repeat.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Those darn gremlins!

 

[k0ua]

Remember a wire MUST be shorted (have a very low resistance) for the wire to function as a wire. What you have there is an open circuit.

People refer to "a short" for all sorts of wiring maladies. An energized wire touching a ground return could be said to be "shorted" as in the intended circuit is now shorter than the intended path thru the load.

An open circuit is a circuit that the continuity of the circuit is broken from the intended circuit path. Your photo would be a good example of that.

You could also have both and open and a short at the same time, if for example your energized wire was broken (open circuit) and also touching a ground return path (shorted to ground)

Energized wires could also be touching other Energized wires (circuit crosses) with mixed results and could be very difficult to find.

 

[Bigfoot62]

In my experience, it wasn't horses or zebras. It was goats.
The goats got under my gooseneck trailers and chewed the wires. I can't leave them in the pasture anymore.

 

[WM75Guy]

Better get it done before the horse thingie or you will be sleeping with the horses. :laughing: For the money you pay for a horse trailer you would think they would have better craftsmanship but they don't. Grommets or conduit is pretty cheap but you rarely see them used.

 

[Trials]

Ah go on, Zebras didn't do that :laughing:

 

[TheMan419]

Yeah all the prep for the horse thingies are so much fun....