# Please Help; Need Wirign Help, Schematics, Info



## CrazyAboutOrchids (Aug 10, 2009)

So, we ended up having to replace our trailer 7 wire cord and plug - don't ask. When we rewired the cord to the box on the Outback, we labelled each wire before removal. The original plug is a solid, one piece unit, totally encased and non-replaceable. To see how the original plug was wired, we had to take it apart since when we first tried, we just cut the bottom half of it off to expose the wires, then we realized the wires are twisted inside this encased unit. So we had to break into each pin to see what color wire was at each plug. Fine, got everything wired and rewired, in 95+ degree heat and humidity, straight sun, no shade, btw. Took hours since at first we didn't realize those wires were all twisted inside the plug.

So now most all is working well and we have everything rewired except for one issue. The passenger side rear light works when we turn the running lights on, it works when the passenger side signal light is engaged, but it does not work when the brakes are engaged. Oh, and the light does appear a tad dimmer than the drivers side light even when it is engaged. So long as it worked, dull or not, we'd be happy.

What we've done so far:

-Prodigy shows connected and no errors.
-We switched the driver and passenger side lights to see if the bulb was an issue; bulb works the same regardless.
-Before we realized the old plugs wires were twisted inside the unit, we kept showing a short on the Prodigy and blowing a fuse in the front compartment of my GMC Yukon XL. Since completely opening up the old plug and properly rewiring, we replaced all the fuses having to do with trailering or braking in both the engine compartment fuse box as well as the one in my drivers side foot well.
-We've double and triple checked the connection to the brakes.
-The Prodigy does show brake action when brake are applied, just no passenger light.

Within the 7 wire cord, the blue wire gets plugged into the electric brakes on the connector on my truck and is attached to the blue wire of the Outback within the box on the trailer. This wire also has a black wire fed with one wire from the runaway cable.

The brown wire of the cord gets plugged into the RH stop/turn connector on my truck and is attached to a grey wire within the box on the Outback.

Does anyone have any experience, advice, suggestions on our problem? We are trying to leave on our maiden voyage on Friday morning and we can't until this is resolved. So much for a 'holiday' weekend. Hubby had to work Saturday night and Sunday morning, we worked all yesterday afternoon on this and properly setting up our hitch in dreadful conditions and have been at it again all day today. Wiped, down and really disgusted if we can't get away.

Thank you so much to anyone who may be able to help us.


----------



## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Below is the wiring for the 7 pin connector


----------



## Chuggs (Jun 8, 2010)

If you check out the table on this webpage...

Trailer Wiring

You'll see that a lot of times the colors of the wires for the 7-pole connector have nothing to do with the wires on the trailer. You can try the color cross reference on that webpage...or better yet...use a Volt-Ohm meter to trace the leads.

Verify the white wires are ground...by measuring continuity to the frame of the trailer. Connect these so they work and set that aside as completed. Now find 12V + by using the DC Volts on the voltmeter. Then get a piece of wire with alligator clips on each end...and touch the 12v+ to each trailer wire and label the wire based on which light illuminates. When you have it all charted...connect them to the correct wire on the 7-pole plug. Remember...colors may not always match.

Of particular note is the fact that Green on the 7-pole connector is hooked up to Brown on the Trailer...and Brown on the 7-pole connector is hooked up toe Green on the Trailer. Try starting there...and I thing the rest will come together. Your Blue for the trailer brakes are correct so you don't have to change that.

Hope that idea helps and gets you on the road safely! Cheers!!


----------



## CrazyAboutOrchids (Aug 10, 2009)

Thanks for that Andy, but that's not how the GMC is wired.

Your tails lights brown = my positive connection so we wired black because the outback is positive connection to the battery is wired black.
Your left turn yellow is my RH stop / turn connection which is wired to the brown wire of the 7 wire cord which si connected to a grey wire in the Outback.
Your ground white connection is my electric brake connection which we wired to the blue wire of the cord and the blue wire of the Outback. Tehre was also a wire coming off the breakaway wired to the blue wire of the Outback so we repeated that.
Your electric lights blue is my negative connection so we wired to the white of the 7 wire and the white connections of the Outback.
Your right turn green is my LH turn stop; we wired to the red wire of the 7 wire and the red connections of the Outback.
Your 12V black is my running lamps which we wired to the green of the 7 cord and the green of the Outback.
Your auxillary orange is my backup lamps yellow which we wired to the yellow of the 7 cord which is isn't wired to anything in the outback since it is not equiped with backup lamps.

My problem is that no connections are loose, no connections are in error, everythign works except the light does not turn on when the brakes are engaged - the brakes are engaging. The bulb works, the wiring works, just the bulb doesn't come on for one of its 3 functions.

I may have to call Keystone in the morning to find out the schematics of the Outback; particularly that grey wire.


----------



## CrazyAboutOrchids (Aug 10, 2009)

Thanks Chuggs, that is close to my wiring, I just can't figure out why the one bulb which should light in all three functions (running lamps, braking, signal) is not coming on while braking. The brakes are functioning, just no brake light. It has to be something with the wiring of the outback once it leaves that front junction box, which of course, we cannot follow because of the enclosed underbelly.


----------



## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

CrazyAboutOrchids said:


> Thanks for that Andy, but that's not how the GMC is wired.
> 
> Your tails lights brown = my positive connection so we wired black because the outback is positive connection to the battery is wired black.
> Your left turn yellow is my RH stop / turn connection which is wired to the brown wire of the 7 wire cord which si connected to a grey wire in the Outback.
> ...


The image I attached is the industry standard not sure why you are finding your truck is wired differently. Without standards each trailer would have to be wired to match the different trucks. You may want to look at your truck again. Also the drawing is from the back of the plugs (where the wires are actually connected) and note the pin numbers, you should find them stamped on the plugs to use as a way to verify the connection.

As for the aux it is normally the back up lights but as you found there is nothing connected to this on the trailer as it does not have back up lights.


----------



## Chuggs (Jun 8, 2010)

My mistake...I was looking for the easy fix. I remember how dumbfounded I was to find out that the people that make trailers and the people that make 7-pole wiring plugs...just couldn't get together on the same standard. I jumped to the conclusion that you may have fallen for that...and put brown to brown, etc...

I figured it might be hard to tell if when you hit the brakes...is that light a brake light...or turn signal, since they're usually housed in the same light fixture.

Another trouble shooting technique is to pull both tail lights off the back of the camper and swap them. IF the problem migrates with the light...you have a problem in the fixture. If it stays where it is...the problem is in the wiring through the chassis.

Still scratchin' my head... hmmmm Are these LED lights? We haven't picked up our Outback yet (JUL14!!! can't wait) So I'm not sure what they use...


----------



## Chuggs (Jun 8, 2010)

I've had one more issue with trailer wiring. And after I figured out what it was it all made sense.

We used to tent camp a lot...and when we had a Ford Expedition...everything fit. Well...my wife got rid of the '97 Expedition for a '10 RAV4. Wow...no place to put all our stuff. So, we opted to get a Wells Cargo trailer to put our camping stuff in. Toyota's owner's manual requires trailer brakes on anything bigger than 600 lbs to be towed behind the RAV4...so I put trailer brakes on...and I installed the hitch, and all the wiring myself. Everything was working jim dandy. Then I decided to put some E-track inside the trailer to help secure heavy articles that might shift (beer kegs?) We took a trip to Georgia shortly thereafter. I couldn't get the lights to work!

This is what would happen. I would couple the trailer to the car...hook up the trailer...and with the car running test the lights. Wow...they don't work. Then I'd take a test light and go to the connector on the RAV4...they don't work. Hmmm must be a problem with the RAV4, right? Nope... One of the screws that I used to put the E-track in shorted one of the trailer light wires. When the RAV4's trailer light module detected the short...it would shut down to protect the vehicle. It's actually designed to do that. Funny thing is...if you disconnect the trailer...and turn the car off and back on again...all the lights tested correctly at the hitch plug again...as the module would reset itself. You can only imagine how confounded I was.

I only bring it up to ask... Have you put any screws in your camper anywhere that might hit some wires??

sorry for the long winded story...


----------



## CrazyAboutOrchids (Aug 10, 2009)

Hey, any ideas are welcome! I did contact Keystone and now have the wiring schematics for Keystone products. Woman told me they haven't changed them for years and they are the same for many models. Please note the wiring of the Bargman 7 way plug which is as we wired it, as was wired on the factory plug and which matches the set up of the harness of my GMC.


----------



## CrazyAboutOrchids (Aug 10, 2009)

Cool! The attachment worked. Thought it may be useful in case anyone else ever tries to do any wiring on their Outback.


----------



## arotundo (Jan 2, 2011)

CrazyAboutOrchids said:


> Cool! The attachment worked. Thought it may be useful in case anyone else ever tries to do any wiring on their Outback.










Thank You!


----------

