Hello everyone,
I just bought a used cargo trailer (a 6' x 12' enclosed Cargo King), and the lights are acting... strangely. They are pretty dim, and the brake lights work only occasionally. When the turn signal is activated, all of the lights flash, slowly. Here's some more information:
My tow vehicle is a 1979 Chevy C-10 Silverado (pickup). It has a 6-pin round connector. I bought a 6-round to 4-flat adapter (I don't want to post a link here, but it's a Curt 57620 adapter that is easily found on Amazon) that I'm using to connect the trailer to the truck.
The ground wire on the trailer was spliced together and frayed off at the end when I bought it, so this weekend I removed the splice, unscrewed the screw from the frame of the trailer, sanded it down to metal, and reconnected the ground with a new crimp connector and screw. The ground coming from the back of the truck connector seems to be connected solidly to the steel bumper. No change in the behavior of the lights.
I bought a trailer light tester from AutoZone, and the "lights" LED lit up when I turned the lights on. The "left" LED blinked when the left turn signal was turned on.
However, when I turned on the right turn signal, the "right" LED stayed dark, and the
"lights" LED started blinking.
So that's where I'm stumped. I don't have a great mental grasp on electronics, so my ignorant assumption is that there is either a short somewhere, or the adapter (or connector on the truck) is wired wrong. I know that the PO of the truck used it to tow a 5th wheel camper, so I assumed that the truck's wiring was OK - but perhaps something went pear-shaped between then and now.
For a little more information, I also hooked my father-in-law's Jeep up to the trailer (before I fixed the ground) and the lights didn't really act the way I expected them too, either. But, I understand that I've changed a few variables between then and now.
Any help, or suggestions on systematic methods of testing the truck, trailer, or setup as a whole, would be profoundly appreciated. Again, as I am not well-versed in electronics and wiring, explanations and directions in layman's terms would be all the more helpful.
Thanks again, and take care!
-Brandon