Visit our Popular Forums

ALANSD · 12-25-2002, 10:44 AM

Grounded the plug from the motorhome to the Saturn, got lights on the left turn signal, and left side brake light. So now I know it needs a permanent ground attached to the car and motorhome, and I have to trace the bad wire that goes to the right side lights on the car. Getting closer.

zamboni · 12-26-2002, 07:10 PM

I didn't see you mention that you had cleaned any corrosion off both sides of the plug...I've also had to re-wire trailer plugs more times than I care to mention at work due to other guys leaving too much slack and rubbing the ground or not enough to make a turn and ripping the wires out. ANYWAY...even when careful to properly trace, code and attach the wires back to their correct location in the plug...I have had to recheck this only to find out one of the wires pulled out or the plug was bad or corroded as well.
Just a thought. Good luck with the wire tracing.

ALANSD · 01-03-2003, 11:19 AM

thanks for the tip, but the two plugs are new. I replaced a frayed flat plug on the motorhome with a bumper mounted round. I replaced the old round on the Saturn with a new one. The Saturn had a white wire hanging loose that I determined to be a ground, but it had a bad conneciton on the other end. I am still lookig to re wire the one that goes to the right side lights on the caras I think the grounding of the white wire to the car and the motrhome has done the trick. At least the left side is working right- I mean correct.

wb13798 · 01-03-2003, 02:50 PM

maybe i missed it .do you have isolation diodes wired into the light circuits for the saturn??? if so one might be blown. if you dont it would be a wise investment to do so.

ALANSD · 01-04-2003, 03:08 PM

not sure about the diodes, as the carcame pre-wired and with a tow set up.
would they be located at the tail light end?

wb13798 · 01-04-2003, 07:51 PM

i was afraid you were going to come back with unsure. got to pull wire . i would start at the rear that is probably where the diodes are installed.. i would start at the light that isnt working ( but first check the bulb) and trace the wire all the way to the factory harness plug . you will know the diode when you see it has three legs and most are square. if the label hasnt come off it will tell you what the leads are. im thinking in a saturn the trunk has a carpet liner covering the lights and they will be under that, at the harness plug. if not go to the front and trace the cable coming to the trunk should be four conductiors. check for possibility that you might have a short to the chassis . in the trunk if you dont have diodes look for a splice to the brake light wiring that is connected to the cable coming from the front of the car.

ALANSD · 01-05-2003, 06:08 PM

thanks the light works fine when the car brake or tailights,etc are used, only thru the accessory wire is it dead. I will trace the wires next chance I get, now that I am actually closer to a fix.
When I apply juice to the wire for that side nothing happens, and it sparks when applied to the battery terminal so I think it has a short somewhere.The other side is onow working fine.
I was a Saturn sales manager for some years and have friends at one of the repair facilities, I might consult them as well.