Running Lights Out - Others Okay |
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timpamt
Newbie Joined: 26 Jun 2016 Location: Leesburg, VA Online Status: Offline Posts: 31 |
Topic: Running Lights Out - Others Okay Posted: 28 Jul 2016 at 10:47am |
Picked up our new 2017 R-Pod 179 last weekend. Checked out everything - and I mean EVERYTHING - and had no issues at all.... except the ones I cause myself riding up the "learning curve."
After a lot of test driving on Saturday, I unhooked and set-up for the night. When I left the next morning I noticed right away every time I turned on my left signal the trailer brakes jerked on each time the blinker blinked. I had put the hitch plug from the trailer into the receptacle rotated one pin to the left. No wonder it was so hard to slide in there! Once I realized my error and reset the plug, all was well again!! I went to fetch the camper from storage yesterday evening and noticed the running lights are not working. The bulb on the fender was "trying" - it was winking on and off - then... nothing. The last time I saw the running lighst working was last Saturday, before the little episode I describe above. I thought maybe it was a fuse, but I pulled them all and all are okay. I learned, in the process, there's a little indicator light that comes on next to the fuse when the circuit is broken - handy!! None of those indicator lights was on (except when I pulled each fuse to check it. So I need help! I called the roadside assistance number last night - they promised a callback from a technician - but instead I was told to expect a call today to advise me where the nearest service center is. When I got the call, I was learned the closest place is an hour away, and that I could not be helped until next Wednesday at the earliest. Today I'm going to crawl underneath and see if a wire is pinched or broken somewhere. NONE of the running lights on the trailer anywhere are working - but BOTH brake lights (and flasher lights) work fine - so I'm hoping it will be somewhere near the hitch. I did mount a bike rack on the hitch frame this weekend, so that's another suspect area - although I checked that last night and no harm was done to the wiring harness so I doubt I cut, pinched, or grounded out anything there. I suppose there could be a fault in the plug itself - if so I'll be unable to tell... unless maybe I get some sort of circuit tester to measure the current in each wire. All the other lights and appliances working fine - only the running lights have failed. Anyone else have this challenge? Anyone have suggestions or recommendations? We're leaving tomorrow for a weekend trip - driving during the daytime only thank goodness - we hope anyway. I sure would like everything to be perfect, though, on our first road trip. |
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Tim and Pam
2017 R-Pod 179 - "Little Bear" 2014 Toyota Tacoma Crew Cab |
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Hunter74
Newbie Joined: 09 Mar 2016 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36 |
Posted: 28 Jul 2016 at 1:08pm |
Just to make sure, did you turn your tow vehicle lights on? The lights on my R-Pod (except brake, turn signal) only come on when I turn my truck lights on.
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timpamt
Newbie Joined: 26 Jun 2016 Location: Leesburg, VA Online Status: Offline Posts: 31 |
Posted: 28 Jul 2016 at 1:47pm |
Yes, I had my headlights on. It became dark, and it was especially obvious my running lights were off - a danger on a dark road!
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Tim and Pam
2017 R-Pod 179 - "Little Bear" 2014 Toyota Tacoma Crew Cab |
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furpod
Moderator Group - pHp Joined: 25 Jul 2011 Location: Central KY Online Status: Offline Posts: 6128 |
Posted: 28 Jul 2016 at 2:22pm |
On my truck, the truck has it's own fuses for those circuits.. it is possible, when you miss plugged, that you blew a fuse or two on the truck itself.
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timpamt
Newbie Joined: 26 Jun 2016 Location: Leesburg, VA Online Status: Offline Posts: 31 |
Posted: 28 Jul 2016 at 4:00pm |
Good point! I didn't think of that, since all the lights on the truck are working fine. I will check that out - I hope you are right!!!
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Tim and Pam
2017 R-Pod 179 - "Little Bear" 2014 Toyota Tacoma Crew Cab |
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techntrek
Admin Group - pHp Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 9062 |
Posted: 29 Jul 2016 at 11:50pm |
Plug your pod into your house (120 volt connection), or connect the battery. Take the Bargeman pigtail and a short jumper wire, and using this diagram jump from the +12 pin to each light connection (left, right, running, and brake) checking each one as you go. Might as well check all of them and not just the running lights. If any of them are not working here, there are no fuses from the pigtail to the lights on the trailer so the problem is either inside the Bargeman connector or the wiring. If they all work correctly the problem is on the TV side of the equation - in the Bargeman connector, or wiring or fuses.
Was your TV wired from the factory or aftermarket? I believe your TV has separate orange turn signals? If so a combiner adapter was wired in so the separate turn and brake lights on the TV will operate the single brake/turn light on each side on the pod. That adapter may have been damaged.
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Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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timpamt
Newbie Joined: 26 Jun 2016 Location: Leesburg, VA Online Status: Offline Posts: 31 |
Posted: 01 Aug 2016 at 9:42am |
You nailed it!
Yup - I blew fuses in the truck when I plugged the connector in crooked. I studied the fuse layout in my tow vehicle (TV?) owners manual and found there were circuits dedicated to the trailer connectors and two of those 30 amp fuses were, indeed, shot. I didn't even know there was a fuse box under the hood (near the battery) - I thought they were all under the dash. tip: Don't be shy about checking the owner's manual on our tow vehicle. I thought I could check the fuses without doing any homework - I was wrong about that. Of course the fuses in my truck (2014 Toyota Tacoma) are smaller than the fuses in the R-Pod - so yet another trip to the auto parts supplier. They sell a handy little kit of fuses in at least two - sizes. I bought a set earlier for the Pod. I highly recommend having those as part of R-Pod ownership - I would sell a set with every R-Pod sold if I were the dealer. Oddly, my dealer's part department didn't even have this kit in their store - only individual fuses. In any event, I was able to repair the running lights on the trailer by replacing blown fuses in the TV - just in time for our first big trip - a huge relief! We had a great time! My next project is to upgrade the stock battery with a better setup - probably two 6 volt deep discharge as I've seen posted elsewhere. I probably ruined the battery that came with it - but it might have been inadequate even before I killed it dead. After 8 hours of driving, with the fridge operating on battery to keep our food cool, the battery was dead. The discharge rate was higher than the recharge rate I suppose. In any event, I want to have maximum amps for dry camping, and of course I want the fridge to work during long drives without killing the battery. Lovin' the new R-Pod!! |
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Tim and Pam
2017 R-Pod 179 - "Little Bear" 2014 Toyota Tacoma Crew Cab |
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techntrek
Admin Group - pHp Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 9062 |
Posted: 01 Aug 2016 at 10:59am |
Glad you figured it out. Your battery may be ok if you recharged it immediately, it will just have a shorter life. The problem with discharging it is the wiring from the factory is usually 12 gauge which is too small. Always use LP mode on the fridge and you will avoid that problem.
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Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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timpamt
Newbie Joined: 26 Jun 2016 Location: Leesburg, VA Online Status: Offline Posts: 31 |
Posted: 01 Aug 2016 at 1:53pm |
Thank you!
Interesting about the wiring. Will I need to re-wire to install the double batteries I want? Interesting suggestion to "Always us LP mode on the fridge..." I didn't think I could do that going down the road? I've been turning the propane tank off when travelling down the highway. I would love to be able to run the hot water heater and fridge on propane while rolling. I am obviously a VERY newbie newbie. Can I do that? |
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Tim and Pam
2017 R-Pod 179 - "Little Bear" 2014 Toyota Tacoma Crew Cab |
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CharlieM
Senior Member Joined: 23 Nov 2012 Location: N. Colorado Online Status: Offline Posts: 1797 |
Posted: 01 Aug 2016 at 5:27pm |
+1 on Techntrek's comments. The charge rate from the TV is usually less than or just equal to the discharge rate from the fridge on 12V. Most of us use propane on the road. Larger RV fridges don not even have a 12V option. Rewiring will not be necessary for two 6V golfers.
Never tried the propane WH while driving, but I don't see why not. However, the reheat time of the WH is so short that it's not really necessary. |
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Charlie
Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD |
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