Trailer Has Separate Turn Signals that Come On with Brake Lights

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Question:

Bought a used Coleman pop-up camper and just got a hitch installed in our Nissan Quest.... Both running lights and directionals are working fine, but when we step on the brakes, the amber directional lights light up? This happened when we tried it with several vehicles/hitches....so thinking problem is in the camper wiring.... Any advice?

asked by: Karen

Expert Reply:

If the Coleman pup has separate turn signal lights then that is the issue. Trailers typically have what is called a 2-wire system with the brake lights and turn signals on each side sharing the same circuit and bulb. Either someone tried to install amber turn signals on the trailer but did not realize that it works on a 2-wire system, or they wired in the turn signals to the brake lights because the vehicle side connector had a 2-wire system and they could not operate the separate turn signals.

If you want the separate turn signals to work you will need to install a converter, # 118158. You would take the combined left turn and brake light wire on the trailer and attach it to the yellow input wire on the converter. The right turn and brake light wire on the trailer would go to the converter green wire.

On the output side, the red wire would go to the brake lights on both sides of the trailer. Yellow would go to left turn signal and green to right turn signal.

expert reply by: Michael H