Who wants to be a Millionaire?

[crazycarl]

Spring of last year I purchased a set of LED lights for the trailer.
I installed them, using "liquid tape" on all the connections.

They worked great...last year.  Fast forward to this year and...trouble.

The lights worked just fine this past spring when I used my truck to pull the boat down to Carlyle, IL. 

Tonight, I hook the Jeep up to the trailer and the left turn signal stops when the brake is applied.
I checked, and rechecked the grounds.  I even cut off the old loop connector and installed a new one, sanding any rust of the trailer and drilling a new hole to fasten the ground wire to.

Still have the problem.

I thought it might be in the Jeep's wiring, so I hooked the Jeep up to the neighbor's trailer and everything works fine.

I'm thinking if anyone out there can design boat trailer lighting that can last more than one season, they'll become instant millionaires.

carl

[Salty19]

They are an utter pain, aren't they??

I had a plain utility trailer with seasonal affective disorder too. 

Check for chafe on the wire run around the frame fasteners. Those seemed to give me the most grief and would cause that problem.
It could also be gunk/corrosion between the two brass pins behind the bulb itself.

[curtisv]

I wonder if my lights work.  Haven't checked them in years.   

Only 3.5 miles to the ramp twice a year and in the same town and always in daylight hours.

I know my trailer brakes don't work.  Maybe someday I'll fix that but it would just rust again.  F250 towing a CP23 and never much more than 35 mph, so not a problem, but not really legal.

Curtis

[Bob23]

   While I have no experience with LED's, over the years I've traced most of my lighting problems to bad grounds. Any connections recieve conductive grease (forget the real name) and that really helps. During trailer hibernation, it lives in a high salt environment on Long Beach Island, NJ about 1/4 mile from the Atlantic and Barnegat Bay. Everything corrodes and rusts here.
   I wonder if the liquid tape can get between the wires they are supposed to be connecting?
Bob23
(I'll pm you my address so you know where to send the million!)

[NateD]

Maybe you can become a millionaire repairing all the faulty lights? Or maybe state governments are reaping millions in tickets for faulty trailer lights. Beware the entrenched interests. 

[MacGyver]

When you guys get down here I will test them and see where the issue is.

I would say I'll make a video on it, but I haven't been able to get the project vids done because after the boat was in Ihave had house issues to repair and not to mmention my wife's honey do list.......

Sorry for typos......my smart phone is actually dumb.

Mac

[sailen69]

Carl,

I am sorry I missed you and Jonnie the other week at Carlyle Lake.  Family issues have kept me off the water for a few weeks.  I am sure that by now Mac has had some bright ideas and he has fixed up your boat trailer lights.  I bet he has not updated this thread because he counting his million dollars.

It would seem to me that every trailer I have owned or used has had lighting issues.  I am sure there may be a better place to post about trailer lighting but as the saying goes...  You asked for it.  I just wanted to add some of the things that have helped me.  I have switched over to sealed, submersible, LED lights.  No more needing a spare bulb or screwdriver for that rusted screw.  No more corrosion of the bulb, socket, or wire connection in the light.  I am that guy that runs an extra wire for the ground all the way back to the tail lights so they are grounded thru the wire harness in addition to the frame.  I also solder all my wire connections.  Stager all wire splices when you have more than one wire to splice.  I love that liquid electrical tape on splices.  It needs two coats with dry time in-between.  It is good for keeping moisture out of the splice where wire nuts and tape keep the moisture in.  I use heat shrink tubing over the liquid electrical tape to protect it from the suns' UV and rubbing against anything.  Tape would work ok for that part but, I am over killing everything else too and I don't like tape on splices.  I do tape up the wire harness from the trailer tongue to protect it from the sun and getting damaged.  I will use marine grade wire on the next boat trailer of mine that I wire.  Keep the wires securely fastened to the trailer so they don't flop around, vibrate, or rub on things.  Keep the wires covered from the suns' UV if possible. That will cause them to get damaged and break.   Hey, that's just my 100,000,000 cents.  In my opinion it is worth a Saturday and a few beers to fix it once.

I hope to see you guys the next time you can get this way.

Rich