Choose a ground location that doesn’t contain any contamination, corrosion or paint. You will use a ring terminal and self-tapping screw for the connection.
The ground wire needs to be connected to a bare, clean portion of the trailer frame. Figure out what parts need to be replaced and what can stay. If you are only replacing a few parts of the wiring and connectors, take an inventory before you get started. We recommend using a trailer lighting kit to ensure everything that you need is included. Gather Suppliesīefore you get started, you need to make sure you have all of the supplies.
RELATED: How Much Does a Gooseneck Hitch Installation Cost? How to Install 4-Pin Trailer Wiring 1. Here is a picture of how a 4-pin trailer should be wired, however sometimes, the car is wired in another way, so the best and correct way is to always measure the wirings with a multimeter. With the ground wire, you want to use a minimum of 16-gauge. The colors for a 4-pin trailer wiring diagram are:ġ8-gauge wire is the minimum recommended size for the 4-way plug.
However, you should always check the installation manual before proceeding. While the codes might vary slightly between the manufacturers, most of them use the same generic options. More vehicles are using thinner gauge wire and require a modulite, regardless of how many lights are on the trailer, simply to protect their wiring system.How do you wire a 4-pin trailer connector to a 7-pin connector? 4-Way Trailing Wiring Color Codesīefore you get into the installation, you must first understand what every color means. This is safer because the extra amps to power the trailer are no longer going through the expensive electrical components of the vehicle. Instead of drawing power from the vehicle wiring system, a modulite draws power directly from the vehicle battery. A modulite installs the same way as a standard converter except an extra wire must be run to the battery.
If there are too many lights on the trailer for the vehicle's electrical system to provide adequate power, use a modulite or powered converter. Modulite or Powered Converter - Used with vehicles that do not provide enough electrical power to handle the additional strain of powering trailer lights, the Modulite or powered system draws power directly from the battery but still connects to the vehicle's wiring system to determine when to power the lights on the trailer. The converter transfers the brake signal on the vehicle into the left and right turn signals for the trailer wiring system. Five wires go into the box, and only 4 come out. A wiring harness with a converter has a black box built in it. However, there are some vehicles with all-red tail lights that can also require a converter. Any vehicle with amber turn signals will need a converter. There are still additional wires for the running lights and for the ground. A converter will reduce it to a standard 2-wire system needed for wiring a trailer. Some vehicles send only one signal per wire, creating what is called a 3-wire system: one wire for the left turn, one wire for the right turn, and one wire for the brake signal (common on vehicles with amber turn signals). Standard 4-Pole Wiring Harness - For use with vehicles that have adequate power and standard wiring system, these simply connect into existing wires on the vehicle and have a 4-pole flat connector to attach a trailer.Ĭonverter - For use with vehicles that have separate turn and brake light wires. Click to expand.Converter info from: Trailer Wiring Diagrams | Pilots require converter system.