Basic 2-Wire Brake Light Wiring

Updated 01/11/2021 | Published 01/08/2021

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Question:

On the actual lights, is black for tail and red for turn, stop? In other words, thinking about the driver side wiring, do I attach black to Brown and red to yellow or is it the other way around?

asked by: Kris R

Expert Reply:

I suspect that you have a 3-channel connection for the light, with the red wire being the Stop/Turn light, and black being the Running/Marker light, and the light mounting bolt being the ground connection.

On the left/driver side the red wire goes to yellow, and the black goes to brown for tail lights.
On the right/passenger side the red goes to green, and the black goes to brown for tail lights.
I have attached a document with trailer wiring diagrams.

Occasionally things are color coded differently. You can easily test this connecting the ground mounting bolt to the frame and the blinker wires and see if it blinks. If it does not blink, try it with the other wire.

When you are sure of your connections use good but connectors like Deka # DW05744-10 heat shrinking butt connectors. If you don't already have a good crimper, order the Performance Tool # PTW30764 to get a strong crimp every time.

expert reply by: Les D