You ever have something really simple. Then messed up and create more work?My right side tail light has been acting up. When trouble shooting it I find out a little glob of solder is worn out and not making contact with the bulb. I take it out tail light and unplugged the wiring harness. I’m going to see if I can solder a little bit on for better contact or maybe I’ll get a new one. Should be no big deal. I get a plastic bag and duck tape to cover up the hole because I don’t want any water in. Slapping on the duck tape, the tail light wire from the inside sticks to the tape, I pull tape back just a little to free up the wire and wire sort of recoils back into the hole. I look and can’t see it. I do see some luan wood. I go on inside of RV to take a better look. The luan is the backing for my closet and underneath the closet there are 2 drawers. Which the drawer fames are attached to the luan. I pull out the 2 drawers and there’s the water heater behind the drawers. So if I can’t fish out the wire somehow I’m going to have to remove water heater, closet doors, drawer slides and frame and the piece of luan just to grab hold of the wire to shove it back out of the hole. Anybody got any good ideas for fishing out a wire that you can’t see or grab hold of from outside?

I would get something like this:http://www.amazon.com/X-Long-Flex-Cable-Pick-Up-4-Finger-Retriever/dp/B006ZEOXJYAnd a small mirror and flexible led light. Check harbor freight...they may have everything.

Take some bare steel wire and form it around a broomstick to make a spiral with the loops about 3/4" apart. Feed it down into the hole while twisting it. With luck the spiral will snag the taillight wire well enough to pull it out.

path1 wrote:You ever have something really simple mess up and create more work Oh yeah, and just how is it that we are related?

How about trying a vacuum cleaner. One with some good suction should pull it right out.

I'd get into this except my screwups are so Laurel & Hardy I fear damaging reader's ribs. The best one was the three way light switch on the stairwell aboard the Kelly II.

Simple fix turning into nightmare/fishing a wire ideas

path1
Explorer
Aug 10, 2015
OP here...

GOT IT !!!

Thanks for all the help.

Must of had 3 hours total trying different things. Finally got it by...

Found brake light wire from the inside. Pulled wire rest of way inside.

Clamped wire with those forceps that have locking notches on them.

Put wire back in and took coat hanger from outside and had wife giving directions to hook hole in forceps.

Glad I learned on the side I did, even though it was a mess, the other side is the shower with no access behind it without pulling it out.

Thanks again
Ron_Nielson
Explorer
Aug 10, 2015
All the tail lights on trailers I've seen can be removed from the outside. If that is the case with yours, remove it so you have better access to the wiring behind the light.
Weldon
Explorer
Aug 10, 2015
Be patient you will get it...go have a beer then come back to it.
davidaf
Explorer
Aug 09, 2015
It's that Murphy guy and his Laws! Never happened to me. Well, today anyway.
FlatBroke
Explorer II
Aug 09, 2015
Fubeca wrote:
I'd just cut a small hole in the luan behind the light. It is in the back of the closet, you'll never notice. There are a lot of ways to cover it up.

Yep, you can cover the hole with one of those blank electrical plates
J-mans_Dad
Explorer
Aug 08, 2015
take you awning hook, wrap duct tape on it in reverse, sticky side out and go fishing.
Should be able to find your lost wires.
rjsurfer
Explorer
Aug 08, 2015
smkettner wrote:
Common wire coat hanger would be in my hand.
Every tool box should have one...

+1 on that.

And there getting hard to find, go figure.

Ron W.
RJsfishin
Explorer
Aug 08, 2015
Forget it, put the lite back on, connect it to the 7 pin :)
Gjac
Explorer III
Aug 06, 2015
I had this same problem when my hot wire from my WH shorted to ground when I turn on the switch. After many hrs of trying to trace the wire and grab it to rewire I gave up. First it went in back of the exhaust vent hood, then in back of the refer not only not being able to see even with the grabber tool which I carry in the MH the wire was within a bundle and wire tied, no way to remove wire from the bundle. I finally just ran a new wire from my DC panel under the MH and installed a new switch in the bedroom and all was well again.
SaltiDawg
Explorer
Aug 04, 2015
{tpc} wrote:
I would get something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/X-Long-Flex-Cable-Pick-Up-4-Finger-Retriever/dp/B006ZEOXJY

And a small mirror and flexible led light. Check harbor freight...they may have everything.

Every sea-going man has one of these in his toolbox. It was called a bilge grabber on the boats I served in.