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Old 04-10-2005, 10:55 PM   #1
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7 Way Socket

Well, we just had to drive back from the NorCal Rally w/o trailer brakes

The morning we left to go the rally, I did not have brakes, so I cleaned the corrioded pin on the 7 way socket on the truck. And that got it going for the trip there.

The morning we left the rally no brakes again and I could not get it cleaned up enough to get it going. But since we have an oversized tow rig and light trailer we managed home slowly and safely.

The reason my socket went bad is because when it rains it gets wet. I tried sealing up where the wires run in the back of the socket but the pins still get wet. I just have the cheapy aftermarket camping world socket.

Is there a better weather proof model out there available?
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Old 04-11-2005, 12:03 AM   #2
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You might want to put a little grease on the pins and socket....yes, it has to be cleaned up from time to time, but the grease provides good electircal conductivity and coats the pins and sockets connectors against water.
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Old 04-11-2005, 04:18 AM   #3
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tim

you might try a stock one from GM.

lps 2 sprayed in the socket one in a while will keep it free of corrosion.

john
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Old 04-11-2005, 07:27 AM   #4
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7 way socket

Tim, I had an old Buick and every time we got a hard rain it wouldn't start, I finally found some spray at the auto parts store and sprayed it in the dist. cap and no more problem, I had to repeat this every couple months, I forget the name of it but if you check around I am sure you can still get it. Marvin
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Old 04-11-2005, 08:01 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Happycampers
Tim, I had an old Buick and every time we got a hard rain it wouldn't start, I finally found some spray at the auto parts store and sprayed it in the dist. cap and no more problem, I had to repeat this every couple months, I forget the name of it but if you check around I am sure you can still get it. Marvin
The stuff is called Wire Drier, but I think maybe white lithium grease might be better, although it would tend to promote dirt acumulation.
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Old 04-11-2005, 10:51 AM   #6
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OK, I guess my mistake was not putting on dielectric greese. I was hoping they made a more quality socket with gaskets or something.

Guess I'll be purchasing a new socket and a tube of dielectric greese.

Thanks for all the info!
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Old 04-11-2005, 12:12 PM   #7
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Quote:
I was hoping they made a more quality socket with gaskets or something.
tim

i sure the quality of these sockets varies wildly, still you may want to check with your chevy dealer and see what they have.

they are plug and play, it goes right in between the connector for the trucks tailights. standard gm weather pack connectors are water tight! and, i know the back of the standard issue gm socket has a gasket in it.

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Old 04-11-2005, 12:16 PM   #8
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Thanks John.

My truck did not come with a trailer package. The PO put on a 6 way socket, so if there was a factory plug on there he cut it off.

When I wired the 7 way I had to put on the individual wires. So the OEM socket probably won't work for me.
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Old 04-11-2005, 12:47 PM   #9
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Hey Tim,

Underneath the back of your truck, almost to where the bumper is, should be a "junction module" (calling it that because I don't know its real name). I'm pretty sure that it's a standard type of thing, with or without the trailering package. All of the lights on the back of the truck - tail, turn, brake, backup and license should be plugged into it. Then there will be one main connection from it leading to the front fuse panels and other connections. There should be an available socket on the junction module specifically for plugging in the GM trailer harness. The six-way was probably wired as you described since there wouldn't have been any way to plug it directly into the junction without a GM plug on the end of it.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure it's up there - might have to remove your spare to see it, though. If possible, and for the most reliable connection, I'd have to go that route.

Good luck getting it all sorted out!
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Old 04-11-2005, 12:56 PM   #10
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Thanks Dave,

That's very interesting. I will check that out!
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Old 04-11-2005, 01:41 PM   #11
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The local dealer wants $50 for the GM socket. But he warns that it only mounts on the factory hitch which I don't have.

A little more hunting I found this OEM replacement that plugs into the factory harness. It's $20.

If my harness plug has been cut, like I think it may have by the PO then I could get this kit which includes a new oem plug and socket. This costs $35.

Both of these claim a weathertight seal.

They also have this little boot that goes over the trailer end when unplugged.

At lastly they have the dielectric grease too.

Next step is to see if my oem plug is intact under my truck when I go home tonight.

Thanks for all the input.
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Old 04-13-2005, 12:20 PM   #12
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Angry Major Bummer

My OEM trailer socket is gone. The last owner must have cut it off and wired their plug direct.

I found a nice GM style 7 way plug for $25 made by Hoppy that would have connected right to the oem socket....

I checked with the dealer and they do not sell the trailer vehicle side plug seperately. I checked the local auto wreckers and those plugs are all gone, even off the late model Fords

Looks like I'll be having to wire it direct. At least this new one is completely sealed and also has a gasket around the front flap door. As a bonus it also has the 4 way for a utility trailer.
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Old 04-13-2005, 12:45 PM   #13
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Bummer!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Safari Tim
My OEM trailer socket is gone. The last owner must have cut it off and wired their plug direct.

I found a nice GM style 7 way plug for $25 made by Hoppy that would have connected right to the oem socket....

I checked with the dealer and they do not sell the trailer vehicle side plug seperately. I checked the local auto wreckers and those plugs are all gone, even off the late model Fords

Looks like I'll be having to wire it direct. At least this new one is completely sealed and also has a gasket around the front flap door. As a bonus it also has the 4 way for a utility trailer.

Man, that IS a major drag. Well, by wiring it in yourself you can at least take away the satisfaction of knowing your connections are good and solid.
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Old 04-13-2005, 07:00 PM   #14
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One word of caution, mine was put on by a reputable trailer supply that has been in business for as long as I can remember. When installing the brake controler they used "butt connectors" crimped on the wire. Sometimes I had brakes sometimes I didn't. I was certain that my problem was in the external 7 pin connector. Finally I had a failure and couldn't get it working. I found the problem under the dash not in the connector, FWIW. Not saying this is your problem but you might want to check it with your meter first if you haven't already done so.
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Old 04-13-2005, 07:35 PM   #15
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Wd-40

Try a little WD-40...it stands for Water Displacement for a reason. On my farmall, whenever I had moisture in the rotor, it would not start. I'd spray alot of WD-40 in there, and put it back together, and it would run like new.

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Old 04-13-2005, 07:41 PM   #16
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Rob I did that in mine and thought the wd smelled funny. I had used clear lacquer.
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Old 04-14-2005, 05:33 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tarheel
When installing the brake controler they used "butt connectors" crimped on the wire....
I just rewired my trailer connector and using butt connectors. I filled them with dielectric grease before crimping and then covered the joint with shrink tubing. Finally the whole thing was covered with a cable sleeve and wrapped with vinyl electrical tape. I think that the joints should be trouble free for a long time.

Best of luck,

Steve
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Old 04-14-2005, 08:16 AM   #18
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Steve they should work fine for a very long time. The touble with the butt connection, only one of them, was that the mechanic pushed the wire too far in and crimped on the insulation instead of the bare wire. Sometimes, in fact most of the time, there was a connection, but every once in a while the wire would move and the connection would be lost and so would the brakes. It was a really hard one to find. A quick electrical meter test when the brakes aren't working picked it up for me.
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Old 04-18-2005, 06:26 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by robandzoe
Try a little WD-40...it stands for Water Displacement for a reason. On my farmall, whenever I had moisture in the rotor, it would not start. I'd spray alot of WD-40 in there, and put it back together, and it would run like new.

Rob
Just wait until it dries, I got impatient, and put the cap back on while it was still wet with WD40. A little-known fact is WD40 will explode in a confined place if it is exposed to a spark, like you would find in an ignition system. Maybe that is why we can use it to start diesel engines. I had to walk to an auto parts store and buy a new cap and rotor...
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Old 04-18-2005, 08:05 AM   #20
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Just wait until it dries, I got impatient, and put the cap back on while it was still wet with WD40. A little-known fact is WD40 will explode in a confined place if it is exposed to a spark, like you would find in an ignition system. Maybe that is why we can use it to start diesel engines. I had to walk to an auto parts store and buy a new cap and rotor...

yeah, I've used it many times to test for spark/fuel when troubleshooting small engines that won't start. a ready-substitute for starting fluid. 1 squirt down the carb throat, and a few quick pulls of the starter will reveal whether you've got spark or not. if you do, it'll run for a couple of seconds...which would mean then, that you've got a fuel problem.
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