No Running Lights - Please Help

[Mollysdad]

Originally Posted by raymac

My AS has a white ground wire - so do I connect a second long wire to the battery negative terminal?

Do your running lights have one wire or two? Some just have a red + and then ground to the skin?
However a two lead tester won't hurt. Battery + on one side and Battery- on the other. Then since your lights are removed, try clipping onto the wires continuing past where you're testing. (Don't get them reversed because you don't want +12 into the ground path.)
Don't forget your tail lights are on the same circuit as your running lights.

[raymac]

I Amat the point of finding the short - it's a 1990 excella 34. - where can I access wires to isolate portions of the circuit? Where in the trailer shell do the wires run after the umbilical? Anyone know?

[raymac]

Two wires on each light, just ran power to the light (bypassing the trailer power wire) and used the trailer white common ground wire. It worked so at least that is additional confirmation it is not the ground at fault (sorry about the pun). I need to find the green wire in the AS skin - any advice on access points?

[raymac]

At this point I have somewhat isolated the short to the middle section of the trailer. Anyone know how to find the wire exposed in the ceiling anywhere there - airstream talks about easy removal of the "multidome" panel up the middle of the ceiling but it's not that easy!

[HowieE]

You can remove the AC cover and hold down brackets and see the wiring on the curb side of the trailer running next to the AC. pull down on the ceiling panel to see into the area where the wires are.

If someone has been working in that area they may have pinched a wire when remounting things. If not you can cut the wire and look for the short on either side of the cut to further locate it.

Last year I had a problem with the bedroom overhead lights shorting out and popping the circuit breaker. Open it up mover the wire bundle and the short went away without ever finding a nicked wire. You may be so lucky.

[Mollysdad]

I was hoping the harness ran past the clearance lights in and out, but it seems there is a main harness and lights branch off of that.

[Boxite]

Originally Posted by HowieE

You can remove the AC cover and hold down brackets and see the wiring on the curb side of the trailer running next to the AC. pull down on the ceiling panel to see into the area where the wires are.

If someone has been working in that area they may have pinched a wire when remounting things. If not you can cut the wire and look for the short on either side of the cut to further locate it.

Last year I had a problem with the bedroom overhead lights shorting out and popping the circuit breaker. Open it up mover the wire bundle and the short went away without ever finding a nicked wire. You may be so lucky.

Sometimes a wire will short where it crosses over a bulkhead or other sharp object upon which it has chafed for many years. Simply pulling on the wire may dislodge it from that object and the short disappear. (Unfortunately, this does not actually consist of a dependable repair as the wire insulation still has been compromised...but it's also possible it may never again cause trouble.)

[raymac]

I ended up finding some good junction boxes curbside and roadside in the upper cabinets, I removed the side panels - those were the cabinets at the very front and very back of the trailer

[raymac]

I isolated the middle of the trailer as the issue, then removed a portion of the ceiling panel / multidome. I kept removing it until I found the branch wires for the middle side marker lights. The one on the curbside was the offender. I ran New green wire to the light, abandonded the old wire in place, and now I have shiny LEDs markers all the way around! It'll only take me about three more hours to put it all back together, . .!

[Mollysdad]

Hooray! I love a happy ending! Never give up.

[Boxite]

YAAAAYYYY....RAAAAAAY!

[raymac]

Thanks everyone for your help!