Toyota Hitch Wiring

[Bayrat]

My youngest son has a 1992 Fourrunner on which I would like to help him install a hitch. Two hitch stores in the area have given him a price from $240 and up for hitch and wiring, saying that it has what is called "amber lights" /w3tcompact/icons/hmm.gif that require some special wiring for the trailer lights. I have never heard of such a thing but don't want to screw his truck up. Normally I would bolt the hitch into place and bug the wires into the harness or if I am feeling lazy, spend $35 on the aftermarket kit and plug it in. I know I can buy the hitch for around $90. The price he is getting sounds like a rip-off /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif to me, but does include installation. Has anyone here had experience with this? Thanks!

 

[CSAW]

Bayrat

You are not being lied to about the lights. I believe the thing is called a converter. You can buy them at Wal-Mart or any parts store, they are not expensive or hard to install. For certain vehicles they are offered in a plug in version.

The reason you need it is that most trailers use the same same bulb for the brake and turn signal just like older cars. The converter allows your four light system to convert electronically to the two light system on the trailer without crossing any signals.


Sorry I can't explain it as well as I understand it /w3tcompact/icons/hmm.gif

 

[RanchMan]

Well, "rip-off" is somewhat subjective - but assuming that the hitch is worth $90 and they use the same $35 adapter, you're up to $125. Add $100 labor (seems like places 'round here charge somewhere between $50-100 for such things), you're @ $225. Add tax @ 8.25% (local here), your @ $243.

Assuming your prices for the "hardware" are in line, labor is what is truly costing you the bucks. For those of us who are somewhat "handy", $100 to mount a hunk of metal to the underbelly of a vehicle seems ridiculously high, however for others who have no idea on how to do such things (or the tools to complete the task), that same $100 may be considered "very reasonable."

From a "typical" hitch/install cost, your $240 doesn't sound our of the median range for around here, but at the same time, having knowledge of what is truly involved makes the price a bit harder to swallow. I guess it all boils down to what you feel your time/effort is worth.

 

[bgott]

Call the dealer and ask where the trailer light harness is located. Most late model vehicles are already adapted for trailer lights. My '97 S-10 had the pigtail taped back into the tailight wiring harness, a Nissan Pathfinder that belongs to a friend of mine had it in one of the storage compartments in the back.

 

[hosejockey2002]

My father-in-law had a '93 4runner that I wired for trailer tow. I had to install the taillight converter. I think they are about $20 to buy. If you don't install the converter you will fry your turn signal flasher. (learned this the hard way on an '86 Mazda) /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif If you aren't comfortable doing wiring you might want a shop to do it. Trailer wiring is something you want done right. It's no fun to hook up your trailer and not have your lights work.

 

[Bayrat]

OK, it was the terminology that threw me. I would test for brake and turn before wiring and then splice accordingly. I suppose what they mean by Amber lights is that the rear turn signals are seperate from the brake lights as is stated in the other posts. Thanks for all the help, I think I will purchase a kit this time rather than wire from scratch.

 

[Bird]

Bayrat, like the other guys have said, it's a common thing, and has been for a lot of years now. If one vehicle (either the towing vehicle or the trailer being towed) has separate brake light and turn signal and the other one uses the same bulb (filament) for both. My first experience with it was wiring my '85 Honda Aspencade motorcycle (separate brake and turn signal) to pull a little trailer on which they were not separate. Then when my '93 Escort was wired for the lights to work when I was towing it behind the motorhome, it was the other way around; motorhome used the same filament for both and car didn't. The vehicle with the separate lights is the one that needs the "converter" mentioned.

 

[Bayrat]

It sure seems that I lucked out. I purchased one of those pre-made harnesses for my Tacoma when I installed the hitch because I wanted plug-in on a new vehicle that time rather than testing, cutting soldering and heat-sealing. If I recall correctly, that truck had seperate turn and brake lights. I guess I would have found out the hard way that I couldn't just locate the turn and tail lights and begin splicing. I thought I was a veteran at wiring, did everyone's tow vehicle that asked me years ago. Lights, brake controls, power supply and such. Of course they were all American made and utilized the same bulb for brake and turn lights. Apparently the harness I purchased for my Toyota had the "converter" in it and I never thought about it. One selling point to the truck I purchased this time was when I walked around it, I noticed both types of trailer harness and a class IV hitch from the factory already on it.

 

[heehaw]

as best i can remember, this all started with the foreign vehicles, i don't recall any american made that used separate filaments for the brake and the turn signals..i do have a friend that wired his nissan truck via the cut an splice method..has only 1 bulb on each side of his trailer, and swears it works..but this is the same friend that says his ferguson to20 came from the factory negative ground..buy the converter/adapter and relax, its magic and it works.
heehaw

 

[njrqs]

<font color=blue>If one vehicle (either the towing vehicle or the trailer being towed) has separate brake light and turn signal and the other one uses the same bulb (filament) for both </font color=blue>

Huh ???

All our cars, trucks, trailers and caravans etc. use seperate brake and turn bulbs.

Do you guys combine them?

What if the brakes are on and you want to turn a corner??