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Old 10-17-2017, 12:05 PM   #1
wthur1
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Angry Marker lights

of the marker lights were broken(sockets) when we bought the unit, Bought all new LED lights but after loosening the front 4 lights, found the wires were not long enough to cut and splice the new lights, how do you get to the wiring inside the unit? The only lights with long enough wires to splice are the 3 red ones in the center of the rear.
Thanks for any advice.
Walt
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Old 10-17-2017, 12:38 PM   #2
Bill
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I gather you bought new fixtures, not just new bulbs, and the new fixtures have wires that are too short to reach the distribution wires inside the TM wall.

I don't think there is any practical way to pull the distribution wires out of the TM wall. Instead, the way I would handle this is to open the old fixture, then cut the existing wires off the socket. Don't cut the other end of the wire off the distribution wire. Now you can splice (wire nuts or crimp connectors) the end of the new wire to the end of the old one.

If you have already cut the old wires off the distribution wires, you have no option but to splice a piece of wire onto the distribution wire, and bring it out to the fixture. In this case, because of the limited space, the best way to make a splice may be to use tap connector that does not require cutting or stripping the wire. You just put the distribution wire into a slot in the tap device, and the tap wire into another slot, and squeeze the tap device closed with pliers. Amazon has a number of them, and your local hardware store or auto parts store may, too. These are sometimes called T-taps, but there are several variants.

I have attached pictures of several examples.

By the way, this post belongs in the Electrical section, and I will move it there shortly.

Bill
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Old 10-17-2017, 04:37 PM   #3
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Default Lights

Thanks Bill, Yes I bought all new lights (LED) the problem is, there isn't enough slack wire to crimp a butt connector at the trailer. Replacement lights have 5 in of wire don't mean crap if you can't pull a 1/2 in out of trailer.
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Old 10-17-2017, 06:02 PM   #4
dab1950
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Default Short wires from TM harness

Walt,
To answer your question about "how to get to the wiring inside the unit"; there
are channels or trim pieces at the corners of the walls or roof & walls. However,
take it from me there is no slack in those internal wires. I dealt with an elusive
electrical problem involving the rear tail lights and the rear marker lights.
There's almost no slack to pull to the outside.
Not sure what tools you have to use or how much experience you have with
wiring but here's what I would do.
Tools to gather:
hemostat(for holding the short stubb of inside wire coming thru wall)
heatshrink(for covering a solder splice)
soldering iron(small) and 60/40 solder for small jobs.
wire stripper and cutter.
To do:
Use the hemostat to grab a wire stubb coming through the wall on the insulation.
Avoid grabbing the bare wire because you will be heating the
wire. Hopefully, there is enough bare wire that you can twist together
with the color matched wire from the new fixture. But before you twist
these wires together, put a 1 or 2 inch length of heatshrink on the wire
from the fixture. Now twist the wires together with as much overlap as you
manage. Apply solder to the tip of the hot iron to get a bead of molten solder
on the tip of the iron. Now touch this molten bead of solder to the twisted
joint of wires and at the same time, touch a strand of solder to the wire joint
and move the solder strand so the flux melts and cleans the wires.
In another second or two, the solder will start melting to fill gaps in the twisted joint.
Be sure there is solder on all sides and the wires are covered. Now once the
solder has cooled, remove the hemostat and slide the heatshrink over the joint making
sure no wires are exposed. Now use the soldering iron to lightly touch the
heatshrink and keep it moving. The heatshrink will begin shrinking at little at a time.
Keep moving the iron until the heatshrink is tight to the joint. This will prevent the wire
joint from shorting to the metal wall of the TM. Repeat the same on the next wire.

Feel free to post or send PM any new questions.

Doug.
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Old 10-17-2017, 06:05 PM   #5
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You don't need or want butt connectors. Go back to my previous post. Is there a reason why the connectors I highlighted won't work? I think they will. They do not require cutting or stripping the existing wire, and no soldering.

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Old 10-18-2017, 11:12 AM   #6
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Would have to drill larger holes in shell. Thanks all, I'll figure it out.
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Old 10-18-2017, 08:16 PM   #7
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I had a similar issue with a camper 25-30 years ago. Issue was the led wires of the lights were connected almost back into the camper shell. Figured they wire the clearance lights before they finished the inside. I finally decided to to cut the old led wire as close to the fixture and wire the new lights to the old light wire.
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