My Right Hand rear tail light cluster doesn't work.
The front side marker works but the rest of the right hand side doesn't work
I pulled off the cluster and found the green wires were rusted in their connector which I cut off and re connected with a new connector
The cluster is tail brake and indicator none of which work when connected
I have tested each light and they work
Could I have a faulty earth connection ?
Possum3 said
01:40 PM Feb 1, 2022
Aust Standards say Green coloured wire is for earth when using AC (249V.
Earth is usually Black for DC (12V).
As very few manufacturers follow Wiring Standards - The 12V cable is cheapest with disregard to Standards with regards to Gauge and Colouring.
Back to your question you most probably do have a faulty Earth connection - Try a substitute piece of cable attached to bumper bar or such to see if you can get current flow.
erad said
03:54 PM Feb 1, 2022
You don't say what vehicle you have - that would help with diagnosis.
Do you have a towbar? Often the towbar connection takes it feed from the R side taillight. Maybe the wiring takeoff is crook.
Does the blinker light work on the R side of the vehicle? If it does, it effectively rules out a bad earth.
Depending on the vehicle, it is possible that each taillight is fused, and you may have a blown fuse.
DOEs the brake light work on the R side of the vehicle? If it does, again the earth is OK.
Bobdown said
04:29 PM Feb 1, 2022
Check the 7 pin (or 12) trailer connector, a good clean out and a small screwdriver to open up the pins slightly.
Check for voltage at tug and at the tail light at rear of van.
Cheers Bob
Whenarewethere said
04:31 PM Feb 1, 2022
erad wrote:
You don't say what vehicle you have - that would help with diagnosis.
If your car is a CAN bus system, a wrong LED globe somewhere can create problems.
Hi keninnsw,
Welcome to the forum - I trust you will enjoy your time here.
There's some good advice above - as the other wires had rust on them, you can bet that the earth too is rusty somewhere. Can you run a long earth wire from your van-car plug to your light cluster? I had an issue with my Trailblazer fridge once & I was using the car's body for the 12v -ve (earth) - running a separate wire to the fridge from the battery fixed it.
Also beware - a lot of caravans use the standard 12v colour code ie black is 12v +ve , white is is 12v -ve. Possum is partially correct - if the wires are red & black.
Happy hunting (you may need an assistant)!
keninnsw said
09:43 AM Feb 4, 2022
Thanks to all those who answered.
I have tested the socket on the vehicle and all was ok
I have opened the caravan plug and everyhting is clean tight and waterproof.
I have a green wire connected to the RH flasher and it works.
When it stops raining I will test the brown and red wires to make sure there's current there
oldbloke said
05:51 PM Feb 5, 2022
"I had an issue with my Trailblazer fridge once & I was using the car's body for the 12v -ve (earth) - running a separate wire to the fridge from the battery fixed it."
That's a very common issue. You just cant rely on the body to work well as an earth.
Suggest you look under the van for a "common" earth. If you find one clean and tighten. Caused me all sorts of issues with my electric brakes.
Good luck, stuff like this can take forever to find.
-- Edited by oldbloke on Saturday 5th of February 2022 05:51:32 PM
Aus-Kiwi said
09:07 AM Feb 6, 2022
Check polarity if one side is not working . If they are LED globes ? Other than that . Its usually high resistant connection . Not that theres much load with LEDS .
My Right Hand rear tail light cluster doesn't work.
The front side marker works but the rest of the right hand side doesn't work
I pulled off the cluster and found the green wires were rusted in their connector which I cut off and re connected with a new connector
The cluster is tail brake and indicator none of which work when connected
I have tested each light and they work
Could I have a faulty earth connection ?
Earth is usually Black for DC (12V).
As very few manufacturers follow Wiring Standards - The 12V cable is cheapest with disregard to Standards with regards to Gauge and Colouring.
Back to your question you most probably do have a faulty Earth connection - Try a substitute piece of cable attached to bumper bar or such to see if you can get current flow.
Do you have a towbar? Often the towbar connection takes it feed from the R side taillight. Maybe the wiring takeoff is crook.
Does the blinker light work on the R side of the vehicle? If it does, it effectively rules out a bad earth.
Depending on the vehicle, it is possible that each taillight is fused, and you may have a blown fuse.
DOEs the brake light work on the R side of the vehicle? If it does, again the earth is OK.
Check the 7 pin (or 12) trailer connector, a good clean out and a small screwdriver to open up the pins slightly.
Check for voltage at tug and at the tail light at rear of van.
Cheers Bob
If your car is a CAN bus system, a wrong LED globe somewhere can create problems.
"Earth is usually Black for DC (12V)."
Except where it is usually white;
https://www.narva.com.au/resources/trailer-plug-wiring-diagram.
Welcome to the forum - I trust you will enjoy your time here.
There's some good advice above - as the other wires had rust on them, you can bet that the earth too is rusty somewhere. Can you run a long earth wire from your van-car plug to your light cluster? I had an issue with my Trailblazer fridge once & I was using the car's body for the 12v -ve (earth) - running a separate wire to the fridge from the battery fixed it.
Also beware - a lot of caravans use the standard 12v colour code ie black is 12v +ve , white is is 12v -ve. Possum is partially correct - if the wires are red & black.
Happy hunting (you may need an assistant)!
I have tested the socket on the vehicle and all was ok
I have opened the caravan plug and everyhting is clean tight and waterproof.
I have a green wire connected to the RH flasher and it works.
When it stops raining I will test the brown and red wires to make sure there's current there
"I had an issue with my Trailblazer fridge once & I was using the car's body for the 12v -ve (earth) - running a separate wire to the fridge from the battery fixed it."
That's a very common issue. You just cant rely on the body to work well as an earth.
Suggest you look under the van for a "common" earth. If you find one clean and tighten. Caused me all sorts of issues with my electric brakes.
Good luck, stuff like this can take forever to find.
-- Edited by oldbloke on Saturday 5th of February 2022 05:51:32 PM
Caravan internal wiring internationally normally is Black Positive and White Earth.
Aust trailer plugs/sockets use White as Earth.
My previous Jayco Poptop was wired Black(+) White(-). Normal US standard.
If the whole cluster is not working check continuity of the Negative from cluster to plug. Had the same problem. Rusted negative return.