I went to Northern tool today and bought peterson round break and tail lights. I shaved the sides a hair and they fit in perfectly. I was able to wire the red break and turnsignal light and it works fine. I am having trouble wiring the clear tail light. The airstream only has one red wire for the light which you can see to the far left. It has a clip on it. . The connector to the light has three wires. A red, black and white. Does anybody know the sequence for wiring this light. Please check out the pictures below. Click on the pictures to zoom in.
Get a 12VDC battery and do a little test of the light. Red is usually (+) unless the wires are black and white, where the black becomes (+) and the white (-).
The presence of 3 wires on a tail light usually mean a second function, like running and turn of a hi/lo pattern. Try either the white or black as the ground and the other as hot. Start with the red on the (+) terminal.
Try touching the wires to the battery to figure out what functions they operate in the light.
Get a volt meter or a simple 12 volt test light. Ground one side of the meter/tester to the trailer body at the light socket.
Connect the trailer to your TV. Turn on the parking lights and test each wire till you have voltage. That is the parking light circuit and goes to the smaller filament in the light fixture. Hold for a min. as to how to determine which one that is in the fixture. Now turn on the directional signal and again test for voltage while the turn signal is flashing. That is the brake/turn signal line. Now with the key on put the TV in reverse and check for voltage. That is the backup light and is the clear one.
Now take the light fixture to your truck battery and while someone holds the fixture, the metal case, to the ground post on the battery connect one at a time the 3 wires on the fixture to the battery positive post. As you do this note which bulb light with each wire. The brake light will be very bright, the parking light will be in the same red lens but not as bright and the back up light will light the clear lens.
Now you have define each function on both the trailer and the light and can mke the connections.
I am posting pictures of the light that I bought. Howie that is one cool looking mail box.
I fooled with the lights until I was blue in the face. I am getting electricity coming through the wire. I hooked the light up to a 12v and it worked fine. The tail light I removed was working fine but it was the only one of the lights that was working and was not rusted with holes. At least I have break and turnsignal lights,
This picture is of the 7 pin connector at the end of the trailer cord while looking at it face on. To test the truck wiring pins will be reversed left to right Power will be at 1 o’clock and Parking lights at 11 o’clock.
I could not find a diagram for your original trailer wiring. However if you have a voltmeter you can locate the trailer battery and work from there. Ground out one side of the meter and then test each pin on the trailer connector till you see 12 volts. Once you have 12 volts you have found the trailer battery and trailer ground. Make a lead with a 10 amp fuse in it and use this lead to test from the 12 volt pin to the other pins. I suggest a 10 amp fuse just to be on the safe side.
Take notes as you touch the lead from 12 volts to each pin on the trailer. 2 of them will blow the fuse, ground and brakes, and this is intentional for now. Continue testing each pin till you see the marker lights. Once you have found the marker lights and while the lead was still o that pin, go to the rear of the trailer and test with the volt meter for the wire with 12 volts at the light fixture. That is your parking light circuit and you should see it on each side of the trailer. By now you should have identified power, parking lights and 2 wires that blew the fuse. Now connect to one of the remaining pins and go to the rear of the trailer and test for voltage. You should only find it on one side. That is one turn signal. Do this again on another pin. You may see the other turn signal or nothing. This is because there is a pin in the 7 pin connector that is an aux or back up lights and that may not be used. If you did not find the other turn signal try the last pin. If you found 2 circuits that tested 12 volts on both sides of the trailer yo have a backup light system also. You can distinguse bteween the back up and parking lights because only one will also have the marker lights on when powered.
Now for the ground and brake identification. Jack up one wheel and while someone is spinning that wheel just TOUCH a wire between power and one of the remaining pins, you will see an arc, If you have touched the brakes the wheel will slam to a stop. If the wheel did not stop that is the ground pin. Do not hold the wire on the pin because if it is ground you will be drawing full current.
You should now have each circuit identified on the truck and trailer. If the pins on the trailer do not match those on the umbilical you will have to rewire one end of the umbilical to make the transition inside the cord connecting the wires circuit to circuit
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