Trailer Light Problem

[Eric]

Here's an interesting problem. I keep blowing fuses and loosing my lights...The front side markers have been replaced before, found out when i disconnected them I quit blowing fuses. I replaced them and had no more problems untill yesterday. Same thing happened, no lights and a popped fuse. I disconnected the front markers and it did work for a while, then....the rest of the working lights went dim. I hit a bump in the road and they came back on bright. After a while they went dim again and stayed that way. What the heck???? Grounding problem? Oh, by the way, the markers I disconnected were both blown. The boat's a Targa and the markers are a one piece sealed unit so I cant replace the light bulbs. help...

[arrowhead]

eric, you do have a problem, the blown fuse indicates a short to ground (from a hot wire to trailer frame) The dimming lights can be either a high resistance in the wires or a high resistance short to the the trailer frame. you will need a multi-meter to test this out. If I had to guess I would think that the Brown wire, tail lights, Marker lights and lic. plate lights has a short on it inside the trailer frame. To check-out, disconnect all the above lights at the lights (I think most will have plugs about 6in. from the lamp modules) and with a meter test from the brown wire to the frame or the white wire, your reading must be very high ohm reading 10K up, If it is a low 1 ohm to 10k you have a short in the wiring this is true for all the hot wires yellow and green. Hope this helps.

[TEAM_ALTO]

check for a wire chaffing inside the frame. when you disconnect the light you are probably moving the wire inside the frame. I had the same thing on a shorelander trailer.