Cannot Find Fuses for Trailer Plug - Solved

ncrowley wrote:
I am having issues with the toad plug. I do not get power for the right turn signal and the headlights. There is power applied for the left turn signal. The bus lights work fine. We are just not getting the power to the toad wiring. The wiring is fine - we have done this checking at the end of the pigtail and directly on the trailer plug itself.

We are thinking it may be a fuse issue but we cannot find the fuses. We have looked at the fuses where the 50 amp external power is plugged in and in the fuses in the bedroom panel and none are labeled trailer or anything like it. We have looked in every compartment under the bus and in the area under the dash by the drivers seat. We have looked all around the passenger seat.

It is a 2004 Newmar Nothernstar and Newmar had us look at the places they normally are and we could not find them. It is on a Freightliner chassis.

Does anyone have any other places we could look before we try and call someone in? I hate to do that because I do not have a lot of faith in repair people.

Thanks.

ncrowley,
Just so I'm on the same page here before I try and answer your issue. Are you saying that you've checked, the right turn, left turn, marker lights, (Brake lights if they're separate) IN THE TRAILER PLUG OF THE RV? And if so, are all of those working correctly? If not, then it's quite possible that you may have what many Winnebagos and Itascas have. That is, a totally separate fuse panel for the trailer plug. And, it will have SEPERATE FUSES for the right side and left side.

But, you'll have to determine if, you have that fuse panel. Our coach, an '04 Itasca Horizon 36GD with the C-7 330HP CAT, does have that separate fuse block. IN ours, it's at inside the last panel on the drivers side. It's the same leuvered panel that covers the dash air condenser. But, yours I assume, if you have one, could be close to that or, in another compartment some place. I'm not familiar with your make/model of coach.

But, if you're getting all the appropriate signals, from the trailer plug, on the back of the coach, then, you need to proceed to the other end of the pig tail. If you've checked this out so far and, you're getting appropriate signals, i.e.right, left, brake (if separate) and tail/marker from the toad end of the pig tail, then it's off to the toad for checking.

Sometimes, the wires on the back of the trailer plug of the coach, can come loose and not make a good contact too. So, maybe a check behind that trailer plug is also warranted. And, in your second sentence, you say you're not getting power for the "headlights". You're not supposed to light up the headlights(of the toad)with the wiring from the coach, only the marker lights. Hope some of this info helps some.
Scott

P.S. Here's what our trailer plug fuse box looks like.
Scott

Another item that could be an issue.
If your coach has amber turn signals and the toad system has combined turn and brake lights, there would be a converter 3-2 style located in the coach. It would normally be located where the coach's wiring splits to the connector.

Converter

Are the bulbs good?

Bruce

Please clarify:
Have you applied power to each of the functions using a jumper from the toad battery to the toad receptacle by passing the cord assembly?
Then try from the MH end to toad lights?
What type of set up? Are you using diodes to the toad's lights?
Have they ever worked?
Does other lights work like the brake lights?
What about the taillights on the toad?
Some rigs similar to yours has fuse in compartment under driver's seat area in exterior compartment.

Your lines coming from the RV send a positive charge that goes one way to the trailer. Therefore it has to have a good ground at the lights. I would check the lights for good grounds,(usually green wire to a metal ground point which may be rested. Scrape the rust off of the ground point to reestablish a ground. Sometimes the bulbs also get rusted or corroded so take them out and check the bulbs and sockets.

n7bsn wrote:
I've never seen a system that had separate fuses for the right and left turn.

Personally (lots and lots of electrical experience) I suspect a wiring issue not a fuse issue.

X2! I would suggest a voltage meter to make sure that the power actually exists at the pin in the molded plug coming from the coach that controls the non-working light. If you have power there, then check the connection to the toad plug and so on down the line.

I've never seen a system that had separate fuses for the right and left turn.

Personally (lots and lots of electrical experience) I suspect a wiring issue not a fuse issue.