ShoreLander Trailer Lights.

[Mickirig1]

I have a double 2001 ShoreLander PWC trailer. It has not been on the road for the last 12 years. The PWC got loaded on and backed into the garage at the end of the weekend for 12 years. A 50 yard trip We bought them and it had the right tail light mount bent forward and the Dry Launch brand light mangled. The left amber fender light had been wiped out. I replaced the trailer side plug. Bought nice 8 inch sealed tail lights and a sealed amber marker. I butt connect the wires, solder, dielectric grease, shrink wrap and electric tape all the connections. I took the ground post connections out. Just connected the white ground wires together. Now my red and amber fender marker lights blink as turn signals when ever that side has turn signal on. Is this the design? I know I have brown to brown, yellow to yellow and white to ground. The ground from the trailer side harness to trailer is new. Is it feeding back or is this the design?

 

[LouDoo]

How do you have the harness hooked up to your vehicle? I know on my Jeep I had to install a wiring harness from the fuse block in the engine compartment and run it all the way back to the rear of the Jeep. You can't just hook them to the tail lights any more, it will also void the vehicle warranty.

Also are you sure you have a good ground from the vehicle to the trailer?

Lou

 

[KK40384]

Grounding the lights together like that will make it do weird things. When I required mine with LEDs I took the grounds off the trailer and ran them back through the harness back into the vehicle. No more blinking lights and weird flashing things.

 

[marquisman]

Agree with both replies. Running the harness direct to the vehicle harness, will damage the vehicle lighting module. Also, Its always good to use the trailer as a ground, instead of running ground wire back to the vehicle. Another thing you have to look out for, sometimes the wiring harness on shore land'r trailers, can be confusing with the yellow and brown wires. How they laminate the wires together, can blend both the brown and yellow colors together. So, make your you actually have the brown wire for running lights. Where I work, we are a shore land'r dealer and I have noticed this on many trailers.

 

[Mickirig1]

It really looked like the lights were meant to blink like that.
I made sure all the colors were right. My tow vehicle ( F-250 4X4 ) has a trailer tow package. I replaced the truck side plug too. Same deal. made sure the colors matched. All the plugs have dielectric grease on the terminals or sockets.
TRAILER : The ground posts on each side had a white wire attached to a isolated post held down with a nut. A white wire from inside the frame was attached to it. They both bolted down to it. The more I think about it, those white wires have to be grounded some where. I am going to replace the terminal at the end of the ground wire from the trailer plug. It maybe down to 3 strands of wire inside just can't see that.

 

[KK40384]

Agree with both replies. Running the harness direct to the vehicle harness, will damage the vehicle lighting module. Also, Its always good to use the trailer as a ground, instead of running ground wire back to the vehicle. Another thing you have to look out for, sometimes the wiring harness on shore land'r trailers, can be confusing with the yellow and brown wires. How they laminate the wires together, can blend both the brown and yellow colors together. So, make your you actually have the brown wire for running lights. Where I work, we are a shore land'r dealer and I have noticed this on many trailers.

Never had a lighting module go bad yet and have done this to 3 trailers now. Grounding to the trailer caused nothing but bad ground issues especially in the shore land'r I had. Not saying you're wrong, just sharing my experience.

 

[Mickirig1]

I find it kinda bizarre that they use the trailer frame as a ground point! Really? Wire is that expensive? Everybody else does it that way, so follow them?

 

[marquisman]

Grounding at the trailer takes load off of one single wire. I do agree to the point, some trailers get rusty and different types of trailers will how ground issues. No different than a car.

 

[Mickirig1]

It is no doubt a ground issue. The more I think about it. I do believe the new tail lights have 2 bulbs each side. Old ones had 1. I added the marker light back to the circuit. I was think maybe that is a feature of the trailers. (The marker lights, signal turns too.) Worked 12 on 12 off for the last 3 days. Going to get back on the project tomorrow.

 

[Mickirig1]

Yep it was a ground issue! I put ground lines from the tail light mount posts to the harness. They work great now! The lines I put together were the grounds for the lights on the plastic fenders. I found the 2 most forward ambers marker lights were not even installed right. They now light for the first time in thier life!

 

[Coastiejoe]

Ground issues can cause so many issues. I run extra groin wires on almost everything I own.

 

[Seadoobuddy]

Ground issues can cause so many issues. I run extra groin wires on almost everything I own.

Groin wire.....I bet that hurts

 

[Coastiejoe]

Groin wire.....I bet that hurts

I'd fix the typo but it is better just like it is.


Repairing and selling iPads, iPhones and Mini iPads.

 

[Mickirig1]

GROID : Evin (Spall Chak) wood knot catch these one!
The system used the grounds on the 3 light rear marker lights for a ground. ( Ones I cleaned up and Dielectric greased )
The front ambers : They did not strip the positive wire insulation off. So no contact when they pushed down the connection piece.