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Pigtail Woes


Guest Mac
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I needed a trailer wire connection on my '85 GL SW. I was going to do it myself and then I thought, naw, better not. Don't want to fry the electrics. Better let a pro do the job.

 

Well the pro did a job alright. Half an hour after the pigtail was installed (Hitch-Rite converter), my 4-way flashers and turn signal wouldn't work. I pulled off the converter (expletives deleted flowing like a torrent) and got my turn signal back but not the 4-way.

 

I push the 4-way flasher button in and it's buzzing behind the dash, sending the dash clock to 1:00 and turning on the overhead light in the luggage area of the wagon.

 

The flasher relay's fried, isn't it? Got to be behind the panel because it's not readily visible.

 

What's the _RIGHT_ way to hook up a converter that doesn't fry my 4-ways.

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Gonna take it back in the morning but figured anyone who's put on a pigtail that works correctly might have a suggestion I can pass along to the !%@#$%@%#% "pro."

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Guest bushbasher

just goes to show that if you want it to be done right, you gotta do it yourself. Have confidence in your skills, the only thing that prevents someone from having the skills to work on cars is the attitude that says "I can't work on cars, I'm not a mechanic".

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my bet is your pro wired it as a normal American car

i.e. with the Brake lights are used as turn signals.

The turn signals on our cars are separate and what he basicly did was feed brake light power backwards into the turnsignal /flasher circuit.

Would not be suprized to find your "stop lamp out" waning sytem is functioning wierd also.

 

There is a "magic box" that converts the separate turn signal feed into the turn sig/stop lamp set up used on most trailers and American cars.

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bushbasher's right -- do it yourself. Next time I will.

 

Skipper was right too -- not only stop lamp warning but also flashing tailgate open light on the 2D Dash-Ru, and seat belt fasten light. And that's exactly what happened, brake light power was fed back through 4-way/ts circuit and farked it all up.

 

Took it back and it's fixed, or as fixed as it's going to be. The "pro" put a new converter. With the pigtail hooked up to a trailer and the 4-ways flashing, I get a "stop lamp out" light warning on the dash when I hit the brake. In this mode, the brake lights don't function on the trailer but do on the car. Brake light work on the trailer if the flasher circuit isn't otherwise occupied. Once the pigtail's unhooked, things are back to normal. It's not perfect, but I can live with it.

 

Thanks to all for the assist and the empathy!

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