trailer lights on all the time?

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dnuccio

New member
have a 04 dodge dakota quad cab 4.7 with the factory tow package. towing a small utility trailer today, i noticed that when the trailer is plugged in, the trailer lights are on all the time, even with the ignition off and the truck's lights off. i have the factory 7 pin plug on the truck and im using a mopar 7 to 4 pin adapter. is this normal for the lights to be on all the time? some sort of safety deal? or is there something wrong with the wiring on my truck? its kind of a pain to have to unplug the trailer every time i shut the truck off so it doesn't drain the battery.
 
Theres got to be a shorted wire somewhere, probably with the truck. You can get a test light and see if you have power at one of the pins on the truck. There should be no power to the trailer when everything is off.
 
Have you try the trailer hooked up to another truck to see if the flat 4 pin is wired right? I don't think it is the truck
 
GeorgeHenry said:
Have you try the trailer hooked up to another truck to see if the flat 4 pin is wired right? I don't think it is the truck
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yes, ive towed the trailer numerous times with my 95 grand cherokee and it doesnt do this. the jeep has a factory tow package with 7 way too. using the same adapter. the trailer is also towed with my uncles 2012 wrangler, no problems there either.
 
Ohh Daniel now I see the problem. This is the new too you vehicle that replaces the ol overheated jeep.
Have you towed any thing with the new vehicle besides the trailer? First you need to check out the new tow vehicle.
It is after all an 04 so plenty of time for some one to alter something, be it factory installed or not.
 
could be someone wired trucks 7 pin connector wrong have seen some crazy things people do in 20 years working on vehicles. you know it works with other vehicles now you need a test light and check pins at your adapter and make sure what pin is suppose to power your park lights and turn signals and make sure they are not crossed up .usually brown is park lamps and green and yellow run turn signals
 
To get an answer, I think you need to give us the definition of what is all on is. ... :)

When you say 'all', does it mean side marker lights, brake lights, tail lights and licence plate light? It's really easy to answer if we know.
 
You've got a hot wire running thru the plug to the trailer plug or the truck is wired wrong just because it's factory doesn't mean it's right. My dad has been in trailer business 29 years and I've seen this numerous times.
 
paulkish said:
To get an answer, I think you need to give us the definition of what is all on is. ... :)

When you say 'all', does it mean side marker lights, brake lights, tail lights and licence plate light? It's really easy to answer if we know.
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the tail lights on the trailer. this trailer only has tail lights, no side markers or anything else. brake lights and turn signals work normally
 
figured it out. there was a short within the 7 way plug. i unplugged the connector (that goes to the vehicle harness) from the back of the 7 way and probed the pins with a test light, and only 1 pin came up hot. plugged it back in, probed the pins in the 7 way, 2 pins came up hot; the 12v aux power pin (that should always be hot) and the running lights pin! my dads buddy (the parts manager at the local dodge dealer) had a NOS 7 way plug sitting on the shelf collecting dust, he gave me for 5 bucks and all is working right now!
 
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