Troubleshooting a Right Turn/Brake Signal on a Pop-Up Camper Trailer

Updated 06/28/2011 | Published 06/25/2011

Question:

I have had no end of trouble with the lights of my pop-up camper. Finally, I bought a light kit and replaced the fixtures and wiring. Still, the right brake/turn signal doesnt work. I have power at the vehicle side of the connector, and in the fixture, but the lamp wont light. I have tried swapping the bulbs and fixtures, and they work when installed on the left, but not on the right. I tried disconnecting the ground and running a wire to the ground connector on the tongue, and it still wont work. Im at the end of my troubleshooting know-how. What next?

asked by: John

Expert Reply:

It sounds like the problem is in the way the your right turn/brake light is grounded. You said that there is power to the fixture which would mean that either the fixture/bulb is faulty or the ground is bad.

Try finding a grounding point that is closer to the fixture and attach it there. Any paint-free metal surface that is clean should work well, you might try taking some sandpaper to the area to really clean it up and allow for the best possible contact.

It sounds like you already tried swapping fixtures to rule out the possibility that its the fixture. You will also want to make sure that the fixture is getting the full 12 volts to the light. If not, you want to go over the wiring for the bulb to make sure it is not damaged anywhere that is preventing the wire from carrying the full voltage.

All this unit needs is power and a ground to function, if it is not working it is a problem that is on either both or one of those circuits.

I attached an FAQ article on trailer wiring that you might find informative also.

expert reply by: Jameson C