[AT] Portable Trailer lights from Harbor Freight - Success
Dean VP
deanvp at att.net
Thu Aug 10 20:35:35 PDT 2017
Well, I hooked up the HF lights to the 4 pin connector without hooking up my
normal trailer lights to the 7 pin connector. WALA, everything worked as
it was supposed, running lights, both turn signals and brake lights.
There must be some kind of bad interaction between the 7 pin wiring circuits
and the 4 pin wiring circuits. I do have a service manual for the truck.
Maybe I can dig through it to see if it is something obvious. I'm also
going to look in the Owners manual and see if there is any mention of this.
I didn't have the truck hooked up to the trailer so the Harbor Freight
Lights were solely on the wire ground. I don't expect the magnets to provide
any kind of electrical circuit so I don't expect the operation to be
different when the trailer is connected to the truck. I don't remember if
the hitch connection plays a role in the 7 pin connector lights, however, I
do know it plays a huge part in the brakes
PS: I did have a 7 pin connector to 4 pin connector adapter I used probably
over 10 years ago but had completely forgotten about. Went digging through
all the pockets in the truck doors and found it. Unfortunately either the 4
pin side connectors need to be cleaned or the 4 pins going into the 7 pin
connector need to be cleaned. Worked but I was not getting own turn signal.
I'll do some work on the contacts and see if I can get it to work too.
Seems to be a pretty good one with the U-Haul brand name on it. ,.
Thank you everyone for leading me out of the forest into the clearing.
-----Original Message-----
From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com
[mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com] On Behalf Of Dean VP
Sent: Thursday, August 10, 2017 7:32 PM
To: 'Antique tractor email discussion group' <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Subject: Re: [AT] Portable Trailer lights from Harbor Freight
Interesting. The Ford Service manager I used to depend on, before he passed
away, told me to completely ignore the readings on the transmission
temperature gauge. He said it would give random erroneous readings,. Never
observed anything weird until one time I was pulling a 38 foot fifth wheel
up a 10% grade on the Grape Vine, just South of LA. The gauge all of a
sudden went from a normal high temperature for heavy pulling all the way
into the red zone in just a few seconds. Scared the hell out of me. Pulled
off the side of the road and let things cool down. Then continued on our
way. After that I added an Auxiliary Transmission oil cooler and the gauge
never went berserk again. I don't know what the sensor's and electronics
that were associated with that gauge. He told me that Ford only used that
Transmission Oil temperature gauge for one year.
Have been busy getting ready for an antique tractor show this weekend and
hope to do some more testing on the HF lights yet this evening when it cools
off a bit. We are having some unusually hot weather here. My wife and I
went out to lunch with another couple yesterday in Woodinville, WA. The car
temp gauge read 101 degrees in the asphalt paved parking lot. We have head
to deal with bad smoke here for the last week or so coming from a fire in BC
Canada. The wind is supposed to change directions tomorrow and clear the
smoke out and cool off a bit. 101 degrees is very unusual in Western, WA. We
live at a higher elevation and are usually at least 5 degrees cooler than
the valley.
-----Original Message-----
From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com
[mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com] On Behalf Of Stephen Offiler
Sent: Thursday, August 10, 2017 1:27 PM
To: Antique tractor email discussion group <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Subject: Re: [AT] Portable Trailer lights from Harbor Freight
Interesting. Looks like '03 was the first year Ford used CANBUS on the
F-250, according to this site:
http://www.auterraweb.com/aboutcan.html
CAN is Controller Area Network. These are as I described in my earlier
post: "CANBUS" is shorthand for a vehicle electrical system designed to use
minimum high-current wiring to actually power the electrical loads, and
doing all the switching with small low-current signals and semiconductor
switches, with the signals carried on the network.
SO
On Thu, Aug 10, 2017 at 1:52 PM, Dean VP <deanvp at att.net> wrote:
> 2003 Ford F250 7.3L Diesel
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com
> [mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com] On Behalf Of Stephen
> Offiler
> Sent: Thursday, August 10, 2017 10:07 AM
> To: Antique tractor email discussion group
> <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
> Subject: Re: [AT] Portable Trailer lights from Harbor Freight
>
> Hey Dean... what year and model truck are we talking about? My
> response assumed something pretty new. I think Al Nadeau's response
> assumes something older.
>
> SO
>
>
> On Thu, Aug 10, 2017 at 12:17 PM, Alan Nadeau
> <ajnadeau1 at myfairpoint.net>
> wrote:
>
> > I pruned this quite a bit but the interesting part is copied below.
> >
> > Somewhere in that whole mess of wiring there is a ground messed up.
> > The way the lights act sounds very similar to the system GM used for
> > front side markers and turn signals combined into one, single
> > filament lamp. This was the case on the pickups I had and probably
> > done anywhere they wanted the side marker to function as a side turn
> > signal as well.
> >
> > Daytime running, no lights on, the side marker would off and blink
> > on in time with the front turn signal. Turn your vehicle lights on,
> > the side marker would be on and blink off opposite of the front turn
> > signal. I hope that's clear as mud now.
> >
> > They did it with different length ground paths that changed the
> > potential in the wires feeding the turn & side markers and somehow
> > (electric magic
> > maybe?) end up trying to feed power both directions through the side
> > marker or grounding back through the side marker, some such thing.
> > It has been years since I messed with that but I still have the GM
> > wiring manuals which I could copy if anyone is all that interested.
> >
> > Al Nadeau
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > >> Several months ago this was a topic on Atis when Harbor Freight
> > >> had
> > these
> > >> light sets on sale for like $5 or $10 or so. Well I bought two
> > >> sets of them In case I needed then on my trailer and the second
> > >> set to carry around in my truck for anyone else who might need
> > >> them at an Antique Tractor show. Well recently I decided maybe I
> > >> ought to hooked one up to my truck and trailer to see how I liked
them.
> > >> Didn't work so good. The first indication was it appeared I had
> > >> a crossed wire or poor ground since whenever I turned on a turn
> > >> signal both turn signals blinked at a lower brightness. Chased
> > >> grounding, cleaned contacts, etc, etc. No solution. Keep in mind
> > >> my normal trailer lights are working fine. Then I found out that
> > >> if the tail lights were on, night time, whenever I
> > braked,
> > >> both taillights would go out. Not dim, completely out. That had
> > >> me really going and then I found out that if the tail lights were
> > >> not
on,
> > >> daytime, the brake lights worked just fine. Now that had my h!
> > >> ead completely spinning.
> >
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