Car Forum / Ford / Ford Trucks / April 2007
Wiring diagram for FORD F150 trailer lights from truck
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scottdunl@gmail.com - 15 Apr 2007 00:00 GMT I'm not sure what the out puts are on the F150 lights for a 4 pin. I can't get the running lights to work. I can get the turn signals and brakes to work with the headlights on. Again, no running lights. Please help.
samstone@aol.com - 15 Apr 2007 00:39 GMT >I'm not sure what the out puts are on the F150 lights for a 4 pin. I >can't get the running lights to work. I can get the turn signals and >brakes to work with the headlights on. Again, no running lights. >Please help. you have three of the four already - so a volt meter or a 12v test lamp would indicate them for you you have a ground - the left turn/stop - the right turn/stop and the running lights
samstone@aol.com - 15 Apr 2007 00:46 GMT >I'm not sure what the out puts are on the F150 lights for a 4 pin. I >can't get the running lights to work. I can get the turn signals and >brakes to work with the headlights on. Again, no running lights. >Please help. http://www.offroaders.com/tech/trailer_wiring-diagram.htm
scottdunl@gmail.com - 15 Apr 2007 01:34 GMT On Apr 14, 7:46 pm, samst...@aol.com wrote:
> >I'm not sure what the out puts are on the F150 lights for a 4 pin. I > >can't get the running lights to work. I can get the turn signals and > >brakes to work with the headlights on. Again, no running lights. > >Please help. > > http://www.offroaders.com/tech/trailer_wiring-diagram.htm Thanks for the quick response. I have never used a forum like this and it paid off. Thanks again!!!
scottdunl@gmail.com - 15 Apr 2007 06:56 GMT On Apr 14, 8:34 pm, scottd...@gmail.com wrote:
> On Apr 14, 7:46 pm, samst...@aol.com wrote: > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Thanks for the quick response. I have never used a forum like this and > it paid off. Thanks again!!! Ok I lied, that didnt work at all. Any other help?
Spdloader - 15 Apr 2007 07:12 GMT > On Apr 14, 8:34 pm, scottd...@gmail.com wrote: >> On Apr 14, 7:46 pm, samst...@aol.com wrote: [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > Ok I lied, that didnt work at all. Any other help? Get a test light from an auto parts store. Turn on just the running/park lights on your truck. Ground your test light, then probe the wire harness at either rear light, done easiest with the taillight assembly out. When your test light lights up, you've found your running lights for your trailer. Connect it to the Brown wire on your trailer kit. If you need further you can email me direct using my knick below, then @excite.com
Spdloader
samstone@aol.com - 15 Apr 2007 10:38 GMT >On Apr 14, 8:34 pm, scottd...@gmail.com wrote: >> On Apr 14, 7:46 pm, samst...@aol.com wrote: [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > >Ok I lied, that didnt work at all. Any other help? What do you mean by "that"? Are both elements in both trailer bulbs OK?
lugnut - 15 Apr 2007 15:35 GMT >I'm not sure what the out puts are on the F150 lights for a 4 pin. I >can't get the running lights to work. I can get the turn signals and >brakes to work with the headlights on. Again, no running lights. >Please help. The best way to do the job is with an adapter that simply plugs into the harbess below the tailgate and is already wired correctly. Takes about 2 minutes for complete job. Almost any store that sells anything related to trailers, boats or auto parts should have the adapter. Then you won't have a sliced and diced harness to cause further problems later down the road.
Lugnut
Jeff Strickland - 15 Apr 2007 17:48 GMT The wire harness for a 4-pin connector is included with the connector.
WHT - Ground BRN - Lights GRN -- Right turn and stop RED - Left turn and stop
> I'm not sure what the out puts are on the F150 lights for a 4 pin. I > can't get the running lights to work. I can get the turn signals and > brakes to work with the headlights on. Again, no running lights. > Please help. Jeff Strickland - 15 Apr 2007 21:00 GMT > The wire harness for a 4-pin connector is included with the connector. > > WHT - Ground > BRN - Lights > GRN -- Right turn and stop > RED - Left turn and stop The RED wire is really YEL.
The trailer wires are WHT, BRN, GRN, & YEL.
Steve Barker - 16 Apr 2007 02:51 GMT And just for informational purposes, I have always remembered the right and left this way.
Green has 5 letters, RIGHT has 5 letters
PORT has 4 letters, LEFT has 4 letters.
 Signature Steve Barker
>> The wire harness for a 4-pin connector is included with the connector. >> [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > The trailer wires are WHT, BRN, GRN, & YEL. samstone@aol.com - 16 Apr 2007 09:57 GMT >Green has 5 letters, RIGHT has 5 letters Brown and White also have five letters.
>PORT has 4 letters, LEFT has 4 letters. What has port got to do with anything? We're not lighting a boat.
>>> WHT - Ground >>> BRN - Lights >>> GRN -- Right turn and stop Steve Barker - 16 Apr 2007 14:14 GMT brown and white were never the confusing part.
I just thought I'd throw that in about the port thing.
 Signature Steve Barker
>>Green has 5 letters, RIGHT has 5 letters >> [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >>>> BRN - Lights >>>> GRN -- Right turn and stop Whitelightning - 17 Apr 2007 00:28 GMT >>Green has 5 letters, RIGHT has 5 letters >> > Brown and White also have five letters. >>PORT has 4 letters, LEFT has 4 letters. > What has port got to do with anything? > We're not lighting a boat. PORT wine is red ;-)
Whitelightning
Jeff Strickland - 16 Apr 2007 16:25 GMT One can abbreviate wire colors with 3 letters and not have any danger of confusing one color with another.
Brown and white also have 5 letters. Yellow has 6 letters, and defines the brake and turn indicator wire for the left side of a trailer.
I am having trouble understanding what your point is.
> And just for informational purposes, I have always remembered the right > and left this way. [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] >> >> The trailer wires are WHT, BRN, GRN, & YEL. Steve Barker - 16 Apr 2007 20:46 GMT You're having trouble understanding. Let's just leave it at that. I can't make it much simpler.
 Signature Steve Barker
> I am having trouble understanding what your point is. Jeff Strickland - 16 Apr 2007 23:09 GMT You offered no new information that is 1.) corrrect, or 2.) applicable.
Thanks for playing though.
> You're having trouble understanding. Let's just leave it at that. I > can't make it much simpler. > >> I am having trouble understanding what your point is. Steve Barker - 17 Apr 2007 04:18 GMT Look you dumass bastard. I merely made a comment as to an easy way to remember which is which between the green and yellow on trailer light wiring.
So f.ck off.
 Signature Steve Barker
> You offered no new information that is 1.) corrrect, or 2.) applicable. > > Thanks for playing though. Jeff Strickland - 18 Apr 2007 03:25 GMT Except, your easy way to remember is WRONG. GRN is right, YEL is left.
I see no need for profanity.
And, it's dumbass bastard, dumbass.
> Look you dumass bastard. I merely made a comment as to an easy way to > remember which is which between the green and yellow on trailer light [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >> >> Thanks for playing though. Steve Barker - 18 Apr 2007 03:39 GMT that's what I said about 18 messages ago. green has 5 letters, right has 5 letters. a good way to remember. I never once said it wrong.
 Signature Steve Barker
> Except, your easy way to remember is WRONG. GRN is right, YEL is left. > [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] >>> >>> Thanks for playing though. Jeff Strickland - 18 Apr 2007 16:30 GMT Okay ...
But YELLOW goes to the left side, and you gave another color in your easy-to-remember method.
I agree you gave the right color to remember the right side, but you gave the wrong color to remember the left side. I gave you the actual color for the left side, and you got nasty.
> that's what I said about 18 messages ago. green has 5 letters, right has > 5 letters. a good way to remember. I never once said it wrong. [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] >>>> >>>> Thanks for playing though. Steve Barker - 19 Apr 2007 02:51 GMT No I didn't. I threw in that PORT was left. If you ever noticed, PORT is not a color. It is a marine term for the left side of the boat. It was supposed to be humorous. Apparently you didn't get it. I just threw that in because it is a good way to remember PORT from STARBOARD. Port has 4 letters, Left has four letters. Has nothing to do with trailer lights, granted, but was put out there anyway.
Bye.
 Signature Steve Barker
Jeff Strickland - 19 Apr 2007 19:42 GMT > No I didn't. I threw in that PORT was left. If you ever noticed, PORT is > not a color. It is a marine term for the left side of the boat. It was > supposed to be humorous. Apparently you didn't get it. Apparently not. Maybe it was humor challenged.
samstone@aol.com - 18 Apr 2007 04:01 GMT >Except, your easy way to remember is WRONG. GRN is right, YEL is left. > >I see no need for profanity. > >And, it's dumbass bastard, dumbass. http://www.offroaders.com/tech/trailer_wiring-diagram.htm shows green as the running lights tho there is one of those on the right, right? and i know nothing of wine be it port or starboard
>> Look you dumass bastard. I merely made a comment as to an easy way to >> remember which is which between the green and yellow on trailer light [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >>> >>> Thanks for playing though. samstone@aol.com - 18 Apr 2007 17:04 GMT >http://www.offroaders.com/tech/trailer_wiring-diagram.htm >shows green as the running lights tho there is one of those on the right, right? >and i know nothing of wine be it port or starboard Here's a bit of info. http://www.etrailer.com/faq/wiring.aspx at the bottom of that site there is a read out from factory wirings on different manufactures. ( what color wires ford uses on the left/ right/ running lights)
Also there seems to be no convention set for the trailers wiring other than white being the ground. Yellow seems every time to be left, but the green and brown switched from running to right on different sites. The flat four pin connector on this etrailer site doesn't even try to suggest what is what . So I guess the best way would be to inspect the trailer bulbs wiring and see how that manufacturer wired it.
Steve Barker - 19 Apr 2007 02:53 GMT Anyone using green for running/tail or brown for a turnsignal/brake is just flat doing it wrong. Sure some trailer manufacturers do it that way, but that doesn't change the standard.
 Signature Steve Barker
>>http://www.offroaders.com/tech/trailer_wiring-diagram.htm >>shows green as the running lights tho there is one of those on the right, [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > see > how that manufacturer wired it. Jeff Strickland - 15 Apr 2007 20:59 GMT You have a wiring problem in the trailer associated with improper grounding. You described exactly the problem of a poor ground. The trailer's stop and turn lights are getting a ground WHEN THE LIGHTS ARE ON through the running light circuit in the truck. If the lights are turned off, then the brake and turn indicators stop working too. (Actually, as I write that, it occurs to me that symptoms should be exactly opposite -- the brake and turn indicators work when the lights are off, then stop working when the lights are on.)
You have a grounding problem in the trailer or you have the wrong light bulbs in the trailer. Odds favor a bad ground over the wrong bulbs. Your bulbs should have two filiments in each, and the number stamped on the base should be 1157.
On the trailer wiring harness (connector), WHT is ground. BRN is running lights, GRN is right side turn and stop, YEL is left side turn and stop. A common problem is that some guys bring the white wire into the trailer, but do not select a suitable grounding method. You must put a good terminal on the end of the wire, then use good star washers to poke through the paint and press into the metal. (Paint is an insulator.) You should really scrape the paint away from the grounding terminal to make a quality connection point. Once you have your system working, then you can come back and paint over the connection to preclude rust. It's a good idea to cover the grounding point with tape before painting, then remove the tape to establish the ground point. This is actually better than painting over a ground connection.
Then, you have to ensure that the tail light housings are grounded well to the trailer itself. This is a huge problem with trailer lights, they ground through the mounting screws to the trailer itself, but the mounting points are not qualified to provide the needed ground circuit. You might be required to hardwire a ground from the housing (lamp base) to the trailer frame. You _could_ bring the white wire from the connector all of the way to the lights, but usually the white wire terminates on the tongue and the lamp housings are then grounded to the frame of the trailer. If you wire this way, then you will have GRN and BRN to the right side, and YEL and BRN to the left side
CORRECTION TO AN EARLIER POST I might have said that there is a RED wire to serve the stop and turn indicator on the left side, this is an error, the actual wire color for that circuit is YEL.
Trailer wiring is standardized, and a 4-pin wiring harness (by far the most common) has WHT, BRN, GRN, & YEL. The arrangement of the wires in the tow vehicle is important because because one might tow a different trailer some day, and one would want any trailer to easily connect without having to rewire something everytime the trailer changes.
Most trucks already have a 4-wire plug on them, whether or not they have a trailer tow package on them. I don't recall that you mentioned which year your F150 is, but I have a '95 Bronco that has a trailer connector, and my previous '95 Bronco also had one -- they are both 6- or 7-pin designs, and could be the result of a tow package. I've been shopping for F150s in the past two or three years, and I noticed all of them on the lot that I was looking at had trailer connectors on the truck.
When you buy a flat 4-pin connector from WalMart, or anyplace else, the arrangement of the wires will always be the same, and any trailer will also be the arranged the same way. The idea is that you should be able to hook up any trailer and drive away, and the lights should work. Surely one would not want to hook up to a trailer and have it start blowing fuses in the tow vehicle, and this requires you to wire your connector the same way everybody else wires them.
> I'm not sure what the out puts are on the F150 lights for a 4 pin. I > can't get the running lights to work. I can get the turn signals and > brakes to work with the headlights on. Again, no running lights. > Please help.
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