Toad brake light problem

[BigRedLancer]

OK. It seems when I connect the toad to the MH, the brake lights don't work on the toad. The MH brake lights work fine. When I disconnect the cable from the MH to the toad, the toad brake lights work fine. Where do I start looking?

Any help would be appreciated.

[Dave Fernandez]

Hello Red:

Sounds like you are not getting power to the Toad brake lights. First I would check for power at the plug to see if you are getting power to the umbilical cord. I not problem is at the MH. If you have power connect the umbilical cord and check for power at the toad end if not power find the break and repair. Next you will have to test the toad from the plug to the lights and do not forget the diode. I tried to make it short I hope this helps.

You will need a test light or Volt meter and a ohm meter to run this test and an assistant.

[GaryKD]

Hi BigRedLancer,
Dave mentioned the usual places I would look first. In addition to what Dave posted, put on your annual maintenance list to disassemble the ends of the umbilical cord that provides power from the coach to the towed vehicle lights. The screws that hold the wires to their connectors are notorious for coming loose. I've tried several different glues to hold them tight, but none seem to work. You may need some really small screw drivers to remove the screw(s) that hold the plug parts together. I just finished my umbilical maintenance. Sure enough 3/4 of the connections needed to be tightened.

[BigRedLancer]

Turns out two of the four wires were completely out of the socket on one end of the umbilical. I assume that will fix the problem. I need to do a test run to check out the SMI brake so I will check to see if I have brake lights too.

Thanks again for your help!

[BigRedLancer]

Putting the wires back in the socket fixed the problem. I can't believe that the coiled cable does not have a strain relief of any kind. The internal connections are the only thing holding the wires in place.

[paz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRedLancer Putting the wires back in the socket fixed the problem. I can't believe that the coiled cable does not have a strain relief of any kind. The internal connections are the only thing holding the wires in place.

Big Red, glad you found the problem fairly quickly.

Our Blue Ox umbilical has a screw that bears against a metal clamp that acts as a strain relief, but I have still had wires pull out from the connectors inside the socket. If a coil of the wire gets hung up on the tow bar while you're in a sharp turn, it can put a lot of stress on the internal wire connections. That's the reason it's important to do a light check every time you hook up.