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Old 08-12-2017, 06:52 AM   #1
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No running lights....

Hi all

I have a 2018 Mini Lite 2509S been out 1 time and on my second time hooking it up I lost my running lights. I jumped the #3 and #4 trailer pin with a 10 amp fuse and it blows almost instantly. My brake lights and turn signals work. I opened the junction box under the trailer and I dont see any obvious issues. Anyone have any tips? Anyone have success using one of those short circuit detectors? Trying to tackle this issue myself so I dont lose time leaving my trailer at the shop for the rest of the season.
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Old 08-12-2017, 08:52 AM   #2
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You have a pretty good short somewhere. Go around the RV and remove the bulbs from the sockets and try the fuse trick again. If it still blows, you may want to unhook the wires from the fixtures until you find the bad one. It's not too uncommon for the fixtures to become shorted internally. If that fails to find the problem, you may have a wire shorted where it runs across a frame member. That's not uncommon either.

I have an industrial 'fox and hound' (circuit tracer) and it does a pretty good job of locating live wires and shorts. I'm not sure which short circuit detector you're considering.
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Old 08-12-2017, 09:02 AM   #3
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Originally Posted by Live4thedai View Post
Hi all

I have a 2018 Mini Lite 2509S been out 1 time and on my second time hooking it up I lost my running lights. I jumped the #3 and #4 trailer pin with a 10 amp fuse and it blows almost instantly. My brake lights and turn signals work. I opened the junction box under the trailer and I dont see any obvious issues. Anyone have any tips? Anyone have success using one of those short circuit detectors? Trying to tackle this issue myself so I dont lose time leaving my trailer at the shop for the rest of the season.
You jumpered the pins at the Tow Vehicle ?? If it blows the fuse there at your vehicle plug, your short would be in the vehicle wiring and not the Trailer.
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Old 08-12-2017, 09:11 AM   #4
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Originally Posted by Live4thedai View Post
Hi all

I have a 2018 Mini Lite 2509S been out 1 time and on my second time hooking it up I lost my running lights. I jumped the #3 and #4 trailer pin with a 10 amp fuse and it blows almost instantly. My brake lights and turn signals work. I opened the junction box under the trailer and I dont see any obvious issues. Anyone have any tips? Anyone have success using one of those short circuit detectors? Trying to tackle this issue myself so I dont lose time leaving my trailer at the shop for the rest of the season.
Not sure why you are jumpering with a fuse. A fuse is basically a piece of wire and if you don't have a load with it (like a light bulb), you are causing a direct short, so of course the fuse would blow. Also, you should be going from pin #3 to ground, using either a light bulb or a volt meter, not to pin #4 (pin #4 is +12VDC directly from your TV's battery bus). See pic below.

Note that "ground" is either pin #1 or the frame of the TV.
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Old 08-12-2017, 09:22 AM   #5
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Not sure why you are jumpering with a fuse. A fuse is basically a piece of wire and if you don't have a load with it (like a light bulb), you are causing a direct short, so of course the fuse would blow. Also, you should be going from pin #3 to ground, using either a light bulb or a volt meter, not to pin #4 (pin #4 is +12VDC directly from your TV's battery bus). See pic below.

Note that "ground" is either pin #1 or the frame of the TV.
Duh !! I didn't even catch that...not enough coffee yet. Yep ! Fuse would short out the pins. Pin to Ground...same as a test light.
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Old 08-12-2017, 09:38 AM   #6
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Have you got one of these?

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Old 08-12-2017, 10:29 AM   #7
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The fuse is blowing on the Trailers side.
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Old 08-12-2017, 11:06 AM   #8
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The fuse is blowing on the Trailers side.
I'm not aware of any trailer that uses fuses for the trailers running lights on "the trailer side." The fuses that protect the trailers running lights are actually on your tow vehicle, usually in the under-hood fuse block. What make/model/year is your tow vehicle?
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Old 08-12-2017, 11:54 AM   #9
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What I meant was that I jumped the trailer side connector with a 10 amp fuse and it blew. I have since verified that the trailer connector wiring up to the junction box is good. I have isolated the problem area to the rear of the trailer.
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Old 08-12-2017, 12:24 PM   #10
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This is what he is doing (but w/10a) and it keeps blowing. He has it narrowed down to somewhere aft the junction block. Possibly wire chafe somewhere.

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Old 08-12-2017, 01:27 PM   #11
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The rear passenger side lower marker light wiring passes back over to the drivers side marker light. Somewhere in there lies the issue. I ran 2 new wires instead of tearing apart the underbelly and the insulation at this time. Might be a winter project. Phew
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Old 08-12-2017, 03:02 PM   #12
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This is what he is doing (but w/10a) and it keeps blowing. He has it narrowed down to somewhere aft the junction block. Possibly wire chafe somewhere.
Attachment 147991
Got it. If he'd said he put the fuse on the trailer side in order to light the running lights from the TT battery, I think we all would have understood.
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Old 08-13-2017, 01:17 AM   #13
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I see this in your future

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Old 08-13-2017, 04:51 AM   #14
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Go back to your tail lights and pull the bulbs first. I have had a bad tail light bulb cause a dead short for the running lights. Also check the tail light wiring.


Good Luck!!
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Old 08-13-2017, 06:39 AM   #15
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I see this in your future

What does this have to do with wiring running a across the frame rail that was rubbing on a screw?
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Old 08-13-2017, 06:41 AM   #16
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Go back to your tail lights and pull the bulbs first. I have had a bad tail light bulb cause a dead short for the running lights. Also check the tail light wiring.


Good Luck!!

If you read back a few, I fixed the issue. I actually went back out and opened the bathtub access panel and found that a screw was rubbing on the wire.
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Old 08-13-2017, 08:54 AM   #17
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If you read back a few, I fixed the issue. I actually went back out and opened the bathtub access panel and found that a screw was rubbing on the wire.
I'm surprised your TV's fuse didn't blow. That screw must have very recently rubbed through OR you've never driven with your clearance lights on.
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Old 08-13-2017, 07:25 PM   #18
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Yeah Ive only owned it for 2 months this was our second trip out.
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Old 08-13-2017, 07:44 PM   #19
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Did you install a backing/observation camera? Mine is wired into the clearance lights in the back of my TT. Might have a dead short back there.
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Old 08-13-2017, 08:09 PM   #20
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Did you install a backing/observation camera? Mine is wired into the clearance lights in the back of my TT. Might have a dead short back there.

Yeah that was my first thought. I pulled that out and checked it along with the three wires first.
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