Blinker/Brake/Hazard Low Voltage

[ajonesnv]

So I searched some...not much, just some and couldn't come up with much useful info.

Heres the symptoms. My blinkers, hazards, and brakes (maybe brakes I can't remember for sure what the number was) all have low voltage. I was wiring in my trailer circuit and found my blinkers were flashing from 0-8v same with the hazards. I measured this on the trailer circuit prior to entering the trailer light converter right off the blinker wire and again off the trailer pins. My parking lights are at 12v.

My thoughts are a ground issue or possible a flasher issue. Does anyone have access to a circuit diagram for the blinkers or better a experience with the same problem.

The thing is my truck lights all seem to light up perfectly fine, but the trailer lights are very dim.

And yes, I checked the fluid level and they are all good.

 

[IBallEngineer]

So I searched some...not much, just some and couldn't come up with much useful info.

Heres the symptoms. My blinkers, hazards, and brakes (maybe brakes I can't remember for sure what the number was) all have low voltage. I was wiring in my trailer circuit and found my blinkers were flashing from 0-8v same with the hazards. I measured this on the trailer circuit prior to entering the trailer light converter right off the blinker wire and again off the trailer pins. My parking lights are at 12v.

My thoughts are a ground issue or possible a flasher issue. Does anyone have access to a circuit diagram for the blinkers or better a experience with the same problem.

The thing is my truck lights all seem to light up perfectly fine, but the trailer lights are very dim.

And yes, I checked the fluid level and they are all good.

First of all, I'll start with this blanket general statement that comes from 30 some odd years of fixing other peoples trailer light issues. 99.999999 of the problems I've seen are insufficient ground to the TRAILER.

Next let's look at your specifics. The brakes are a separate circuit on our vehicles, but it is combined by the converter for the trailer connector. So if you are checking at the converter (In), then it matters if there is low voltage or not. If you check at the trailer it matters less because they are essentially the same circuit at that point.

Now I'm curious about your low readings, because digital voltmeters are often too slow to keep up with voltage changes, it could be you aren't seeing it fast enough to read actual voltage. The better way to know is to check the trailer itself. If you are getting 12V (AT THE TRAILER) with the meter grounded(AT THE TRAILER), you have bad lights. Not likely huh.

Have someone step on the brake, if the lamps are dim, check the ground circuit, again AT THE TRAILER.

Now you didn't say, but are your running lights dim as well? If they are, it is definitely a ground issue. I won't sugar coat anything here, you must, absolutely with out question know that the trailer has a good ground. Not the truck, not the trailer connector. You have to check the ground AT THE TRAILER!!!

 

[ajonesnv]

Okay, what your saying is clicking well with me. The digital meter never saw 0 either once it started fluctuating between off and on, so Ill leave my truck out of this for now.

The running lights are working fine, however Ill go through the wiring at the trailer to confirm a good connections past the plug-in. Its an old popup that has (from the factory) poor wiring. Thanks for the help.