jgir55

Hello gang,

Does anyone have instructions/suggestions on hooking up the converter wiring kit for a 4 wire trailer light? What is the best location and method to:

1. Mount the converter unit.

2. Route/connect the hot lead to the power source (battery?)?

3. Best spot to splice into the tail light wires? Color codes?

Any suggestions and/or pics (what to do, what not to do, etc) would be greatly appreciated!

thx, Jim

oo7spy

Have you checked the manual? I would be surprised if the car wasn't already equipped.

getakey

really? I'd be surprised if it was equipped

oo7spy

I suppose since the manual talks so openly about towing a trailer, I figured it would include the hardware too. However, it isn't particularly clear.

jgir55

The warning is there because you can't just hook the trailer wiring up to the taillights as most older vehicles. You need to have a converter that isolates the car from the trailer current load (especially any shorts). That turns a $10 wire harness into a $50 kit.

The pain is that you need to run a lead to the battery. I didn't want to string it under the car and couldn't find a way through the firewall into the engine compartment. My out was to connect the lead to the center pole of the Power outlet in the center console. I then snaked the wire under the carpet, rear seat and pass-through.

It's a bit of a hack because the trailer lights will not work when the car is shut off. I can't think if a scenario when this will be a problem though. The power outlets are fused at 20A so I'm confident that the trailer current load (at ~ 7A) won't overtax it.

Now onto the rest of the install...

oo7spy

Well, Im not sure any input would have really helped with how fast it was done, but there is a hole in the firewall underneath the dead pedal. L has run his amp wire next to the brake lines and into the engine bay, so those are other options if you decide to change it.

There is a service manual in the garage that will lead you through the blinker wires, etc.

jgir55

Thanks 007. I didn't know about the hole under the dead pedal. I'm not going to trim the lead to length until I've lived with this set-up for a bit. At least I'm getting less timid about removing/re-installing trim panels.

I did see the manual in the garage, thanks. Lots of grey, green and brown wires in the cable bundles and connectors for the taillights.

velobard

Can anyone point me to where to find this manual? We're going to install a hitch on our RL to do a little light towing (~400 lb trailer) occasionally and need to figure out the wiring.

While I'm at it, I might as well ask if anyone has a preference for a wiring kit, complete with the converter mentioned earlier in this thread, or are they all pretty much the same?