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LSitongia · 06-20-2014, 10:47 AM

I've nearly finished setting up towing my 1987 Suzuki Samurai behind my 2001 Safari Trek. Wiring up the lights should be simple, but I'm frustrated by a mystery. The Trek has a six-conductor socket with four wires going to it. I've installed the same on the Samurai, using a diode kit from Blue Ox. I've wired the diodes into the loom in the engine compartment at the firewall. The connections are Left Turn, Right Turn, Tail Lights and Ground. TL and RT work. LT is wired up identical, but does not work! I've swapped parts to verify that the electrical connections are right, the diode is okay, the light bulbs are okay. My multimeter cannot tell me the voltage while the light is blinking, but this Fluke multimeter has a graphic that goes up and down a certain amount when connected. When I check the circuit at the Trek, at the Samurai, at the diode (when the output of the diode is NOT connected), the graphic goes up to the max, just as it does in the RT circuit. But, when I plug in the output to the diode, which goes to the LT lights, the level is pulled down and the light doesn't come on. In the RT circuit, the level stays up to the max as it blinks. Something is holding the LT level down, so the light doesn't blink. But, when I signal LT from in the Samurai, it works normally.

What could be causing the LT to fail on the Samurai?

ChasA · 06-20-2014, 04:10 PM

I would try swapping the diodes to the sides and see if the problem moves with the diode. A diode can test okay but have too much resistance in the forward direction.

LSitongia · 06-21-2014, 07:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChasA

I would try swapping the diodes to the sides and see if the problem moves with the diode. A diode can test okay but have too much resistance in the forward direction.

Thanks for your reply. I did try that. The outcome was the same with swapped diodes, so the diodes are okay. I also swapped the output of the LT and RT diodes to see if it could power the light on the other side, and it did not, so it's not the wiring on that side. The signal/voltage coming from the motorhome must not be enough to power the light. I cannot measure the voltage because the light is blinking. My multimeter won't show the voltage.

YC1 · 06-21-2014, 08:20 AM

If you think the voltage from the rv is the issue swap the connections there or just grab a good 12 volt source and apply it to the wire in question. It will not be blinking if you grab your own 12 volts and you can measure away. I keep a couple of bulb type test lights around instead of using the voltmeter. They put a bit of a load on things so you won't get fooled.

LSitongia · 06-26-2014, 04:39 PM

I found that the motorhome already had a 5-wire to 4-wire converter before the connector, under the bumper. That was apparently faulty. I removed it. That was great, because I'd rather run 5 wires to the toad. That simplified the motorhome side, and allowed me to use the simpler (to me) configuration of separate turn signal and brake lights for the toad.

Thanks for your help.