Problem with brake lights on TT

[jayco]

I have a 2000 Silverado 1500 with less than 50,000 miles on it that I pull my travel trailer (Jayco Feather). A friend advised me on our last camping trip that my brake lights on my Travel Trailer were not working. The brake lights on my truck work fine as do the turn signals. Turn signals work on Trailer as well. I had my camper dealer check for an electrical or fuse problem. They check the pigtail as well as all of the fuses under the dash as well as the ones under the hood on the Driver's side. I was told that they could not locate the problem at any of those places. I then took it to a friend's independent auto sales and service business and they kept it a day and told me that the problem was in the steering column with the emergency flashers. They said that there was a short in the emergency flashers and the system/unit would have to be replaced to the tune of 300.00 + dollars. I have had others suggest that this does not sound like it is the problem. I don not know what they are basing their opinon on and I am not a mechanic. Can anyone advise me as to the reasonableness of this recommended solution?

Thanks,

jayco

[16th hippy]

well, for starters if the lights on vehicle work fine then chances are the switch is ok. have someone hold brakes and try using a test light at the trailer plug on bumper in brake light terminal to see if you are getting power to there. if so then chances are you snagged a wire on something on the trailer itself and the brake light wire is broken somewhere.


P.S. also wanna suggest if a friend has a trailer with same light plug, then hook your truck up to it and hit the brakes, if works problem is definately on your trailer. but would not suggest replacing hazard switch just for trailer light problem. there should be a junction box with 4-5 plugs on it on bottom of bed under truck driver side. this is where the trailer harness should plug into if it is a factory setup. might wanna take a peak under there to see if all looks normal. nice and dirty, but no loose wires...lol. Let us know what you find!

[Sonny01]

First off here is a switch for under $100:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/99-02...spagenameZWDVW
I had a problem with a switch in my 2000 ext cab and bought one on eBay and changed it myself. It wasn't hard but if you look at a Chiltons or Haynes they both show the same picture and both tell you to take the wrong screws out!!! There are several wires that go off and connect to a different connector and you need to remove a bolt holding the main connector to the firewall. But...I don't think it's your problem...go to a place that sells trailer stuff and buy a testing plug with leds on it. All you do is plug it into the jack on the back and immediately the 12v light should come on with the truck off. Then have someone turn on the lights, turn signals, brakes and watch the lights. If you don't have a problem there then I think your truck and trailer are operating with mismatched wiring. There is trailer wiring and there is horse trailer wiring and it boils down to two wires being switched. This is something you switch at the trailer plug unless it's molded then you would have to switch it at the truck...I don't like to do that so another way is to replace the entire trailer wire and connector or cut off the connector and connect the wires to a new one the correct way. This isn't hard either if you watch what you are doing. I just replaced a connector on a horse trailer that the brass center that holds the thing together came undone and the screw turned inside the plug and shorted 12volts to the brake wire locking the trailer brakes up in a construction zone and backing up traffic for miles. Someone trying to help saw smoke coming from the plug and pulled it out. Then they limped home with no connection to the trailer at all.

[Silverado6x6]

I think there is an electrical module just to the rear on a crossmember of the spare tire, this i think has the diodes to convert from a seperate t/s brake to a common t/s brake on a trailer. Also check your CHML fuse, thats the center brake light fuse at the rear of the cab. On the Silverados with an amber T/S its separate from the brake lamps like on my 2002 so it has what i think is basically a diode box to prevent feedback of the brake lamps to the turn signals and vice versa.