LED Trailer lights fault - advice please

[Old Scaley]

Hi all, been doing lots of maintenance work this week waiting for the wind to die. Hooked the trailer on this morning and one of the brake lights is not working. The unit is a submersible led set up that I put on about 4 years ago because I was sick of replacing bulbs in the bayonet version. Been working a treat ever since. All other lights, including tail lights are working fine. I am using a flat pin to round pin converter but this all looks fine. Gave all the connections a spray of inox, reinserted all connections a couple of times, but still no good. 

Is it likely that the LEDs in the brake light have died, or do you think it is a wiring problem. Pretty sure the both brake lights come off the one pin, so doubt it at the car end. Do you think I need to replace the whole unit? Any ideas welcome. Thanks, Steve.

 

[rayke1938]

Be a corroded joint . Where does the harness connect to the tail light assembly? That would be the most likely site.

Cheers

Ray

[Old Scaley]

Thanks Ray, once the wiring leaves the 7 pin plug, it is all fully enclosed, including the tail light assembly. I have pulled the plug apart and checked the connections. All good. I thought maybe it could be an earthing problem with that tail light assembly, so I pulled the unit off and cleaned around the area but still not working. I think I have exhausted all the user serviceable areas so might have to bite the bullet and get a new unit.

[Binder]

LED lights are cheap as chips on ebay, still an arm and a leg at the shops.

[Luvit]

Doing the same as you Steve. Maintenance, new sounder bracket, new screws in centre console, re- Sika flex centre console and 5 hrs hand polishing inside & out.

Now to get away from this wind, off to Hervey Bay Saturday arvo to put a score on the board for 2016.

[Old Scaley]

Weather looks ok up there for the start of the week, Wayne, so have a ball! If 2016 is as good for you and your boys as this year has been, you will have a great year.  Look forward to the report. 

[rayke1938]

so you have 2 individual cables coming into the 7 pin plug one going to each light assembly or are they commoned together somewhere on the trailer

cheers

ray

[Luvit]

Back to work Minday so the weekend is the only chance.

Good luck on your annual trip.

[Old Scaley]

18 minutes ago, rayke1938 said:

so you have 2 individual cables coming into the 7 pin plug one going to each light assembly or are they commoned together somewhere on the trailer

cheers

ray

Correct Ray, 2 individual cables coming together at the plug. No other joins.

[rayke1938]

looks like you will have to replace the light and lead, just toprove it hook up the white wire ( earth to negative terminal of battery and the red  Stop light) to positive.I take it there is no ovious sigh of any damage to the cable going to faulty light.

Cheers

Ray

[Old Scaley]

Thanks Ray, I will have another play tomorrow. Nothing open anyway because of the public holiday.

[kmcrosby78]

2 hours ago, Luvit said:

....... and 5 hrs hand polishing inside & out.

Can tell your kids have grown up a bit Wayne - I just relayed this to my wife, her reply was "who has 5 hours to do anything?!?"        

You've reminded me Steve that I have a brake light not working. Mine is a Submersalite bayonet style and the pin that holds the bulb in has corroded so I need to see what my options are - cheaper the better!!

[Old Scaley]

I don't think you will have any choice but to replace that tail light unit, Kelvin. If you go with the same thing again, try to avoid using the butt joiners as they tend to hold moisture and will corrode faster than if you solder the join and then have a heat shrink to cover it. I got sick of replacing those units or the bulbs so I replaced them with the submersible LEDs.   Worked out really well until today.

[Luvit]

10 hours ago, kmcrosby78 said:

Can tell your kids have grown up a bit Wayne - I just relayed this to my wife, her reply was "who has 5 hours to do anything?!?"        

 

The older they get the easier it gets.

[Old Scaley]

Ok, finally got the lights all going, after wasting about $100 on parts I really didn't need. 

So I bought a new set of lights this morning. Couldn't find the completely sealed units that go from tail lights to harness with no joins so settled on a set from supa cheap that need to be joined to the cable. When I took the old one off, it turns out to be the same thing, so I got that wrong (just couldn't see the join as it was far enough up inside the chassis). 

Replaced the unit, made all the joins nice and watertight, tested it out and no change - brake light still cactus. Since I had replaced the plug on Thursday, I thought it must be the cable, so off I went and bought some new cable. Wired it all up and tested it. This time nothing worked. I didn't have a meter so just went on the assumption that it was a connection somewhere and spent the next 3 hours redoing every connection one by one with no result.

Feeling a little frustrated I turned to my old mate Google and on one forum I found something I hadn't tried and that was to use a small screwdriver to slightly open up the pins on the plug. Bingo! Sometimes it is the simplest things.

Anyway, long story, but now I have serviced bearings, new Nav lights, a 6 switch box instead of a 4 switch and trailer lights that are good to go.  Now I just need to get out fishing!

@kmcrosby78 good news for you is that I have 2 perfectly good led tail lights that are yours if you want them. Shoot me a pm if you are interested.

[kmcrosby78]

4 hours ago, Old Scaley said:

Feeling a little frustrated I turned to my old mate Google and on one forum I found something I hadn't tried and that was to use a small screwdriver to slightly open up the pins on the plug. Bingo! Sometimes it is the simplest things.

@kmcrosby78 good news for you is that I have 2 perfectly good led tail lights that are yours if you want them. Shoot me a pm if you are interested.

Oh no, you're not going to believe it but I thought of that solution the other night (noticed my brother doing it to mine - he is an electrician so a bit more clued on than me ....) but assumed you would have thought of that because you also seem a lot more clued on than me .......... woops, my bad!!

I'll happily take you up on your kind offer mate - PM me your mobile and I'll buzz you to see when suits. I'm off to the tennis with the young fella tomorrow morning and then cricket tomorrow night but could do tomorrow mid-arvo if it suits. Cheers.

[Old Scaley]

Any inference that I am clued up is purely coincidental and totally unfounded, Kelvin. PM sent. 

[rayke1938]

I think that the plug may not have been the problem because if it was the plug both lights would not have been working. Did you try what i suggested because if the problem was in the plug/socket the light would have worked.

Cheers

Ray

[kmcrosby78]

9 hours ago, Old Scaley said:

Any inference that I am clued up is purely coincidental and totally unfounded, Kelvin. PM sent. 

I'll try and remember that next time you strike trouble .......

[Old Scaley]

4 hours ago, rayke1938 said:

I think that the plug may not have been the problem because if it was the plug both lights would not have been working. Did you try what i suggested because if the problem was in the plug/socket the light would have worked.

Cheers

Ray

Hi Ray, pretty sure the original fault was with the connection between the cable and the stop light wire, and had I just clipped the cable a bit further up, away from the corrosion, I would have been ok. The cheap plug was probably damaged from the number of times I pulled it in and out or I may have knocked the pins while I was wiring in the new cable. Either way, you were correct that it was a connection causing the original fault. 

[kmcrosby78]

Thanks to Steve for his 'extra' set of LED lights - true gentleman!!