Replacing 5-Way Connector with 8 Wires on Boat Trailer  

Question:

Expert Reply:

We definitely have what you need to replace the 5-Way connector on your boat trailer, but there's not going to be a pre-made 5-Way harness that includes 8 wires. As you mentioned the most you will likely find is a wishbone harness like # A25W5B that uses 6 wires (a separate running lights circuit wire for each side of the trailer). A previous owner or the factory simply used a non-standard wiring setup when installing the connector and wiring on your trailer.

With all of that being said, it's still going to be easy enough to swap out the connector. Your best option will be to simply cut off the existing 5-Way and replace it with a new one like the above-mentioned harness. Since a 5-Way doesn't usually have 8 wires, you will just need to test each of them for function with a circuit tester like # PTW2979 when connected to the tow vehicle or by simply applying 12V power directly to each wire if you aren't connected.

Once you know the function for each wire you will be able to splice into the new connector. On the 5-Way # A25W5B the white wire is ground, the brown wire with green stripe is right side running lights, the brown wire with yellow stripe is left side running lights, the yellow wire is left side stop/turn, the green wire is right side stop/turn, and the blue wire is auxiliary/reverse.

If I had to guess you most likely have a few ground wires on your current setup (but I still recommend testing to be sure) so you will probably just have to splice in multiple wires from the trailer to the ground wire terminal on the new 5-Way. I recommend using heat shrink butt connectors like # DW05744-10 to provide a good seal to avoid any shorts from exposure to the elements (especially since it's on a boat trailer).

If you have any other questions along the way please feel free to reach out! We want to get you fishing again as quickly as possible.

expert reply by: Chris R

0

click to enlarge