I was finally pulling out my boat from storage and noticed the ground wire at the toungue of my trailer was hanging loose. I put on a new ring terminal and fastened it back to the trailer. Then i was checking to make sure the lights were not burnt out and working properly. I noticed that when I stepped in the brake peddle the orange lights (left and right) in the middle section of the trailer would go out. Also, no matter which turn signal I turned on, the same middle orange lights would also blink(both sides). Do you think it is a short or something wired incorrectly?

rewire the trailer, the running ( orange lights on the side) should only burn when tail lights are on, although some folks do wire them with turn signals as well. If your plug is still ok, you probly have some other damage to the wiring. It isn't that hard or expensive to replace trailer wiring, and a lot cheaper and easier than replacing your boat after someone runs over it on the highway

A weak ground will cause funny light issues. You may just ahave it grounded through the hitch and not the actual wires. Check the ground 1st.

I have had light problems with trailers. I install a separate ground lead from my vehicle to the trailer. This has solved my problems with light issues.

Definitely a grounding issue. If your trailer wiring is more than a few years old, you may want to consider what shaylako suggests and replace the entire lighting system. The kit can be purchased at Wal Mart or auto parts stores for about $30. That way you know that the wiring is fresh and not corroded. It doesn't take long for copper wire stored in the elements and getting dunked in water to corrode and lose conductivity. You may also want to consider cleaning your vehicle and trailer wire harness pins. They can get corroded over time too. Electrical contact cleaner, a wire brush and a little emery cloth will help with this.

Whether or not you replace the wiring is totally your call. But either way, you need to take care of your grounding problem. On my trailer, every light except the side markers has it's own frame ground. Take each wire off at the frame, sand down the grounding point, sand down the wire terminal, and when you put the grounding screw or nut back on, gob a little dielectric grease on the terminal and tighten. The dielectric grease can be purchased in the headlamp section of auto parts stores. It will seal up the area from corrosion and you may get a few more years out of it. Just don't get the grease on your clothes because it will not come out. I haven't had my trailer too long, but plan on removing all grounds next year and maintaining them this way, and about every other year thereafter. Good luck!

If I was rewiring my trailer I would spend the extra coin and install LED lights. They draw almost no current, last almost forever and don't get hot so you can back into the water with the lights plugged in. Any wire splices should be soldered and covered with heat shrink tubing.

I had light problems also what i did was unplug all lights then i plugged one in at a time until i got to the one that was causeing my fuse to blow then fixed the ground problem and all is well.That was the easyiest way that i knew how to find the bad one..I hope this helps..........JOHN

I just went through my trailer light problems. First I had to check on the fuse box. Turns out I had a burnt fuse. Next the trailer lights still didn't work properly. So I went from light to light to clean out the connections. Once all done, it works. That's the bad thing about 12V. It all seems to run on the same line.

Both the ground and the dirty connections can cause problems.

As far as the ground goes...since one wire in the harness goes to ground on the tow vehicle...I have always done that straight to ALL the lights...and eliminated any grounds to the trailer.

Corrosion between the ball & hitch is then eliminated as a potential issue.