Troubleshooting Running Light Malfunctions on a Kaufman Trailers Mini 5 Car Hauler

Updated 02/11/2014 | Published 02/09/2014

Question:

i need to know what would cause the running lights to stop working but everything else to work on the mini 5 kaufman trailer

asked by: Jessica

Expert Reply:

If the other lights are working correctly, the most likely cause would be a bad ground. Ground issues may not be apparent until a larger load is placed on the circuit, like when the taillights are activated.

It is also common for tilting, folding tongue trailers, and trailer with lots of moving components, like your car hauler to have grounding problems due to the moving components. These moving components, prevent full continuous contact of the metal surfaces, and interrupt the ground signal, therefore preventing a complete ground circuit.

To fix this problem you could run an additional jumper wire, and connect to the ground wire located near the trailer wiring connector to the lower deck of your trailer, or to a ground wire on the lights on your trailer. With this jumper installed it would ensure that the ground signal would travel to the lights, and the circuit is complete regardless of the ramp positions on your trailer.

I would also recommend checking all the ground locations on the vehicle, trailer, and at the lights, to make sure that there is a secure connection to an appropriate metal surface. Sometimes trailer lights are grounded through the mounting hardware.

I have included an informational article that explains troubleshooting wiring problems for your information.

expert reply by: Rachael H