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Trailer Wiring Splice Location / Light recommendations
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fishgo
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 07, 2019 11:04 am    Post subject: Trailer Wiring Splice Location / Light recommendations Reply with quote

I travel quite often with a hitch-mount bike rack, which when loaded tends to obscure the tail lights. I have a 3rd LED brake light in the window.

Who has recommendations for a trailer style plug wiring and splice location? The PO did a brake wire spliced at the left tail light plug socket; GW has a kit and recommends one splice location in the engine bay at some connector point (I have an '83 AC), and I've seen other spliced locations in-between.

Any recommendations and photos of your work that you can share?

I'm planning on adding a metal "light bar" or basically an aluminum bar about 3' to 4' wide with velcro straps and two LED running/turn/brake lights that I can affix either to the rack (when folded up) or to the rack or rear-most bike (when loaded) for additional visibility. The light bar then can be quickly removed and unplugged when not needed.
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bobbyblack Premium Member
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 07, 2019 12:13 pm    Post subject: Re: Trailer Wiring Splice Location / Light recommendations Reply with quote

I have not built one yet, but I KNOW what would be the best way to add a hitch connector to the harness... I found out that the black box in the engine compartment has two round connectors, one for engine and start stuff, and the other is for the tail lights.

I called VC and talked it over with them, my particular 'want' was to get the right connector for the Subi swap I was working on.

Turns out that the same connector works for both above mentioned needs.

This means, if you get a few of these connectors, male and female and make a 'jumper' with a harness out to the hitch, Bingo, you've got everything you needed right in the black box AND you didn't have to splice it. Tight fit tho. But, I'd say worth it.

I'll edit this with the link when I dig it up.

Edit:
Ahh, here they are!

https://www.vancafe.com/803971980-p/803971980.htm

https://www.vancafe.com/803971979-p/803971979.htm

-bobby
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Steve M.
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 07, 2019 3:15 pm    Post subject: Re: Trailer Wiring Splice Location / Light recommendations Reply with quote

The splice locations I used we're all inside the junction box on the left front of the engine compartment.
This is where the wire harness from the front connects to the lighting harness in the rear.
It is protected from the elements and even though it is I still used butt connectors with adhesive line heat shrink to waterproof the splice.

I cannot see cutting open the wire harness anywhere along it's length exposing the wires to deteriorating from the elements.

The standard trailer kit wire is long enough to reach the junction box.

I recently added into it to add another light bar mounted up top on the roof rack.
Going down I-95 a few months ago and in a torrential rain storm you could not see any tail or brake lights mounted down low in the normal location on a vehicle due to the spray kicked up by the car's.

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Unfortunately the turn/brake lights just are not as bright as I want for daylight, but that 3rd brake light is plenty bright.
As soon as I find a nice bright set of lights I'll change them out...I just don't want to buy all the lights on Amazon to find them!
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Last edited by Steve M. on Wed Aug 07, 2019 3:25 pm; edited 1 time in total
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PDXWesty
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 07, 2019 3:18 pm    Post subject: Re: Trailer Wiring Splice Location / Light recommendations Reply with quote

I'd love to see the light bar you plan on adding.
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fishgo
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 07, 2019 3:18 pm    Post subject: Re: Trailer Wiring Splice Location / Light recommendations Reply with quote

Steve M. wrote:
The splice locations I used we're all inside the junction box on the left front of the engine compartment.
This is where the wire harness from the front connects to the lighting harness in the rear.
It is protected from the elements and even though it is I still used butt connectors with adhesive line heat shrink to waterproof the splice.

I cannot see cutting open the wire harness anywhere along it's length exposing the wires to deteriorating from the elements.

The standard trailer kit wire is long enough to reach the junction box.

I recently added into it to add another light bar mounted up top on the roof rack.
Going down I-95 a few months ago and in a torrential rain storm you could not see any tail or brake lights mounted down low in the normal location on a vehicle due to the spray kicked up by the car's.


I'm wondering if this is the junction box? A quick check shows the tail light wiring going into this, not the front right part of the bay. It's in the driver's side back (rear) portion of the engine bay:

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Steve M.
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 07, 2019 3:28 pm    Post subject: Re: Trailer Wiring Splice Location / Light recommendations Reply with quote

fishgo wrote:


I'm wondering if this is the junction box? A quick check shows the tail light wiring going into this, not the front right part of the bay. It's in the driver's side back (rear) portion of the engine bay:

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Looks like you have a different location for the box.
That looks like it will do!

I ran the cable from the upper lights down thru the air vent on the driver's side.
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Steve M.
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 07, 2019 3:35 pm    Post subject: Re: Trailer Wiring Splice Location / Light recommendations Reply with quote

Just another note on mine.
I bought a "Y" connector for the trailer wires just so it would be easy to disconnect the roof rack from the trailer light part of the harness.
That cost me $5.97 at Walmarts and it had the wires inside it connected wrong so lights did not match the original lights.
I cut the connectors off and spliced them to the wire harness.
Another FYI is to get a trailer harness for LED lights unless you want the old style bulbs.

My light bar.
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