I'm sure this is a stupid question but....

[ductwrap]

Hello from Mississippi. I just purchased a 1966 Globetrotter after looking FOREVER and now I am fired up to get this ole girl cleaned up and running.

I have installed a new 7 point trailer plug and "think" I wired everything correctly...but I have no brake lights or marker lights.

My question is do I need a functional battery in the GT to make the brake lights and marker lights work??

Right now there is an old dead battery still hooked up, I just have not changed it yet.

Thanks in advance for any input.

[mandolindave]

I am almost sure that you don't need a trailer battery for brake lights and marker lights. The voltage for those comes from the tow vehicle
I would test the voltages at the socket on the tow vehicle first. ( get someone to sit behind the wheel to check brake lights. )

There is only one hot wire going to each marker light. The ground is actually the mounting screw. I would check to see if they are loose, but if they all don't work, something else must be wrong. Fuses ? The plug on the trailer umbilical ? Wiring configuration ?

Wiring the socket on the tow vehicle can be confusing and it's easy to wire it wrong if you don't keep the correct perspective ( front and back side ) of the wiring diagram to the socket They are opposite if you look at the contacts of both, head on …...Hope I am not confusing things

[mandolindave]

I forgot to say that it was totally NOT a stupid question.
AND it shows that you are thinking. AND it shows that you are doing it yourself.

[mandolindave]

Do the turn signals work?

[Silver Hawk]

The wires in the old Airstreams and new trailer plug diagrams are not the same - they use different colors in different positions - best do what mandolindave says and just check each wires function with a circuit checker and have someone stand behind and see if you got it right, if not try another wire. When I rewired my '75 AS, I had both diagrams - both old and new and just went from there - worked fine. I think I found the old diagrams from one of Andy's posts on this forum.

[FreshAir]

Yup.....I discovered that when I wired my tow vehicle to properly operate the lights on our '66 Trade Wind. First discover which your trailer wires operate it's lights. then match them to the tow vehicle wires. I don't have my final diagram handy as I'm certain yours are the same. I'll check back here and if you are still struggling I'll post it.

Neil

[HowieE]

Use this diagram to check things out. With a volt meter, one end attached to the TV connection marked Ground, at the TV connection check to see that each function is at the correct location. If so make a short jumper from the Ground connection of the TV to the Ground connection of the umbilical cord. Now with another short jumper connect to each function at the TV connector and touch the corresponding terminal on the umbilical while someone activates that function. Any function that does not react is wired wrong in the trailer

You will not get a reaction when you touch the trailer battery terminal as there is no battery in the trailer at this point.

[ductwrap]

Thanks SO much for all the response! I have interior lights and plugs that work but ZERO exterior lighting, no brake lights, no turn signals & no marker lights. I can't even get the porch light to come on. Going to change all the fuses. Also, the previous owner added an additional black and white wire that run under the belly pan next to the blue brake wire.

From what I can tell it looks like that is all connected into the brake wire between the 2 drums??

Should I wire that "new" wiring into the correct 7 blade wire spot or just use the original 7 wires in the umbilical cord?

Im going to start over and try again.

Thanks again!!!

[HowieE]

The trailer battery has nothing to do with the exterior traveling lights. It does service the exterior porch light and if that light is not working I would check the Bulb first and with a volt meter the circuit second.

It is quit common to add secondary wiring to the brakes to over come voltage loss in the wiring. The black wire should be the same as the original blue wire and connected to the umbilical cord as close as possible to the connector. The white wire is a ground wire and is most likely connected to the frame close to the tongue.

[ductwrap]

Thanks Howie. the Diagram didn't come thru, mind trying again?

[HowieE]

Will work on this. For some reason the image will not post and the URL will not go into an e mail.

PM me your e mail address. I was able to e mail it to myself so I assume I can e mail it to you.

[dbj216]

Hi ductwrap. Welcome to the trials and tribulations of vintage Airstream ownership. And welcome to Air Forums. I have found a lot of help here through the years. And now I enjoy helping others where I can.

Here is the 7 pin wiring diagram out of my 66 Trade Wind owners manual. I replaced the umbilical cord on my 66. It is frustrating for a none experienced automotive electrician like me to figure out these 12v circuits.

NAPA and others sell a simple trailer lights tester. It plugs into your tow vehicle plug and shows LED lights as you power the different functions, left turn, right turn, brakes, etc. With this cheap tester, you know your tow vehicle is delivering voltage correctly, and which pin does what. I might be helpful to you.

I also included the trailer 12v wiring diagram. I believe you can see the three fuses in the back, as well as the 4 circuit breakers. Airstream used both to protect the 12v circuits. And both can cause an open circuit.

You really gotta keep track of the wire colors. Our old Airstreams have different wire colors than modern trailers and tow vehicles. It was mentioned the blue wire is trailer brakes. On my trailer it is a yellow wire powering the brakes. You can see this in the wiring diagram below.

Nope, you don't need a good battery, or a connected battery to run the external lights. You do need it for the emergency brakes to work. Don't tow without a good battery and your trailer brakes working. You never know.

You'll find the cause soon.

David

[dbj216]

It's me again! By the way, we Forum participants love pictures! I have had my 66 Trade Wind 24 footer for a little over a year now. It is two sizes bigger than yours. I have enjoyed spending all kinds of money on it. My wife, not so much! We have Airstreams with the goofy phillips curved glass windows. Airstream did this for 3 years before they came to their senses. So our trailers are unique in this respect.

I find the vintage trailers well built in my view. Plastics came more prelevant in the 70s and beyond. Our trailers have the dura torque axles just like the new ones have. And we have Alclad aluminum exterior skins which is a very good grade. Our trailers are pretty light weight for their size and tow nicely.

They are just old and probably need everything! One step at a time.

We would love to see your old Globetrotter.

David

[m.hony]

Welcome from another Mississippian just down Hwy 82 west from you.

[Sodbust]

Trailer wiring can be easy or hard.. Here are a few tricks I learned over the years..

1,, I always have an added ground cable,, like a battery jumper cable between the tow and trailer.. A weak ground can do some very strange effects and back feed power into lights your not even working with..

2: I always start with the tail lights,, and in 90% of the cases they also pass the power to all the clearance lights.

3: Then I work with the left hand turn signal,, then right... Most cases once you have each turn signal working you will find the brake lights will work also..

With our 72 Overlander the main problem was dirty fuse holder blades and dirty bulb sockets and bulb bases... Any major auto parts store sells a brass or steel brush that will fit the inside bulb sockets.. Use a name brand elect.. thermal cleaner and scrub with the brush then rinse again..

If the PO was the type that just cut and strung new wires randomly,, you might find it faster to just start all over and re wire the entire trailer from the start.. Been there and done that several times after days of headaches.
Good luck,,!!
Sodbust

[thesignlady]

Ductwrap, welcome to be the forums. You will find that there is no such thing as a stupid question on here... It's just a question...

You've come to the right place, a place where other crazy airstreamers lurk just waiting to answer questions in the areas where they are knowledgeable.

Welcome and happy airstreaming

[ductwrap]

Few pics of the old girl 10 minutes after being rescued.

[dbj216]

Wow, the old girl looks pretty good for her age! Thanks for the photos. It's fun to see other vintage Airstreams similar to mine. My son has a 69 Globetrotter. I'd like to get my grubby little hands on it some day. It is the new body style that came out in 69. It is significantly different than our trailers. See photo below.

The exterior skins look good from the photographs. The AC may need replaced. The axles don't look like they have drooped too bad. It has the same "rare" phillips windows that mine has.

So you are ready to begin. Working on exterior lighting and brakes. But then you can begin your assessment of your new old Airstream's condition. Axles, brakes, belly pan, frame, subfloor, plumbing, wiring, electrical systems, appliances, windows, door and lock, and on and on. Once you know what it needs to travel safe, and what it needs to travel comfortably, you can start writing checks! It doesn't all have to be done in a rush. Take your time. I recommend working on the structure first, and then worry about the amenities in the interior.

Mine needed new axles and brakes, I put aluminum wheels on it with new tires, new belly pan, new subfloor insulation, replace floor under bath, remodel bath, new floor covering, new furnace, new water heater, new water pump, new plumbing, new converter, new fuse panel, new black and gray water tanks, new exterior lights and umbilical cord, new window gaskets, and I don't know what else. I've been at it about 700 hours. And this winter I will polish the exterior, seal up the exterior, rebuild the entry door, add a stove and fridge and new mattresses. Then I will be ready to go traveling in it. It's going to be a new old Airstream!

David

[thumbelinadj]

Nice!!

[ductwrap]

Hi All,

I have tried everything that I know to try to get my exterior lights up and running. My fear is the PO monkeyed with it somewhere down the line and nothing is correct. How involved is a full tow (brake, signals, running, electric brakes, blinkers) rewire?

I have the interior gutted so just the subfloor, bathroom and interior skin left intact. Do I need to cut into the subfloor or remove the interior skin to complete a rewire of the exterior lighting?

Please help, I am ready to pull my hair out, haha. Thanks in advance!!