Running Lights Out - Others Okay

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.

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!

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!!!

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!!

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?