[AT] Portable Trailer lights from Harbor Freight

[Dean VP]

Yes, I did always have the 7 pin wiring to my trailer hooked up before and during the 4 pin HF stuff.  That is one test I didn't try. Intelesting.  How could something this simple require computer control?  I'm not sure anyone could write a program to cause it to do what it is doing but..... 😊   I sure as hell am going to try your suggestion. I agree it would take a computer to cause these strange things to happen. I honestly don't believe there is anything in the HF stuff other than wires and bulbs.  


-----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 2:11 AM
To: Antique tractor email discussion group <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Subject: Re: [AT] Portable Trailer lights from Harbor Freight

Dean, if I read correctly, you had your trailer hooked up to the 7-pin and then you added the HF lights to the 4-pin?  If so, did you try disconnecting the 7-pin to see what would happen?  (My underlying thinking here is that modern trucks probably have a computer somehow involved with powering those trailer connectors)

SO


On Thu, Aug 10, 2017 at 2:53 AM, Dean VP <deanvp at att.net> wrote:

> 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.
>
> So after a while of being completely dumfounded I finally realized I 
> had another brand new set in the truck so hooked them up. Same damned thing.
>  Let me reiterate, my regular lights on the trailer work perfectly.  
> The only difference is the HF lights are fed by the small 4 pin 
> connector right next to the 7 pin connector that feeds the normal 
> trailer lights. Now One could come to the conclusion that there must 
> be something wrong with the 4 pin connector circuits  or  both HF 
> light sets are defective. I have tested the 4 pin connector with a 
> volt meter and the voltage appears correctly with no cross talk 
> between pins for the turn signals.  I get a good low ohm ground 
> measurement between the ground on the 4 pin socket and the ground on the truck.
>
> I'm stuck.  At the present time I am convinced I have two identically 
> defective light sets from Harbor Freight.  Primarily because I cannot 
> come up with anything that could be wrong in the 4 pin circuits that 
> could produce these kinds of weird results. Am I overlooking something 
> really simple? Or even something complex. It has me stumped if it isn't the lights
> themselves.   Unfortunately I have nothing else to check the 4 pin
> connector with here.  I suppose there may be a commercial tester for 
> them but I haven't looked for one.  Maybe I'm just flat stubborn 
> believing it is the lights.
>
>
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