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JT-RV · 05-21-2022, 06:39 PM

2016 Phaeton towing 2018 Chevy Equinox - 7 wired cable to toad got completely mangled & something (or things) got burned out. Brake lights & flashers in RV & Toad work independently when not towing, but Equinox tail lights not mirroring RV when hooked up to cable. Checked fuses in Phaeton and Equinox & nothing obvious. Tips on troubleshooting/ fixing this? Gotta hit the road! Thx in advance.

weighit · 05-21-2022, 06:59 PM

Had the sme thing happen, could not get the towed lights or brake or flash turn signals when hooked up with the new cable.. On the right rear compartment is a set of large yellow fuses. I popped 2 of them, the auto parts store had them but about $6 or $7 each, once i verified that they were the cause of the towed lights not operating, i went back and bought a spare fuse. Hope that helps.

**Lt Dan** · 05-21-2022, 07:26 PM

Did you check the fuses in the tow connection relay box? It's located in the second to rear compartment on the passenger side. Usually mounted high up on the inside wall and has a removeable cover over the fuse box.

JT-RV · 05-21-2022, 08:12 PM

I assume you mean fuses in the tow car (not the Phaeton)?

weighit · 05-21-2022, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JT-RV

I assume you mean fuses in the tow car (not the Phaeton)?

No the motorhome, I just took some photos but don't know how to get them from my phone to you

BobGed · 05-21-2022, 08:19 PM

Not sure what you mean by "7 wired cable to toad got completely mangled", but if you're referring to your umbilical cord I would suggest checking all the the connections inside of it on both the coach and towed ends.

It is very easy for wire connections to come loose and short out.

weighit · 05-21-2022, 08:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JT-RV

I assume you mean fuses in the tow car (not the Phaeton)?

I sent you a private message on this forum, I can send you photos, contact me.

brandss · 05-22-2022, 04:46 AM

If I am reading this correctly, the cord between the coach and tow vehicle got roughed up, and now doesn't work correctly. You mention the rv and the tow vehicle, all lights work correctly independently so the only thing it can be is the wiring of the "fixed", or replacement cord, that you are trying to use after the original cord got mangled.

We went through something similar and when I repaired our mangled cord, I could not for the life of me get it to work properly. I could not get the wires to line up properly and caused the issues you are describing. I got so frustrated that I simply bought a new cord from Blue Ox and it solved my issue.

Still to this day it peeves me that I couldn't get the wiring to line up. It seems so simple and I'm not a stranger to electrical stuff, but I just couldn't. If you are at a campground, ask a neighbor to borrow their cord and see if all works.

weighit · 05-22-2022, 08:02 AM

Just sent photos and a post to the private message

JT-RV · 05-23-2022, 01:20 PM

For reference, dealing with 2006 Tiffin Phaeton. To clarify, "mangled" means the umbilical cable got pinched so hard it cut thru the outer sheathing and almost all internal wires cut/pulled so exposed & broken copper strands everywhere. Safe to say lots of unintended contacts / shorts. To isolate the problem, I checked the Phaeton fuse box (as helpful posters suggested & all fuses OK. Got a tester, and power / turn / brake signals exiting Phaeton OK. So, RV undamaged. So, something must have burned out in the Equinox. No obvious burned fuses in the Equinox. When Equinox was prepped for towing, is a converter box required? Or some sort of diode(s)? Ideas on what could have failed on the Equinox so it's not mirroring RV when being towed? (All brake lights, turn signals operate properly when driving Equinox un-towed).

BobGed · 05-23-2022, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JT-RV

For reference, dealing with 2006 Tiffin Phaeton. To clarify, "mangled" means the umbilical cable got pinched so hard it cut thru the outer sheathing and almost all internal wires cut/pulled so exposed & broken copper strands everywhere. Safe to say lots of unintended contacts / shorts. To isolate the problem, I checked the Phaeton fuse box (as helpful posters suggested & all fuses OK. Got a tester, and power / turn / brake signals exiting Phaeton OK. So, RV undamaged. So, something must have burned out in the Equinox. No obvious burned fuses in the Equinox. When Equinox was prepped for towing, is a converter box required? Or some sort of diode(s)? Ideas on what could have failed on the Equinox so it's not mirroring RV when being towed? (All brake lights, turn signals operate properly when driving Equinox un-towed).

I know I must be missing something, but if the umbilical cord is physically damaged why not try replacing it with a new one and see if everything works?

Then of course find out why/how the orginal cord got pinched.

weighit · 05-23-2022, 04:05 PM

What seems so odd is your problem mimics exactly what i had, the motorhome lights all operated just like normal, The cars lights all operated like normal as long as the cord was not strung and hooked up between the two. Once the cord was plugged in to the MH and the car, the car lost the turnsignals and brake lights when the MH was calling for them to work. Those large yellow fuses in that rear compartment of the motorhome were the link giving the power to the car for those light to operate.

Did you remove those yellow fuses to look at the metal strip inside to ensure they were still good? Use a test light to check power traveling through that fuse? i'm at a loss to figure anything else out to give you a hand.

dhaselman · 05-31-2022, 06:13 PM

Does your braking system on your toad still work? I thought I had an issue with my umbilical cable and it turned out to be the control module for my Demco braking system.

Ray,IN · 05-31-2022, 06:20 PM

If the Equinox has a combination brake/turn signal bulb, a converter box on the MH wiring is required since the MH as separate brake and turn signal bulbs. It is aftermarket, not OEM on the MH.