The rewiring project got put on hold to install insulation during the warm spell. So, now that insulation is done, I’m back to working on the wiring.
The “safety” wiring (turn signal/stop lights) in the teardrop is somewhat primitive and of unknown origin and quality. My intent is to update the wiring to add running lights, now required by law, backup lights, and the ability to charge the teardrop battery while towing the trailer.
The teardrop was wired with a “flat four” trailer connector that does not provide constant DC for charging, or backup lights, so the connector on the trailer, and on the Subaru Forester tow vehicle had to be upgraded to a modern 7-conductor connector. I’m having Campways, the folks who installed my hitch, take care of upgrading the tow vehicle end of the chain. I don’t have a lift and am not interested in laying on my back under the car trying to modify a wiring harness ;-( And they quoted me an outrageously cheap installation price.
I ordered a 7-conductor connector, 10 feet of 7-conductor cable, and a couple of amber clearance lights from the folks at etrailer.com. When they get here, I’ll start to unravel the existing 4-conductor wiring and see what I can reuse. In the meantime I won’t disable anything in case I have to take the trailer somewhere.
Well, after a small snafu with the folks at Campways, we’re back on track. The 7-way connector on the car has all the right voltages on all the correct pins.
7-way vehicle connector
This connector features LED test lights so you can easily see if the voltage is correct at the connector.
I have wired the 7-way connector onto the end of the cable and terminated the other end at the terminal strip in the electrical cabinet in the teardrop. The old flat-4 connector was actually wired with 6-conductor wire, but with colors swapped oddly. Apparently a previous owner disagreed with the convention (in the automotive world) of using black for hot and white for ground. He wired the common (ground) for the lighting to the black wire in the harness.
7-way trailer plug wired to cable end
I unwired the old 6-wire cable and will reuse it to connect to the tail/stop/turn lights on the galley hatch. Using the existing cable saves having to route new cable through the cabin and galley, and only four of the six wires are used anyway.
I have to install the clearance lights on the outside of the teardrop, and wire them to the terminal strip. The biggest issue with that project is keeping the holes in the sides of the trailer weather sealed. I can just pick up the voltage for those lights at the terminal strip, something that couldn’t be done with the old 4-way connector and wiring.
The backup lights may have to wait a while, because I haven’t found a backup light that I like that will look good on my classic trailer, and is affordable. Apparently prices are set by appearance; those that look best are the most expensive ;-(
The clearance lights are installed, and the old 6-conductor wiring has been connected to the new 7-conductor wiring. The next step is to rewire the turn signal/brake lights and tail light on the galley hatch.