No brake lights on toad

[stockcar57]

I had a light kit installed on my 2005 silverado for towing.
Everything works except the brake lights.
The 1999 Endeavor has separate turn/warning lights (yellow) and brake lights (red).
I was told that the 2 light system needed a "converter box" between the coach and the trailer plug. I described a box on the hitch frame that the light wires go into before going to the plug and the mechanic assumed that was the conversion box. Don't know but, again, I have no brake lights on the towed vehicle.

Does anyone know what I need? What I'm looking for? What I need to do?

THANKS !!!

[skipwil]

Stockcar57:
Look at the wires from the coach going into the box on the hitch. Should be -brown tail lights-yellow left turn -red brake light-green rt.turn -white ground into the box. Out of the box - yellow- l.turn-green rt.turn-brown tail lights-white ground. If the wires match as described this is the converter box.The box senses voltage on the red brake wire and sends it to the yellow&green wires to your turn signals. These boxes do go bad on a regular basis. If you have a volt meter or test light see if you have voltage on the brake wire when the brake pedal is pushed. Voltage there tells you the coach wiring is o.k..Next as the pedal is pushed check voltage on the yellow & green wire out of the box toward the towed veh. one at a time-if the converter is o.k. there will be voltage on each wire. No voltage - change the converter box-should be available at any auto parts store.
Good luck..hope this helps.

[stockcar57]

THANKS !!!

Now I know what to look for. Back to it in the morning.

[paz]

Doesn't the Silverado also have separate brake lights and turn signals? My 2002 did, but maybe the newer ones are different.

I wired my Silverado to use the separate brake lights and turn signals so I had to eliminate the converter box on the motorhome in order for the lights on the Silverado to work right. Same thing on our current Saturn Vue.

Keeping the brake lights on the toad separate takes another pair of diodes, so some people wire the toad lights to use the brake lights as both turn signals and brake lights. If that's the case, you will need the converter box.

[Rick 2005 Dolphin 5376]

Didn't the installer check his or her work before taking your money? If possible, take it back and make them do what you paid them to do.

[stockcar57]

Fixed.

Actually, coach rewired. What I THOUGHT was the converter box was just a pass-thru plug. However, past that plug Itoad side of coach wiring) was a rat's nest of cobbled wires. What someone was trying to do...I don't know.

Anyway, I went to my local NAPA store, bought a converter, cleaned the rat's nest and everything now works.

This thing is a lot of fun but, until I get some of this stuff figured out, it can also be a little frustrating.

THANKS for the help.

[skipwil]

There's nothing more frustrating than an electrical problem. I used to re-wire boat & utility trailers so that's how I knew the RED wire was the brake wire. Simple if the stop & turn are on the same bulb-brown,green & yellow - ground the white one and it all works.
Glad you found the problem.
Safe journeys...