Question on trailer lights and tool for changing oil

[moejean]

I am going to use a tow dolly and here in BC Canada if any item being transported extends 2 feet past the tail lights you need auxillary lighting which is the case with my car. My question is will the MH trailer circuit handle the tow dolly lights as well as the magnetic tow lights. I am not using LED's in any of the lights. I have a F53 chassis with a 2011 32E Sightseer.
Changing your own oil on some of these MH's can be difficult as room under the hood to refill the oil is very limited. I want to do my own since it is difficult to find a dealer who can handle these large units and I don't like the fact that bulk oil is used. Are the dispensing containers clean, who's oil is being used, what viscosity is it, well you get the picture. I think I may have found the solution to refilling the crankcase that is clean and easy. I was at my local auto store inquiring about funnels, hoses etc to do the job when he suggested using a Mityvac model MV7201. They are available on line for under $100.00. Just passing this along in case anyone else is thinking of doing their own oil changes.
Cheers,Moe

[Fred1609]

Moe I don't see why the lights wouldnt work but the best way to check is Plug em in

[mgtr]

I expect that a Mityvac would work just fine, but many people are wary of just sucking the oil out of an engine. They would prefer that, with the engine hot, you drain the oil out the bottom -- getting most heavy stuff, crud, metal particles (horrors!) along with the oil. As for putting the oil in, they are lots of long funnels out there, including extensions available for the funnel. So with an oil catcher and a funnel, you are in for maybe $15, compared to $100.
This is the old-fashioned way -- has worked well for 100 years, and will continue to work well. The suck-em out approach was started by quick oil change places, because it was, well, quick.
If you have access to a Northern Tool or Harbor Freight you can find everything you need, including a filter wrench. If not, check for those sites on line.
Good luck.

[trainsktg]

I had a dolly with two fender lights and two magnetic lights that went on the tow, both wired at the same time into the existing harness. They were tested across an 8,600 mile trip and there were no issues. The trailer brakes had their own power directly from the battery through the electronic controller.

Keith

[Sequim Guy]

I just use the magnetic lights on the back of the toad, and don't even bother with the trailer lights.

.

[DriVer]

Originally Posted by Sequim Guy

I just use the magnetic lights on the back of the toad, and don't even bother with the trailer lights..

In South Carolina, I believe that folks can get away with 1 light on a trailer w/ no brake and signal. To a very large degree it depends on the jurisdiction where you live and I bet that either BC or Canadian law here will apply.

One of my long time acquaintances lives in Sequim, a former F111 pilot from the RVN era whose screen name is KalRVegas. This goes way back to Prodigy days.

[DriVer]

Originally Posted by moejean

My question is will the MH trailer circuit handle the tow dolly lights as well as the magnetic tow lights. I am not using LED's in any of the lights.

Moe; An extra set of tail lights isn't going to hurt anything. You might want to check but all you should need would be brake and signal on either the tow dolly or the car but most likely not both.

[wa8yxm]

Short answer yes it will

Better answer: Rather than use magnetic tow lights which can grow legs and walk off, or take a bump and fall off, Why not modify the towed either by useing the "Add-a-bulb" system or by puting in a diode system.

Advantage and description of add-a-bulb: This system you drill a hole in the tail light housing (on the side not seen) and snap in a snap in socket with an 1156 type lamp (or other base equivlant) this lamp works 100% independently of the vehicle's regular lamps. Since the extra lamp is mounted INSIDE The body of the car, it is very hard for it to "Grow legs" as I use the phrase (Get stolen).

Disadvantage: Some cars it does not fit well.

Advantage and description of diode light system: Easier to install, You route a wire (Well ribbon cable) from the front of the car to a spot under the dash, there you find an in-line plug & socket, seperate them and plug them into the diode box, Now you use the car's REGULAR tail/stop lights. Again this sysetem is not likely to Grow Legs (less the car itself is stolen) Easier to install, easier to route the wire.

Disadvantage: I can't think of any.

[GSGracie]

I had intended to tow a '95 Odyssey on a dolly, and had the Odyssey modified so that there was a trailer light connection on the front of the Odyssey. A short length of 7 strand cable allowed me to connect the dolly lights directly to the Odyssey and the full set of brake, tail and turn lights were available without using the Odyssey power, just it's existing lights. Had the job done professionally so don't know if diodes etc were used, cost was around $100. Have the same system in my Escudo that I tow 4down. No extra bulbs, no magnetic anything, the only thing that can "grow legs" is the short connecting cable. Very very simple to use.

[moejean]

Thank you all for your feedback. Mgtr- I had no intention of drawing the oil out of the filler tube. I have very limited room under the hood so bought the vac to pump the oil back in the crankcase. This is how a major Ford dealer did it in Montana only he used a a professional system but the draw back is his system was used for all fluids both for sucking out and putting back in. So not going that way again will do it myself.
trainsktg- I thought about LED but had already bought the the tow dolly kit. I am mounting an aluminum box in the hitch of the car (2008 Pontiac Vibe) to store all of my sewer supplies, hoses etc. I do not want these in my storage areas in the motorhome and will need lights on the box. Since I had the lights I'm installing small steel plates on the top of the aluminum box for the magnetic tow lights. I don't want to chance adding too many lights to the 7-pin connector so will go with Sequim guy suggestion and remove the bulbs from the tow dolly. I also thought about independent bulbs in the tail lights of the car but there is no room in the light housing and I did not want to mess with the car wiring to install diodes. So I guess the conclusion to these questions with all of your help is: for oil change, warm up the motorhome with a short drive, remove the oil via the drain plug, remove the filter and refill the crankcase with my handy manual pump, and for trailer lights I'm going to remove the bulbs on the tow dolly leaving only the license plate light. Thanks for all your help.
Regards, Moe

[Sequim Guy]

I didn't mean for you to remove the bulbs, I just meant that I don't plug the dolly lights into the MH, just the magnetic lights. And since there is no license plate for my dolly, don't need a light for it.
And I learned the hard way that the wires running to the rear of the toad for the magnetic lights need to NOT be loose and flopping around on the hood, there were still marks in the paint when I sold it.
Both the Santa Fe and my current Jeep Patriot have roof rails and cross bars, and the magnetic lights fit snugly in the corner against both bars and never budge.

.

[Hikerdogs]

Originally Posted by moejean

I am going to use a tow dolly and here in BC Canada if any item being transported extends 2 feet past the tail lights you need auxillary lighting which is the case with my car. My question is will the MH trailer circuit handle the tow dolly lights as well as the magnetic tow lights. I am not using LED's in any of the lights. I have a F53 chassis with a 2011 32E Sightseer.
Changing your own oil on some of these MH's can be difficult as room under the hood to refill the oil is very limited. I want to do my own since it is difficult to find a dealer who can handle these large units and I don't like the fact that bulk oil is used. Are the dispensing containers clean, who's oil is being used, what viscosity is it, well you get the picture. I think I may have found the solution to refilling the crankcase that is clean and easy. I was at my local auto store inquiring about funnels, hoses etc to do the job when he suggested using a Mityvac model MV7201. They are available on line for under $100.00. Just passing this along in case anyone else is thinking of doing their own oil changes.
Cheers,Moe

The answer to your first question is a definate yes. We did the same thing when towing our Buick LeSabre on a dolly. To make the hookup simpler I added a trailer socket on the dolly. I just bolted the bracket to the tongue and tapped into the dolly wiring harness. I plugged the dolly harness into the motorhome and the magnetic lights into the socket on the dolly. It made setup and take down easier in that the magnetic lights could be easily connected or disconnected. The magnetic lights worked fine for the 4 years and 25,000 miles we had the car. Most come with a plastic or cloth disk that should be placed under the lights when towing. It helps eliminate scratching the paint.

While I'm sure the Mityvac will work fine that's a lot of money to spend just to change the oil. It begs the question, what do you do if you need to add oil when on the road? Do you haul along the pump or do you find another way to do it. I'm sure the parts house that wants to sell you the pump also has an assortment of angled and extended funnels that will more than do the job. I've been changing the oil on our Adventurer for many years and have never found the need for a pump to get the job done.

I doubt any garage that changes the oil will use a pump to install the new oil. The standard bulk oil dispenser is too large to fit inside the engine compartment and into the oil fill tube. Most just measure it into a container with a flexible spout and then pour it into the fill tube.