Sunline Saturn T1661 Wiring to Tow Vehicle

Musikaldave · 06-19-2012, 01:59 PM

I had to give up working on my camper a month ago and now I've a week off and so I'm back at it! Hotter than heck outside but I'm a die hard so here it goes.

I bought a 7 blade rv adapter from Lowes to match up on my 2001 Ford Escape. You plug the 4 pin directly into the harness and then there are two other wires that I'm not sure where they go.

When I first plugged the harness in, I had some of the lights working, but then slowly, they all started "not" to work and right now I'm down to nothing working.

I bought a new pig tail and stripped the wiring off the old and reset everything in the new one according to the color co-ordination it shows on the base of the new male end. But still, I have nothing!

If anyone can send me information about the wiring coming out of the trailer and which functions operate which lights, I would deeply appreciate it! At least this way I can be sure I have the pigtail hooked up correctly.

Never thought this would be so much work.

Thanks!

**Sunline Fan** · 06-19-2012, 03:18 PM

Hi Dave,

It sounds like the adapter you use bypasses the trailer brakes. If I were you, just towing with an Escape, I'd try getting those brakes working with a brake controller and proper 7 way wiring. An RV dealer can help get you the right stuff to set that up.

If you mean your clearance lights/taillights just aren't working at all, try this:

Take a big fuse and grab the 7 way plug, and make sure the trailer battery is connected to its wires. When looking at the end of the 7 way plug, hold it with the little extrusion key thing (that determines how it can go into the other plug) on top. Stick your fuse into the two sockets closest to that top key thing. Connecting those two should light up all your exterior lights in running light mode. This way you can see exactly what isn't working while keeping tow vehicle wiring out of the equation.

Let us know how it goes. Have you checked the bulbs? There's a chance they are just bad, or else the light fixtures got wet and corroded, causing it to not work.

What year 1661? That will tell me what style clearance lights it is, the ones with push on lenses or the enclosed ones with the two screws holding it on.

Jon

Musikaldave · 06-19-2012, 03:46 PM

Thanks a bunch John! I actually found the problem; the four way round from the rear of the vehicle needed a little jiggle. I have to get some schmutz and put it on there. I've been meaning to do that for a while now.

Everything, so far is working except 3 of the clearance lights on the left hand side.

Also, I'm not getting a very bright blink from the clearance lights when I put on the four ways or the turn signals. The tail lights seem to be working fine.

I'm heading out to the auto store now to get a variety of bulbs to spend the rest of the night testing everything and changing out the ones I don't have globes for with three new ones.

I have a break controller, I picked it up today actually. I'm going to wire that in myself too. I'm doing all this work because I really can't afford to pay the asking price at the RV Dealership for the labor etc...they want $125.00 and hour and already quoted me around $1500.00 to $1600.00 to get it all together. If I buy the parts myself and do the work I'm going to save around a thousand dollars.

Oh, and yeah, it's the 1988 Model with Push On Lenses.

Musikaldave · 06-19-2012, 05:21 PM

My 4 pin plug from the Escape has a short in it somewhere. Just what I needed; guess I'll be replacing that next.

Good news, I have clearance lights working on the right side, and the running lights working in the rear end. I have no reverse lights yet and when I step on the brake, the running lights in the rear end go out! I have no idea!

It looks like this is going to be a two to three day project in and of itself.

EMD_Driver · 06-19-2012, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Musikaldave

My 4 pin plug from the Escape has a short in it somewhere. Just what I needed; guess I'll be replacing that next.

Good news, I have clearance lights working on the right side, and the running lights working in the rear end. I have no reverse lights yet and when I step on the brake, the running lights in the rear end go out! I have no idea!

It looks like this is going to be a two to three day project in and of itself.

There will be no backup light wire, in a 4 wire system. In the 7-way system, it's usually the center pin. Does your 1661 really have backup lights?

Rear running lights going out sounds like a bad ground somewhere...

**Sunline Fan** · 06-19-2012, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EMD_Driver

Does your 1661 really have backup lights?

It probably does; the older Sunlines did. My '86 1550 did, and they worked well!

**Sunline Fan** · 06-19-2012, 09:02 PM

Dave, on the turn signal issue, it may be part of a ground situation, but it also sounds like the light is wired up backwards. I remember learning that one time the hard way, it's actually the bright (brake) light that stays on full time and then the dim running light flashes when it's wired up backwards like that, when it should actually be the other way: the dim one on all the time and the bright one flashes.

Musikaldave · 06-20-2012, 05:46 AM

I know I have a short in the 4 way adapter coming off the Ford Escape. I'm going to replace that today and then see where things go from there.

I bought some replacement bulbs last night and ran some further continuity tests along the left side "the door side" of the trailer, I have no lights or current there at all.

I also have a flasher going bad in the Ford, I'm going to replace that as well.

If it's a ground issue, I still have the back wall open to the camper, haven't finished the paneling yet, so I will have access to the wiring there. Hopefully, it's a quick fix. Just trouble shooting and it takes forever! LOL!

Musikaldave · 06-27-2012, 11:32 AM

Today I'm going to seperate all the grounds in the back wall and run new solid grounds for each line. This should seperate the current from each line and make the lights work properly. Also, for the reverse light issue, I'm going to run a seperate ground to the rear of the trailer to the reverse lights so I can run them directly off the lights in the rear end of the Escape. I'll leave the old line intact so if a future owner wants to hook them back up that way, they can. Working on the brake controller today as well.