Electrical issue

[Lonestar10]

2010 LoneStar
Just had this happen parked at receiver with park lights on and key in accessory. I then had 2 dash power outages that made dash gauges cycle and park lights go out.

Each outage lasted something like 3-5seconds and I could hear a relay click each time..


So what should I look at before this happens on road and my luck in pitch black of night.

[Chamberpains]

You more than likely have a shorted wire in your marker lights. And even more likely somewhere on the trailer. Most common spots are in the tail light wiring. They rub against things and wear the insulation off till it shorts on the metal. This will also happen more in the rain and snow because the water and ice will often complete the short, then completely go away when everything thaws and dries out.

I know this problem quite well. Dealt with it just this morning in Cleveland @ 4am.

If it happens again, disconnect the trailer electric cord and see if it stays working. If so, its a problems in the trailer lighting. If not, it in the truck lighting. Sorry, it's a real pain to isolate specific points until it does it constantly. Then you can start pulling wiring and unplugging lights 1 at a time to narrow down the culprit. Other than that, start checking highly vulnerable rubbing spots like the trailer tail lights or hood light wiring.

[Lonestar10]

well shouldnt be trailer its only 2mo old. guess time to chase truck light wiring

[shoe128]

(11-29-2018 )Lonestar10 Wrote:  well shouldnt be trailer its only 2mo old. guess time to chase truck light wiring

still could be trl,iv seen brand new trls have wire probl.
unplug trl plug and see if it there

[Lonestar10]

sad thing is it did it those 2 times in a row when parked hasnt done it again since.

[the missing link]

Every body says this can't happen and it can ...
I had it happen a few times on the big trucks and once on a brand new pick up . The light itself can short out inside . So if you really can't find it later , kept that in mind .

[Rawze]

loose / corroded battery terminal?. corroded ground?

[Lonestar10]

brand new batteries 2 weeks ago cleaned all yada yada but havent gone through elec system yet chasing grounds/connections as every weekend ive spent either putting on airbags actuators batteries all sortsa stuff that was neglected by previous owners

[Chamberpains]

Check your trailer electrical sockots and cod thoroughly. I've seen and had many that corroded behind the socket and also the plug can get pinched and short together inside the thick insulation. I had this happen 3 time to me in the last decade. Look for cuts, bumps and bulges in the trailer cord. Replace it if it looks suspicious.