Hook Probe Circuit Tester

Ask the Experts about this Performance Tool Wiring

• Troubleshooting 7-Way Trailer Connection Wiring on 2017 Nissan Frontier
  In your 2017 Nissan Frontier, the Curt brake controller should be installed using the custom wiring adapter # C51382. This should work correctly to give you the proper wiring within your cab. Then you will use the Curt # C56226 or the Tekonsha # 118266 to get the correct 7-way. If you have done this even using the previous relays, check your trailer connection for functions using the attached photo and a circuit tester like # PTW2993. It sounds like the trailer may be mis-wired...
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• Troubleshooting Trailer Lights Not Working with Curt T-Connector Harness Installed on Ram ProMaster
  Since all of the trailer lights worked fine when using a different vehicle, it does seem like you have narrowed down the issue to the wiring on your 2018 Ram ProMaster 1500. To further verify this I do still recommend testing the 4-Way connector on the vehicle with a circuit tester like # PTW2993. Test the pins on the connector while you have a buddy activate the signals in the van. If you aren't getting power to all the pins then I recommend testing the wires both before the converter...
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• Troubleshooting the Electric Trailer Brake Controller on 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD
  For your 2011 Chevy Silverado 2500 with integrated brake controller, the brake output wire will run directly from your controller to the 7-way. You can test the 5 o'clock pin of your connector for braking function using an incandescent tester like # PTW2993. An incandescent tester will draw power like a connected trailer would to give the unit signal that a trailer is connected to allow function. You can then use the manual override feature to test function. The light should get brighter...
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• Troubleshooting Trailer Running Lights Not Functioning on 2013 Nissan Xterra Wiring
  The one missing running light relay is a common issue on certain Nissan vehicles. It is usually a missing relay in the in-cab fuse panel and it is # 38666-1 but you can check the owner's manual for all fuse and relay locations to verify. The relay is attached to a wiring harness which is located behind the passenger side kick panel near the passenger door (see picture).
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• Troubleshooting Curt Trailer Wiring Harness # C56124 for 2012 Nissan Juke
  There are a couple things to check before replacing the unit, which may be the answer. First, check your vehicle fuses as listed in your owners manual. There are specific fuses for trailer use on your vehicle. The second thing to check is the ground wire on your wiring harness. If the ground is bad and isn't getting the bare metal to metal contact it could have worked and then suddenly stopped working as you stated. Use a circuit tester like # PTW2993 to check functions. If all...
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• How to Allow 12 Volt Accessory Circuit of 7-Way to be Active All the Time
  Sounds like you have a 7-way trailer wiring connector and the 12 volt accessory circuit turns off when the vehicle is turned off. The only way to bypass that so that the circuit is on all the time is to run a length of 10 gauge wire like part # 10-1-1 from the positive post of the battery through a breaker like # 9510 to the 12 volt accessory circuit of the 7-way which happens to be the pin in the 1:00 position.
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• Troubleshooting Trailer Wiring That Only Has 3 Wires
  Sounds like your trailer uses 4-way wiring but grounds through the trailer frame so the only three wires are running lights, left stop/turn, and right stop/turn. Typically with trailer wiring setups if there's an issue it's because the ground isn't sufficient. You might go over all the taillight assembly connections making sure the way the lights attach to the trailer is solid and that the main ground harness of the trailer is connected to a clean metal surface as well. I attached...
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• Troubleshooting 7-Way to 6-Pole Wiring Adapter Operation
  It sounds like you are using a 7-to-6-way coiled adapter cable like # RM-1676-7 between your Class C Jayco Melbourne's 7-way and the 6-pole on your towed vehicle. Some trailer wiring testers that use LEDs may not always work correctly. If you have a probe tester like # PTW2992 I suggest you re-test the 7-way contacts one at a time. You can refer to the linked photo to see which pin to test for each function. The photo shows the usual RV circuit configuration but there are multiple ways...
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• Troubleshooting Brake Controller that Only Works With Manual Override
  Did you check to make sure the red wire of your controller has 12 volts when the brakes are applied? That's the circuit that would be at fault if the controller itself is still good. I'd verify that you have 12 volts on the red wire of the controller with a circuit tester like part # PTW2993 and if it does then the controller is faulty. If not, then the wiring for that circuit is bad. You'd need to check the condition of the connection for the red wire and then also check the fuse for the...
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• Troubleshooting Brake Controller Short Code
  Since you have inspected all the connectors, the short can absolutely be on the trailer itself. It can be in the wiring leading to the brake magnets, the brake magnets themselves, or a bad ground on an electric brake system. Because you referenced Servo, I assume you have hydraulic brakes and an Electric Over Hydraulic (EOH) actuator. This issue can only be between the electrical components in such a case, so it will not be all the way back at the wheel cylinder servo. I recommend...
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• Troubleshooting Lack Of 12V Power On 7-Pin Trailer Connector When All Other Functions Work
  I recommend checking your fuses and relays on your 2016 Ford F-250 under the hood in the fuse box. I recommend also checking for loose cables and testing the wires with a circuit tester like # PTW2993 to see if you can isolate the short. If it is a factory 7-way, and both the fuses and relays are good and you can't find the short, you can either take it to a dealer to have them check it out or you can run a separate wire. To run a new wire from your battery, I recommend the # 10-1-1...
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• Options for 7-Way to 6-Way Adapter
  The Hopkins 6 Pole to 7 Pole Adapter, # 47435, does have a pin for the brake output for a brake controller. This adapter will work for your set up as long as the center pin of the 6-way plug on your RV is for 12v power and the pin in the 10 o clock position is for the brakes. You can verify this using a circuit tester like part # 3808. If the center pin on your 6-way plug is wired for brakes and the pin in the 10 o clock position is for 12v power, then you can still make an adapter using...
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• Parts Needed for Always-On 12V Circuit on 2018 Ford F-150 with Factory Wiring
  The 12V auxiliary power circuit in your Ford's 7-way wiring setup is unusual. This circuit becomes active once you press the brake. It will otherwise appear to be dead. So unless you are driving there will not be power on that 7-way contact. This decision by Ford has caused a lot of confusion for Ford owners. If you want your 7-way 12V circuit to be active at all times, regardless of the ignition key position or operation of the brake pedal, all you need to do is bypass the existing...
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• How to Wire Up a Bargman 84 Series Light Assembly to a Trailer
  Sounds like you are trying to install a Bargman LED 84 series light like the part # 47-84-527. The wire colors won't necessarily match up so you will want to use a circuit tester like the part # PTW2993 to test the trailer's wiring so that you know which wires are what first. On the light assembly the white wires are the ground circuits, the black wires are the stop/turn circuits, and the green wires are the running light circuits. These would get wired by function to the wiring of your...
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• Replacement Brake Assembly Recommendation for 2014 Heartland Road Warrior
  Since you said the padsd are worn thin it's most likely time to replace them to get your stopping power back. For that we have the part # 23-465 for a replacement right hand side and part # 23-464 for replacement left hand side. Based on the numbers I see in the picture you attached this is the correct set you'd need. Also, since replacing brake pads typically costs about the same as just replacing the entire assemblies it makes more sense to just replace the assemblies all together....
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• Grounding Peterson Trailer Tail Light Part # V457L to Trailer Frame
  The Peterson Trailer Tail Light # V457L that you referenced is designed to ground through the mounting hardware which means that a bolt runs through the base which is attached to the ground circuit of the light and when it contacts the metal frame of your trailer the ground circuit is complete. If you wanted to ground this light with a wire you'd need to run the ground wire to the bolt you use to attach the light between the base and the trailer frame. The white wire on your 7-way wiring...
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• Difference Between Wiring Trailer Batteries In Series Vs. Parallel
  We can help. There are two different ways to wire up batteries and battery banks to either keep the voltage the same or double it. If two batteries are wired in parallel, the positive terminals of each battery will be connected together, as will the negative terminals. Assuming both batteries are 12 volt, you'll have a 12 volt output but there will be more capacity. If the batteries are wired in series, the positive terminal of one battery will be connected to the negative terminal...
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• Where is Cold Side of Brake Switch Normally Found
  The phrase "the cold side of the brake switch" refers to the circuit at the brake switch that carries voltage only when the vehicle brakes are applied. This circuit varies widely from vehicle to vehicle so the best way we can recommend you find it is to use a circuit tester like part # PTW2993 to test the wires of your brake pedal switch till you find one that only carries voltage when the brakes are applied and none when released.
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• Troubleshooting Prodigy P2 Brake Controller Install on 2018 Honda Odyssey
  I suspect your issue is related to the red wire of the controller. It needs to be connected to a circuit that only sees 12 volts when the brake are depressed. My theory is yours is connected to at circuit that is hot all the time but you can test the controller to verify it's not the problem. Testing the brake controller is fairly easy. Sever the blue brake output wire near the brake controller leaving enough room to reconnect it and then apply the manual slide. Using a circuit tester...
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• Troubleshooting Running Light Circuit that Doesnt Work on One Side of Trailer Lighting
  It's either a broken connection between the harness and the light or a bad ground on the light which seems unlikely since turn/brake signal works. What you will want to do is use a circuit tester like part # PTW2993 and test the running light circuit by probing the wire from the connector all the way back to the light. You should find where the circuit is active and then where it stops and be able to determine where the connection is interrupted.
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• Recommended Electric Trailer Brake Controller for 2018 Chevy Equinox with Factory 7-Way Connector
  I reached out to my contacts at both Tekonsha and Curt and they have not confirmed the wiring connections on a 2018 model Chevy Equinox. In previous years, there has not been a direct plug option for a brake controller but there also was not a 7-way factory available. It is very likely that there are wires under the dash that may work, but you would need to use a circuit tester like # PTW2993 to confirm. For a brake controller, I recommend the Tekonsha Prodigy P3 # 90195. This brake...
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• Where to Find Brake Controller Stoplight Circuit Wire on 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan
  When we had the chance to install a brake controlelr in a similar 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan we found that the correct brake signal wire was white with a green tracer. I'd recommend looking for that wire first and then using a circuit tester like part # PTW2993 to verify that it has 12 volts only when the brakes are applid and use it for the red wire of your brake controller. I attached an install video for the Grand Caravan down below that shows the entire process as well.
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• Wiring Canopy 3rd Brake Light on 2009 Chevy Silverado 1500
  The easiest way to wire a 3rd brake light on your Chevy Silverado canopy is going to be by tapping into the Center High Mount Stop Light (CHMSL) in the cab of the truck. Based on my research, this wire should be bundled with the factory brake controller wiring located under the dash. There should be a handful of wires there that are blunt cut and taped off at the ends. There will be a wire there that has a tag on it labeled CHMSL. The wire color is likely orange. This is the correct...
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• Troubleshooting Trailer Brakes Not Releasing with Draw-Tite Activator Brake Controller
  There are a few potential reasons why the trailer brakes don't seem to be releasing correctly after applying them in your Chevy Avalanche. I first recommend making sure you connected the red wire from your Draw-Tite Activator Brake Controller to the cold side of the stop light switch in the truck. This is the wire beneath the brake pedal that only receives power with the brake pedal depressed, and no power with any other function. You can use a circuit tester like # PTW2993 to confirm...
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• Locating Cold Side of Brake Switch Wire on 2016 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
  In order to determine the correct wire in your 2016 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter to connect the brake controller red wire to, you will need to find the cold side of the brake light switch. Using a circuit tester like # PTW2993, simply test each of the 4 wires you mentioned to see which wire receives power only when the brake pedal is pressed, and not during any other function such as the turn signals or headlights. From what I could find, it appears the correct wire on your 2016 Mercedes-Benz...
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• Wiring Diagram Recommendation for 4-Way Round Trailer Connector
  Looks like you have a round 4-way connector in the picture you submitted. The colors you mentioned aren't totally a match for standard colors but they are close. Normally the colors are: White - Ground Return Green - Right Turn and Brake Lights Yellow/Red - Left Turn and Brake Lights Brown - Tail Lights You'll need to wire by function instead of color since yours aren't a total match. I have attached a photo that shows typical wiring for a 4-way round connector.
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• Testing Electric Brakes on Trailer without Connecting to Tow Vehicle
  Absolutely! If you would rather not connect the trailer to your tow vehicle, you can simply use a separate car/truck 12V battery to test the electric brakes on your trailer. You can apply power to the appropriate brake input pin on the trailer connector (or the wires directly at some point behind the connector) and that will send power to the brakes.
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• Will Travel Trailer Lights Illuminate if Wired Backwards
  If you wire your trailer lights backwards they will not work. Best case scenario is that they just don't light up and reversing the wires fixes that. Worst case scenario you damage the lights and they'll need to be replaced. If they are LED lights most likely they'd just not light up.
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