Will Peterson Light Kit #M540 Replace the Lights on my Trailer?

Updated 08/28/2019 | Published 08/27/2019

Products Featured in This Question

Peterson Light Kit for Trailers Under 80" Wide - 20' Harness - Driver and Passenger

(83)

$47.69

LCD Digital Circuit Tester

(28)

$28.06

Question:

Do I need converter kit 540 for 2019 Silverado half ton? Turn signals work but no brake or tail Lights

asked by: Robert K

Expert Reply:

You would be able to add lights with the Peterson Light Kit for Trailers # M540 and since they have a new 4 way connection it should solve any issue you're having; that being said, I can run you through some quick steps to troubleshoot the lights on the trailer and avoid having to buy a new set of lights. It sounds like there may be an issue with the wiring harness on the vehicle or the trailer wiring that is keeping these lights from functioning, so I'll give you a couple of troubleshooting tips that will hopefully help resolve your issue- it's likely the trailer since your vehicle is new, but it's worth checking both.

First thing I recommend doing is disconnecting the trailer and checking the wiring harnesses to make sure that they are free from debris and corrosion. Clean it off, if necessary, and see if that helps. If not, the next step would be to test the connection from your vehicle using a circuit tester similar to # PTW2992 to make sure that you're getting power to all of the connections- you'll specifically want to test the wire that controls the tail light function (usually a brown wire on a 4 way connector). If you're getting power to that wire, the issue is going to be on your trailer- again, the most likely source, but it's always best to make sure just to isolate the problem.

On the trailer, you'll want to make sure that your ground wire is grounded properly- this all could be caused by a poor ground connection. Make sure that it is secured properly to a paint and debris free surface. If this still hasn't corrected the issue, you'll need to trace back the tail light wire (likely brown, but not for sure) on the trailer to make sure that it is not damaged anywhere along the trailer.

If these steps still haven't addressed your problem, let me know and I can give you a couple of other things to check. I've also attached the help article on Troubleshooting 4 and 5 way wiring connections to reference back to while you're doing these checks. At the end of the day, as mentioned above, the Peterson Light Kit # M540 will likely solve your problem if the issue lies with the trailer since it comes with its own 4 way connector.