Shabtai Evan

I plugged a trailer into my truck's rv7 connector and found the trailer
lights don't work. Check out the trailer. All's OK.
Checked out the truck (2003 F250 used purchase) and found the common
ground spade is 700 ohms from the chassis. Seems like it should be zero
ohms

If I connect the truck and trailer chassis with a jumper the trailer
lights work OK.

Where does the common ground spade get connected to the chassis?
Is there a harness break?

best regards
Simon Shabtai Evan

TranSurgeon

"Shabtai Evan" <shabtai@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:UpadnWVlod_KL1DfRVn-pQ@comcast.com...
> I plugged a trailer into my truck's rv7 connector and found the trailer
> lights don't work. Check out the trailer. All's OK.
> Checked out the truck (2003 F250 used purchase) and found the common
> ground spade is 700 ohms from the chassis. Seems like it should be zero
> ohms
>
> If I connect the truck and trailer chassis with a jumper the trailer
> lights work OK.
>
> Where does the common ground spade get connected to the chassis?
> Is there a harness break?
>
no idea

why not just find that wire on the back of the truck connector and run a new
ground wire to the frame ?

Joe

On my trailer, the lights aren't even grounded to the wiring anyway. They're
grounded to the trailer frame, and they have to seek vehicle ground back
through the ball. As a result, sometimes they do go out, but they always
come back on in a fraction of a second.

I know that's not helpful if you actually need your ground spade to work. I
guess I just couldn't shut up.

"TranSurgeon" <nobulltrans@mchsi.dotcom> wrote in message
news:sOuze.144918$xm3.19097@attbi_s21...
>
> "Shabtai Evan" <shabtai@comcast.net> wrote in message
> news:UpadnWVlod_KL1DfRVn-pQ@comcast.com...
>> I plugged a trailer into my truck's rv7 connector and found the trailer
>> lights don't work. Check out the trailer. All's OK.
>> Checked out the truck (2003 F250 used purchase) and found the common
>> ground spade is 700 ohms from the chassis. Seems like it should be zero
>> ohms
>>
>> If I connect the truck and trailer chassis with a jumper the trailer
>> lights work OK.
>>
>> Where does the common ground spade get connected to the chassis?
>> Is there a harness break?
>>
> no idea
>
> why not just find that wire on the back of the truck connector and run a
> new
> ground wire to the frame ?
>
>
>

Steve Barker

The hitch ball is NEVER a good ground. I think you'll find that while your
lights are grounded to the frame, the frame it then grounded to a ground
wire in the pigtail to the truck. AND your truck plug should include a
ground to the truck frame. I'll bet I've fixed hundreds of peoples trailer
light problems by putting a PROPER ground on them. To repeat, the hitch
ball should NEVER be relied on to be a ground.

Steve



"Joe" <Joe@dontspam.net> wrote in message
news:uGKze.17965$Si3.2963@fe06.lga...
> On my trailer, the lights aren't even grounded to the wiring anyway.
> They're grounded to the trailer frame, and they have to seek vehicle
> ground back through the ball. As a result, sometimes they do go out, but
> they always come back on in a fraction of a second.
>
> I know that's not helpful if you actually need your ground spade to work.
> I guess I just couldn't shut up.
>
> "TranSurgeon" <nobulltrans@mchsi.dotcom> wrote in message
> news:sOuze.144918$xm3.19097@attbi_s21...
>>
>> why not just find that wire on the back of the truck connector and run a
>> new
>> ground wire to the frame ?
>>
>>
>>
>
>

TranSurgeon

very bad idea


"Joe" <Joe@dontspam.net> wrote in message
news:uGKze.17965$Si3.2963@fe06.lga...
> On my trailer, the lights aren't even grounded to the wiring anyway.
They're
> grounded to the trailer frame, and they have to seek vehicle ground back
> through the ball. As a result, sometimes they do go out, but they always
> come back on in a fraction of a second.
>
> I know that's not helpful if you actually need your ground spade to work.
I
> guess I just couldn't shut up.
>
> "TranSurgeon" <nobulltrans@mchsi.dotcom> wrote in message
> news:sOuze.144918$xm3.19097@attbi_s21...
> >
> > "Shabtai Evan" <shabtai@comcast.net> wrote in message
> > news:UpadnWVlod_KL1DfRVn-pQ@comcast.com...
> >> I plugged a trailer into my truck's rv7 connector and found the trailer
> >> lights don't work. Check out the trailer. All's OK.
> >> Checked out the truck (2003 F250 used purchase) and found the common
> >> ground spade is 700 ohms from the chassis. Seems like it should be
zero
> >> ohms
> >>
> >> If I connect the truck and trailer chassis with a jumper the trailer
> >> lights work OK.
> >>
> >> Where does the common ground spade get connected to the chassis?
> >> Is there a harness break?
> >>
> > no idea
> >
> > why not just find that wire on the back of the truck connector and run a
> > new
> > ground wire to the frame ?
> >
> >
> >
>
>

Shabtai Evan

TranSurgeon wrote:
> "Shabtai Evan" <shabtai@comcast.net> wrote in message
> news:UpadnWVlod_KL1DfRVn-pQ@comcast.com...
>
>>I plugged a trailer into my truck's rv7 connector and found the trailer
>>lights don't work. Check out the trailer. All's OK.
>>Checked out the truck (2003 F250 used purchase) and found the common
>>ground spade is 700 ohms from the chassis. Seems like it should be zero
>>ohms
>>
>>If I connect the truck and trailer chassis with a jumper the trailer
>>lights work OK.
>>
>>Where does the common ground spade get connected to the chassis?
>>Is there a harness break?
>>
>
> no idea
>
> why not just find that wire on the back of the truck connector and run a new
> ground wire to the frame ?
>
>
>
Yes. this would work. I was just hoping to restore the wiring to the
factory level. Thanks all.

TranSurgeon

"Shabtai Evan" <shabtai@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:6MGdnVyfxqZEXU_fRVn-jg@comcast.com...
> TranSurgeon wrote:
> > why not just find that wire on the back of the truck connector and run a
new
> > ground wire to the frame ?
> >
> >
> >
> Yes. this would work. I was just hoping to restore the wiring to the
> factory level. Thanks all.

ah, the old 'factory-condition' vs 'what works'

while 'restoring' the wiring to 'factory spec' is a noble, nay, a gloriously
blessed goal (in fact, some would have you believe that it leads to
beatification, canonization, and ultimately sainthood, especially amongst
the inhabitants of the 'vintage electronics' groups); one must ask oneself:
if 'factory was so 'good', why doesn't it work at this point ?

or, as my dear old Dad used to say ...'Why the hell do you spend so much
time in the bathr.'........no wait, that was another subject...

what he said was; 'good enough is good enough, perfect is a pain in the ass
and not worth the effort; just fix the damned lights on the f*cking trailer
before you take that thing on the road'