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Shane_Belzers's avatar
Oct 29, 2013

Reverse Light Short?

Hello everyone, my name is shane I'm from Mn.

Last week my boss obtained a 1997 holiday rambler vacationer class A for tailgating to our local football games. Everything is great with it except after this last sunday (maiden voyage) My reverse lights fuse continues to short and i have no reverse lights? I work at a dealership so i have had a mechanic help me spend a few minutes trying to figure out why. So far we tested with no bulbs, blower fan off(shares the fuse), i tried unhooking the docking lights which also don't appear to work? And still the fuse pops right away?

Any ideas???

39 Replies

  • 'air blower' ?

    fan for heater or A/C is NOT normally attached to same fuse as 'reverse lights'

    how can 'blower' still work , If you are blowing the fuse

    reverse/backup lights should be tied to lighing circuit
    switch for lights is attached to transmission linkage OR mounted on transmission
    find the switch and trace the wiring
  • Well at first i removed the bulbs and it still was blowing i just was under there for a few more and removed one of the spliced wires and the rest i can't see where they go. I looks like the pass dock light just connects to the driver dock light i don't see where they inter-connect into the system? .. Ill try too trace those wire and see, otherwise I'm all out of 15 amp fuses already lol...

    Well i just double checked and i swear to god these dock lights are just connected to one another? Which is odd... the two wires go from one light down the chassis around the receiver and to the other light with no tie in's...
  • Probably concussions and defense. :B

    Seriously: Disconnect the docking lights and all the associated wiring. I'll bet you have a short or excessive draw through that circuit.
  • Well i just took a quick look under the back on the creeper. at first glance most wires are tied down in flex loom so no rubbing, maybe a pinch ill have to open up some of the tied down points. Also the recessed dock lights appear to have been spliced with different wires at some point some even look to be exposed so I'm going to look into that but this is all odd as they were just working?
  • Im thinking i have something touching as well, they worked when we got it then I'm assuming after this past sunday and 90 miles of driving something is making contact and shorting. Although i had air blowing while driving etc... Which the blower shares that fuse? Unless there are more than one blower fuses, ill have to check my diagrams again?

    Also I'm thinking pulling a wire would be easier as well but if its shorting id like to know as 3 other things share that fuse. Also my dock lights do not function? Bulbs looks good, contacts are a bit dirty but not bad. Dock lights are tied ti reverse right?
  • Pinched wire. I would consider just pulling a new wire rather than trying to find the problem in the existing wire.
  • Too often problems originate at the trailer plug, the plug harness, or where the harness passes across the chassis. Utility knife and flashlight time. Cut open tape. Check where wires touch metal for rubbed-through spots.

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