3023 Marker/running lights out in rear section only

Last trip out the marker lights were out, only in the rear half of the trailer.

Donnie at TM sent me to the connections between front & rear- thought it would be the green wire corroded.

Opening the connector between front & rear on the green wire does show +12V, so I think I'm looking for either a break in the green wire downstream, or a break in the return that I don't yet know about.

All other lights work OK, so I am assuming the return/ground (white wire) is good at the connection between front & rear.

I'll try Donnie again, but wanted to know if anyone else has already found & fixed this problem.

Dan

[Joe]

Originally Posted by dwhilsdorf

Last trip out the marker lights were out, only in the rear half of the trailer.

Donnie at TM sent me to the connections between front & rear- thought it would be the green wire corroded.

Opening the connector between front & rear on the green wire does show +12V, so I think I'm looking for either a break in the green wire downstream, or a break in the return that I don't yet know about.

All other lights work OK, so I am assuming the return/ground (white wire) is good at the connection between front & rear.

I'll try Donnie again, but wanted to know if anyone else has already found & fixed this problem.

Dan

The most likely problem is corrosion at the connector. Pull it apart and clean it good, especially the male end that is the 'feed' for the rear half. If that doesn't fix it, examine the wire bundle running up the lift arm. Pay particular attention to the flex points. If that's not it, I'd go to the side marker on that side and see if there's 12V there.

With the rear green wire disconnected at the middle, I applied power to the circuit and observed that all markers lit. This told me that there was a break in the circuit from the middle of the trailer.

After tearing apart the molding along the top of the rear section in the inside rear (driver side) corner, I was able to determine that the main green feed wire ran directly to the driver side marker/turn signal/stop lamp where it connected to a second green wire which feeds the entire rear section.

Had I known this, all I needed to do was 're-tighten' the flimsy connection at the bulb by taking off the lens :-(

The wiring in RVs continues to amaze me. These wires are simply slid under a metal tab that connects to the bulb 'hot' filament. The strands are bent every which way. This junction feeds the entire rear section marker lights through a series of 'quick connects'.

Now my biggest problem is getting the molding back in place (neatly). It appears to have been nailed in some spots with a bead of caulk along the ceiling side. For me, this is worse that troubleshooting the actual electrical problem.