hey guys, got my new boat and trailer all rigged up to my 2009 f150, brand new lights, bulbs and wiring harness. Went to plug in the harness, and I am not getting any power to the blinkers. I tested it and am getting 12v to tail lights but no signal on the left or the right blinker. I am not good at diagnosing problems on the truck, but I am not sure what to do now, can't legally drive the boat around with no blinkers, and even the left tail light started to fade as time went on. could this be a fuse or relay issue? I pulled out the manual and thought i pulled out enough fuses with no change (loss of tail light upon pulling the fuse). Thanks in advance for the help. Thinking about taking it to uhaul or texas trailers to have them look at it if i cant get anywhere.

 

The trailer lights are on separate fuses than the truck lights, have you found them all?

Does the trailer have brakes and you are using a 7 pin connector, or are you just using the 4 pin?

 

Start with the easy stuff first. For instance, your trailer turn signals, brake lights and four way flashers all use the same filament in each trailer light. Do any of the other functions work? If not, it might be bad bulbs. Do you have power coming out of the truck? Use a test light to see if you have anything. If not, check the fuses as GLC has already noted.

Remember boat trailer lights lead a tough life, so they go bad pretty easily. This can lead to blown bulbs, corroded contacts and / or blown fuses in the truck pretty quickly.

 

thanks guys, i will check the fuses again, i checked but it was dark out. I know where they are located tho and will check again today. I think it must be a fuse because like i said when i tested it, the meter was not reading any output to either blinker (charge tester, not just no blinkers). ill report back. thanks again for the help.

 

i was using both 4 pin and 7 pin with same issues. my ground is good i think but that will be the next thing after the fuses.

 

https://www.f150online.com/forums/se...archid=6267622

https://www.f150online.com/forums/el...hlight=trailer

https://www.f150online.com/forums/el...ts-wiring.html

https://www.f150online.com/forums/el...hlight=trailer

https://www.f150online.com/forums/el...hlight=trailer

https://www.f150online.com/forums/el...hlight=trailer
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UPDATE:

HHave bought completely new harness, replaced a blown fuse. I now have no lights at all on the left side and full function of hte right side on the trailer. I have cleaned and tried 3 new spots for ground, replaced the light assembly on the left and still have no power on teh left. I took the truck to Uhaul to have them look at the electrical, plugged in to their trailer and it worked perfectly. I am at a complete loss on what to do now.

 

Speaking as one who's worked on (and pulled his hair out over) many, many boat trailers, let me offer some very powerful advice. "All stupid electrical problems are the result of a bad ground." And it sounds like your bad ground is somewhere in the trailer. I can't tell you how many times that saying has proven true.

 

^^^^ What 2stroked said. Even if you have a dedicated ground wire they can drive you nuts. My boat trailer lights will flicker sometimes after I first hook it to the truck and even though I have a dedicated ground wire, it won't ground out until I pull it a few feet. Check the ground connections and look for pinched or bare wires. Good luck and be patient !