Troubleshooting New LED Trailer Tail Lights Not Working as Running Lights

Updated 07/23/2019 | Published 07/22/2019

Question:

Hello, I just changed over my boat trailer lights to a new led set. Its a wishbone set up so first I connected the white ground wire off the main plug directly to the tongue of the trailer with a screw. I ran the yellow and brown wires down the street side and the green and brown wires down the curb side. All of my lights have their own ground so I used quick splice connectors to attach the brown wire on the amber lights to the harness on both sides and grounded them both individually to the trailer. I then connected the tail lights with the matching color wires and grounded them both individually. When I plug them in the amber lights are working but the tail lights are not? Any idea of what the problem may be? Any help would be greatly appreciated. my vehicle Im hooking up to is a 2015 GMC Sierra. Thank you

asked by: Brad

Helpful Expert Reply:

If I understand correctly it sounds like the new red tail lights on your trailer aren't powering on with the running lights circuit, but the amber lights are. You appeared to have wired everything correctly so that the red lights function as turn/brake signals. If these functions aren't working either, please let me know.

If the red tail lights also need to serve as running lights then they will need to be wired to the brown wires from the wishbone harness on each side of the trailer as well. As they are hooked up now they are not connected to the running lights circuit at all, as this is the circuit that each of those two brown wires carry down the trailer.

If this does not resolve the issue please let me know.

expert reply by: Chris R