4-wire trailer wiring

[Bob Beamesderfer]

I'm sure the answer to this is simple, but how do 4 wires cover ground, left turn, right turn, tail and brake lights? The trailer end is a 4-flat connector, with 5 wires coming out of it. The car end is a 4-flat with 4 wires. ¿Que es?

[Aaron Goldsmith]

Well... Right Light, Left Light, Driving lights and Ground.

[Bob Beamesderfer]

It appears the answer is the trailer has no brake lights; at least they're not mentioned in the assembly instructions. Harbor Freight at its finest. Guess if I want brake lights I'll have to add them.

[Marshall Grice]

why would you need a seperate brake light wire? the turn signals and brake lights both operate the high wattage filament in the bulb.

http://www.accessconnect.com/trailer_wiring_diagram.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

as Aaron said, you have a left brake/turn, right brake/turn, tail lights (the one with two wires coming from it on the trailer side), and a ground.

[Reijo Silvennoinen]

4-wires would also cover brakes......which I have had for years.

In fact, I would think a trailer without brake lights would be illegal anywhere.

Reijo

[Bob Beamesderfer]

why would you need a seperate brake light wire? the turn signals and brake lights both operate the high wattage filament in the bulb.

http://www.accessconnect.com/trailer_wiring_diagram.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

as Aaron said, you have a left brake/turn, right brake/turn, tail lights (the one with two wires coming from it on the trailer side), and a ground.

ON the trailer. The Miata has separate turn signals with single filament bulbs behind amber lenses. The dual filament lamps behind red lenses handle brake lights and tail lights on the Miata. I connected the car side per the instructions and the trailer doesn't seem to have any brake lights.

Obvious solution is to run a jumper from the Miata brake light circuit to the left and right wires for the trailer.

[Christine Grice]

Looks like for the miatas since the turn signals and brake lights are seperate you need to buy a converter kit.


http://www.mainstreet-data.com/trailer/index.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.miata.net/garage/trailerlights.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showthre ... =123637266" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.topdownmx5.com/Trailer.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.hitches4less.com/power-taill ... erter.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Your trailer has brake lights, the miata on the other hand does not have the proper signals to send to those lights. Hence the need for the wiring converter (the wiring on your trailer is good)

[Bob Beamesderfer]

Thanks, Christine.

Aaron and Marshall, do you guys not drive foreign cars with separate turn signals and brake lights?

[Marshall Grice]

Thanks, Christine.

Aaron and Marshall, do you guys not drive foreign cars with separate turn signals and brake lights?

yeah, I just don't waste time putting trailer hitches on them. }:)

besides it's nothing a couple diodes couldn't fix. maybe a transitor or two thrown in for fun. well...and then some resistors. my point is if you would have asked how to wire up a car with seperate brake and turn signals to a trailer with combined brake/turn you would have gotten different answers rather then asking how the 4 wires could do brake and turn.

[Jason Isley BS RX8]

yeah, I just don't waste time putting trailer hitches on them. }:)

besides it's nothing a couple diodes couldn't fix. maybe a transitor or two thrown in for fun. well...and then some resistors. my point is if you would have asked how to wire up a car with seperate brake and turn signals to a trailer with combined brake/turn you would have gotten different answers rather then asking how the 4 wires could do brake and turn.

Sounds like typical double talk from an engine with an answer but no question.

[Bob Beamesderfer]

yeah, I just don't waste time putting trailer hitches on them. }:)

besides it's nothing a couple diodes couldn't fix. maybe a transitor or two thrown in for fun. well...and then some resistors. my point is if you would have asked how to wire up a car with seperate brake and turn signals to a trailer with combined brake/turn you would have gotten different answers rather then asking how the 4 wires could do brake and turn.

Sounds like typical double talk from an engine with an answer but no question.

My sentiments exactly.

Marshall, I realize my question wasn't quite as specific as you required. Christine gets a Starbucks of her choice delivered Saturday A.M. at the SD Div. Aaron gets a rock.

[Will Kalman]

Sounds like typical double talk from an engine with an answer but no question.

OK, I've got your back here, Marshall....
-----------------
A man is flying in a hot air balloon and realizes he is lost. He reduces height and spots a man down below. He lowers the balloon further and shouts: "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised my friend I would meet him half an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."

The man below says: "Yes. You are in a hot air balloon, hovering approximately 30 feet above this field. You are between 40 and 42 degrees N. latitude, and between 58 and 60 degrees W. longitude."

"You must be an engineer," says the balloonist.

"I am," replies the man. "How did you know?"

"Well," says the balloonist, "everything you have told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I am still lost.

"The man below says, "You must be a manager."

"I am," replies the balloonist, "but how did you know?"

"Well," says the man, "you don't know where you are, or where you are going. You have made a promise which you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. The fact is you are in the exact same position you were in before we met, but now it is somehow my fault."

[Bob Beamesderfer]

I'm not a manager and have no desire to be one.

[Marshall Grice]

[Christine Grice]

White Mocha, Non-Fat, No Whip

[Kevin Price]

I'm sure the answer to this is simple, but how do 4 wires cover ground, left turn, right turn, tail and brake lights? The trailer end is a 4-flat connector, with 5 wires coming out of it. The car end is a 4-flat with 4 wires. ¿Que es?

Might ground connect through the trailer ball- no wires? (It is HF, after all. . .)

[Reijo Silvennoinen]

Oh, and Christine is an engineer. :gpower:

Reijo

[Aaron Goldsmith]

My sentiments exactly.

Marshall, I realize my question wasn't quite as specific as you required. Christine gets a Starbucks of her choice delivered Saturday A.M. at the SD Div. Aaron gets a rock.

haha, oh yeah? Well:

[Jason Isley BS RX8]

Might ground connect through the trailer ball- no wires? (It is HF, after all. . .)

Only if you like the trailer lights to blink every time you hit a bump. I am sure Marshall can offer up some overly detailed insight into the conductive properties of a chrome hitch ball VS a multi-strand copper ground wire.

[Marshall Grice]

overly detailed? nah.

the grease would kill the conductivity. the end. heheh