Lights and towing

rickwe818

My wife and I just recently bought a slightly used 2017 Tag. It appeared that the lights were working when we picked up the trailer from the seller. Ours had been slightly modified with bigger tires, and the diamond plate fenders. On the fenders are amber lights. They were working when we connected, but went off. The whole point of this post is I did still have the important part that being turn signals and brake lights, but tail lights and the amber lights weren't working. After trouble shooting it at home I discovered that on my Chevy Silverado my lights are generally set to auto, but I found out if I want my tail lights and the amber lights to work, then I have to turn it to manual ON. Hope this helps anyone that has experienced the same problem.

Michigan_Mike

I have a 2016 Silverado and have pulled 3 trailers with it and have not had to make any changes in the light switch setting. Your trailer lights when plugged into the truck should coordinate with the truck circuitry and operate the same way the truck lighting does. In daytime hours the lights should come on when brakes are applied, if the tail lights are on, etc. If they are not responding similarly then you have a wiring issue that goes back to the other owners attempts at wiring in the new tail lights or there may be an issue with the prongs on the trailer plug that are not allowing good contact and continuity, etc.

It's been my experience after owning 5 different teardrops now, that you need to unplug and replug the trailer mail end into the female receiver of the tow vehicle a few times and with ample pressure as sometimes they don't make proper contact. I would start at your Silverado end wiring harness, check out the contacts, check for voltage, apply a small amount of electrical contact lube to the contacts and do the same at the trailer wiring harness plug end. Inspect the contacts good on both receptacle ends, check for proper crimping on and attachment inside the trailer wiring junction box beneath the bed storage area if that is where it is located as there have been a few issues with the crimps on the electrical connectors and even though it may look good, if the wires are not making good contact this could create issues for you.

Bottom line here is that you need t trouble shoot things, start at the tow vehicle, check for good connectivity and move toward the trailer end. And as noted, the lights on the trailer should be on as they are on the Silverado, whether it be in the manual or automatic mode on the truck.

rickwe818

I did clean off some gunk on the male end of the trailer plug. That may have helped. I can't test it yet as it's been in the shop, but will as soon as I get it back. I will take your advice on getting a good contact, though. It did work when we first hooked it up transferring it from the sellers to us. Then, noticed the amber lights weren't working on the way home. The brake lights were working when I tested at home, but the taillights and amber lights didn't work until I turned the setting to manual ON. I guess I'm just going to have to keep an eye on it. Thanks for the feedback! Mike.