trailer wiring problem??

I broke the wires on my trailer crossing a creek.
trying get them back together. I can not get everything working right. I can get the blinkers but no tail or brake lights. then sometimes tail light and nothing else. sometimes both blinkers work same time.

I have 4 wires
1 wire is yellow and brown
1 is yellow and green
1 is green
1 is green and brown

how do they go together? I think i have tried everyway but the right way.

this should help

https://www.curtmfg.com/towing-electrical-wiring

Trailer lights are an invention of Satan.

brown running light

green passenger

yellow diver


white = ground this may also be the green and yellow as green with a yellow stripe is a universal ground color.


typically a yellow and brown pair will run to the driver side light this does running / brake . turn the ground comes from the trailer typically

the drivers side would have a be a brown and green pair

I will admit I sometimes just buy the new trailer wiring kit and lights when I break much of anything anymore.

25 feet of of 3 different colors of wire is 1/2 the cost of the kit .

a new kit for 30 dollars , attach the lights run the pair to each side and half hour job and done.

90% of the time its a bad ground whenever I have to work on them.

X2 Whenever I wire up my vehicle I run a ground wire from the battery into the plug. Not from the frame. Using the frame always ends up causing problems. On the trailer I run the ground wire to each light by soldering in a short piece of wire to run to the light. I hook the ground wire to the bolt that holds the light on. On each light. Pretty much eliminates problems like your describing. Dont use butt connectors or anything else that crimps on. Solder and shrink tubing for all your connections will eliminate a basketful of trouble too.

x3 make sure , you have good clean ground's

And for a fourth time - it is probably the ground.

Redrill the existing hole or drill a new hole. Clean the paint (or rust) from around the hole. Use a stainless steel bolt washers and lock nut. Use a dab of dielectric grease. Bolt that ground wire securely.

Next step is to wire correctly.

I saw a guy on the internet using great connectors. Strip the two ends shove into the connector and heat. The connector has built in solder and shrink tubing.

Best wishes.

I worked on a tilt boat trailer one time that was losing the ground at the tilt point. Ended up running a ground wire from the front part to the back tilt part. Done deal. They will test your patience.

I agree. It is cheap enough and easy enough ( no snaking wires like in a vehicle) to just replace than patch.

X5 on checking ground.

if you don't own a meter , a digital volt ohm meter DVM saves a lot of guessing

my trailer is all welded , not much risk of loosing ground with welds , however if it is a bolt together trailer separate grounds to each light or ground straps between major frame pieces.

grind around the screw or bolt hole for the ground put the ground down tight on a clean dry , bare metal and paint over it with spray paint to keep it from the weather

You're definitely having a ground problem...white wire.

Yep, dedicated ground to each light.

I would go to Menards or a automotive store and buy a new wiring harness and run new and put it in a old garden hose and take conduit clamps to hold them up and out of the way. You will be time and money ahead. And never have to worry till you back into something or tear tail light off the trailer.