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Old 08-09-2020, 03:28 PM   #1
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Hitch plug issues

I have a 2019 Tiffin Wayfarer Sprinter. I am using a Blue Ox tow system. Everything worked fine for a while. The last time I hooked up the toad the left turn signal and break light would not come on. Right one worked fine.
When I hooked up to another vehicle everything worked so it not the toad or the power line.

What should I look for in the Sprinter hitch? What might make it stop working fully?

Thanks
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Old 08-09-2020, 03:31 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jrcorvette View Post
I have a 2019 Tiffin Wayfarer Sprinter. I am using a Blue Ox tow system. Everything worked fine for a while. The last time I hooked up the toad the left turn signal and break light would not come on. Right one worked fine.
When I hooked up to another vehicle everything worked so it not the toad or the power line.

What should I look for in the Sprinter hitch? What might make it stop working fully?

Thanks
Figure out which pin/socket position supplies power/control to the lights that aren't working, and examine the umbilical receiver on the Sprinter for bent pins, dirt, and corrosion. If the pin diagram isn't in your manuals somewhere you might have to check with Mercedes or some place like e-Trailer or similar. They should know which pin/socket runs what.
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Old 08-09-2020, 05:26 PM   #3
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jrcorvette-

On a standard 7-pin RV hitch connector, the left turn/stop signal appears on the 9 o'clock pin. See this link for a diagram.
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Old 08-10-2020, 07:10 AM   #4
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Mercedes uses a Canbus system on the trailer plug so forget your volt meter. The system is setup to work with incandescent lights and LED bulbs are an issue - unless the proper resistors are installed.

Suggest you make (or buy) a test light to check the circuits. The connections (and possibly the fuses) are under the driver's seat.
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Old 08-10-2020, 07:14 PM   #5
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Mercedes uses a Canbus system on the trailer plug so forget your volt meter. The system is setup to work with incandescent lights and LED bulbs are an issue - unless the proper resistors are installed.

Suggest you make (or buy) a test light to check the circuits. The connections (and possibly the fuses) are under the driver's seat.
I ordered a test light on Amazon. Waiting delivery.
When the set up my tow car they had to install 12v lights because the system would not work on a 2020 car.
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Old 08-11-2020, 07:45 AM   #6
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You car probably has LED lights which do not generate enough current draw to activate the Canbus system. Might just be easier to use a set of Harbor Freight trailer lights mounted on a bar or suction cups and mounted on your trunk lid.
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Old 08-12-2020, 05:58 AM   #7
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You car probably has LED lights which do not generate enough current draw to activate the Canbus system. Might just be easier to use a set of Harbor Freight trailer lights mounted on a bar or suction cups and mounted on your trunk lid.
Yes you are correct however when they installed my BlueOx system they also installed 12v bulbs in the taillights. Everything worked fine until las week. The issue is in the wiring on the MH not the tow car. I can’t use add-on lights because of the braking system Stay-n-Play needs power from the MH.

Thanks
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Old 08-12-2020, 06:44 AM   #8
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jrcorvette-

When our toad would not display the right turn/stop signal, it was because the blade on the coach's 7-pin connector had been bent/compressed such that it no longer made reliable contact with the socket in the umbilical. There's a side-load on the umbilical in our installation that makes this problem more likely.

It's worth checking your coach's left turn/stop blade condition as you await the test light delivery.

I would have mentioned this in my first post, but I figured "Winterbagoal" had covered it in his prior post.
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Old 08-12-2020, 07:39 AM   #9
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Yes you are correct however when they installed my BlueOx system they also installed 12v bulbs in the taillights. Everything worked fine until las week. The issue is in the wiring on the MH not the tow car. I can’t use add-on lights because of the braking system Stay-n-Play needs power from the MH.

Thanks
You should never wire your braking system into the motorhome. If, god forbid, you ever had a separation of the towed car, the emergency braking system can not be activated. Why, the power plug has been disconnected. Wire a fused line from the car battery to your Stay & Play. If you need to, you can add a battery charger to the car (powered by the motorhome).
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Old 08-12-2020, 07:48 AM   #10
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Check the ground line to the towed.
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Old 08-16-2020, 03:34 PM   #11
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Clean the connectors both on RV 7 pin and the cable, I coat with dielectric grease to prevent corrosion. This Mercedes pub may help with the wiring. (Brake controller is for a trailer, but wiring harness info applies to the 7 pin connector)
http://www.sprinter-rv.com/wp-conten...ntrol-Prep.pdf
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Old 08-20-2020, 02:34 PM   #12
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I've had some problems with my trailer(toad) wiring with my 2020 Wayfarer RW on the Sprinter 2019 chassis too. It started with a message on the Sprinter dash that stated something like "left trailer light..." We found the lights on the toad, which were separate lights and not the toads lights worked fine though. Then after driving through some nasty storms, the trailer lights started acting really weird. One started a rapid flashing, and progressed to the point where both lights remained on and didn't get brighter when brakes were applied. After camping in the same location for over a week, and then checking them, they seemed to work fine again. On the way home, again through some heavy rain, they acted up again. I even tried a spare set of portable trailer lights and they too didn't work properly. Once I got home and started checking I found the plug, under the RV, where Tiffin adds an extension cord to the Mercedes trailer plug, which then extends it to the rear bumper area, had water in it. I drained it out and dried it up and plugged it back together. Things worked fine for a while and then acted up again, sometimes with just that dash message of "left trailer light ... " or sometimes "right trailer light..." Checking the plug junction, I found more water in it. Once drained again and dried out, things went back to normal. This plug, where the extension harness connects to was hanging down under the chassis, so I tie wrapped it up so the connector opening faced down, versus before, where it was facing up, so any water could have a better chance of draining. I also wrapped a plastic bag around it as best I could. Seems to be doing ok now, but we haven't used it much since last year and it also hasn't been driven in any rain since I "bagged" it.


You might try disconnecting this plug to see if you have any water in it. I don't know if this is a common problem or not, but would be interested in hearing from anyone else if they have gotten water in this plug. My thinking is that the connector for the charge wire in the plug was providing some power to one of the other pins in the connector, so the system thinks one of the lights is on. When it really flooded with water, it actually caused both tail lights on the toad to light up all the time.


I'm also not sure, after I drained and dried it the first time, why more water was found in that connector again, as I didn't drive it in any rain. My guess it that the additional water came from the wiring harness casing. I also wondered if the water is getting in that casing for the harness near the front of the Sprinter and running back to the connector. I haven't tried tracing the harness on the Sprinter to the front to see if that is a possibility.
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Old 08-21-2020, 04:42 AM   #13
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I've had some problems with my trailer(toad) wiring with my 2020 Wayfarer RW on the Sprinter 2019 chassis too. It started with a message on the Sprinter dash that stated something like "left trailer light..." We found the lights on the toad, which were separate lights and not the toads lights worked fine though. Then after driving through some nasty storms, the trailer lights started acting really weird. One started a rapid flashing, and progressed to the point where both lights remained on and didn't get brighter when brakes were applied. After camping in the same location for over a week, and then checking them, they seemed to work fine again. On the way home, again through some heavy rain, they acted up again. I even tried a spare set of portable trailer lights and they too didn't work properly. Once I got home and started checking I found the plug, under the RV, where Tiffin adds an extension cord to the Mercedes trailer plug, which then extends it to the rear bumper area, had water in it. I drained it out and dried it up and plugged it back together. Things worked fine for a while and then acted up again, sometimes with just that dash message of "left trailer light ... " or sometimes "right trailer light..." Checking the plug junction, I found more water in it. Once drained again and dried out, things went back to normal. This plug, where the extension harness connects to was hanging down under the chassis, so I tie wrapped it up so the connector opening faced down, versus before, where it was facing up, so any water could have a better chance of draining. I also wrapped a plastic bag around it as best I could. Seems to be doing ok now, but we haven't used it much since last year and it also hasn't been driven in any rain since I "bagged" it.


You might try disconnecting this plug to see if you have any water in it. I don't know if this is a common problem or not, but would be interested in hearing from anyone else if they have gotten water in this plug. My thinking is that the connector for the charge wire in the plug was providing some power to one of the other pins in the connector, so the system thinks one of the lights is on. When it really flooded with water, it actually caused both tail lights on the toad to light up all the time.


I'm also not sure, after I drained and dried it the first time, why more water was found in that connector again, as I didn't drive it in any rain. My guess it that the additional water came from the wiring harness casing. I also wondered if the water is getting in that casing for the harness near the front of the Sprinter and running back to the connector. I haven't tried tracing the harness on the Sprinter to the front to see if that is a possibility.
My issue was also with the connection from MB to the Tiffin extension. I unplugged and reseated the plug. I did not see any water in it but it was hanging low so I zip tied it up. Now I will go back and try to water proof it with some gorilla tape!

Thanks for your great reply. I am going to sent Trent Tiffin an email about this issue. You might want to do the same. Do you mind if I share your story on the Wayfarer Facebook forum?

Thanks
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Old 08-21-2020, 05:44 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Travelino View Post
I've had some problems with my trailer(toad) wiring with my 2020 Wayfarer RW on the Sprinter 2019 chassis too. It started with a message on the Sprinter dash that stated something like "left trailer light..." We found the lights on the toad, which were separate lights and not the toads lights worked fine though. Then after driving through some nasty storms, the trailer lights started acting really weird. One started a rapid flashing, and progressed to the point where both lights remained on and didn't get brighter when brakes were applied. After camping in the same location for over a week, and then checking them, they seemed to work fine again. On the way home, again through some heavy rain, they acted up again. I even tried a spare set of portable trailer lights and they too didn't work properly. Once I got home and started checking I found the plug, under the RV, where Tiffin adds an extension cord to the Mercedes trailer plug, which then extends it to the rear bumper area, had water in it. I drained it out and dried it up and plugged it back together. Things worked fine for a while and then acted up again, sometimes with just that dash message of "left trailer light ... " or sometimes "right trailer light..." Checking the plug junction, I found more water in it. Once drained again and dried out, things went back to normal. This plug, where the extension harness connects to was hanging down under the chassis, so I tie wrapped it up so the connector opening faced down, versus before, where it was facing up, so any water could have a better chance of draining. I also wrapped a plastic bag around it as best I could. Seems to be doing ok now, but we haven't used it much since last year and it also hasn't been driven in any rain since I "bagged" it.


You might try disconnecting this plug to see if you have any water in it. I don't know if this is a common problem or not, but would be interested in hearing from anyone else if they have gotten water in this plug. My thinking is that the connector for the charge wire in the plug was providing some power to one of the other pins in the connector, so the system thinks one of the lights is on. When it really flooded with water, it actually caused both tail lights on the toad to light up all the time.


I'm also not sure, after I drained and dried it the first time, why more water was found in that connector again, as I didn't drive it in any rain. My guess it that the additional water came from the wiring harness casing. I also wondered if the water is getting in that casing for the harness near the front of the Sprinter and running back to the connector. I haven't tried tracing the harness on the Sprinter to the front to see if that is a possibility.

We towed a small cargo trailer in heavy rain and felt it tugging. Kind of like what you experience with a gas engine that has wet wires and the plugs are missing. It turned out that water entered into the connector and shorted out the brakes, and possibly more. Ended up wrapping the connector in a plastic bag with tape to keep it dry. Eventually, drilled a small hole in the bottom to let water drain.
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