Forum Discussion

germanic333's avatar
germanic333
Explorer
Jun 23, 2014

Brake lights very dim

Not sure if anyone has had a situation like this, but my brake lights are dim, I am getting a reading of 2 volts DC, I am guessing I should have 12 volts DC, any suggestions on where to start would be appreciated. Ken
  • I'm not an electrician, but I'd go for the simplest first and check my ground... depending on what type of unit it is, you might be able to get by with just unscrewing the ground wire in the lamp fixture, dosing it with WD-40 and re-assembling it. I'd do the same up at the connector - the WD-40 part. Good luck.
  • Totally agree with RinCountry you most likely have a grounding problem. Try running a separate dedicated ground wire from the tow vehicle to the trailer.
  • poor ground (broken or dirty)
    clean the ground at the lights
    make sure you have a good ground wire on you trailer and tow vehicle(do not ground through the ball. Have ground wires through the plugs)