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Update! Crazy blinkers and running lights driving me crazy!
Posted: December 21st, 2019, 5:29 am
by Willywalderbeast
See updated issue in post number 3.
Does anyone know off hand where the fuse for the upper running lights is located?
When I had the camper painted Eddie swapped out the upper front and rear running lights with LED ones. Now I’m having problems with my blinkers going crazy while the running lights are on. It’s a common problem when switching to LEDs since they don’t pull as much power. Common fix is to add resistors in-line but I’m hoping I can add the resistor on the wire behind the fuse panel instead of possibly on every light. Any help would be great, thanks!
Re: Running Light Fuse Location??? LED Problems
Posted: December 21st, 2019, 6:35 am
by SMan
There is a Chinook added fuseblock under the dash near the emergency brake. I think it could be there. I am not positive as I am not by my rig at this time.
Re: Running Light Fuse Location??? LED Problems
Posted: December 21st, 2019, 8:52 am
by Willywalderbeast
Sooo I don’t think it’s the LEDs that are messing with the blinkers! It happen at the same time as adding the LEDs but maybe it was just a coincidence.
Here’s what’s happening. The front lights seem fine, which makes sense since the front is ran off the factory headlight harness and the rear is ran of a trailer style 4wire harness.
When I put my left blinker on my right rear blinker comes on! And vise versa. And on top of that when I put the blinkers on and have the running lights on they all flash with the blinker!!!
I snipped the running light wire on the 4wire harness at the back to disconnect the running lights and then tested the blinkers and still the same thing happened so I’m ruling out the LEDs being the problem.
To make it more interesting, the night I picked up the camper from getting the bumper done it was pouring out and the lights worked fine! Could it be a bad ground somewhere??
Re: Update! Crazy blinkers and running lights driving me crazy!
Posted: December 21st, 2019, 10:46 am
by Scott
Now that's a strange set of symptoms.
The first thing I'd do is ask Eddie what he did exactly. You've probably done that already.
LEDs can be polarity sensitive. I'd double check the wiring work, but that's a pain. It sounds like your clearance lights are somehow communicating with your flasher relay through the trailer wiring. But how? Hmm. Odd.
I always start with grounds. Mostly because it's easy, secondly because they seem to be the problem more than half the time ...
Can't wait to hear more.
Re: Update! Crazy blinkers and running lights driving me crazy!
Posted: December 21st, 2019, 12:08 pm
by SMan
Scott wrote: December 21st, 2019, 10:46 am
I always start with grounds. Mostly because it's easy, secondly because they seem to be the problem more than half the time ...
I second that.
Re: Update! Crazy blinkers and running lights driving me crazy!
Posted: January 3rd, 2020, 6:01 pm
by Willywalderbeast
It’s fix!!!
After changing out the flasher relay, re doing almost every ground on the chassis, running a whole new ground to the chassis... It turned out to be the connector on the main 4pin harness

. Of course it’s located in the frame rail above the grey tank so access ito work on it was almost impossible. I ended up running a new harness and redoing the connector ends and now everything is working as it should! I’m just glad it’s all fixed.
Re: Update! Crazy blinkers and running lights driving me crazy!
Posted: January 4th, 2020, 9:01 am
by 68camaro
Willywalderbeast wrote: January 3rd, 2020, 6:01 pm
It’s fix!!!
After changing out the flasher relay, re doing almost every ground on the chassis, running a whole new ground to the chassis... It turned out to be the connector on the main 4pin harness

. Of course it’s located in the frame rail above the grey tank so access ito work on it was almost impossible. I ended up running a new harness and redoing the connector ends and now everything is working as it should! I’m just glad it’s all fixed.
Dang, electrical gremlins stink but congrats on solving.
I have gremlin in my 68camaro that's really stumping me.....all easy stuff ruled out, now need time to really get involved:(
Re: Update! Crazy blinkers and running lights driving me crazy!
Posted: January 4th, 2020, 2:59 pm
by chin_k
Glad that you got this fixed.
Re: Update! Crazy blinkers and running lights driving me crazy!
Posted: January 4th, 2020, 3:55 pm
by Scott
Nice work. Thanks for reporting back.
How did you isolate the issue? What was wrong with the trailer pigtail? Was it corrosion? Was it a simple coincidence that it happened after getting new clearance lights?
Sorry for the questions. Just curious about what you know. Thanks.
Re: Update! Crazy blinkers and running lights driving me crazy!
Posted: January 16th, 2020, 1:45 pm
by Willywalderbeast
Scott wrote: January 4th, 2020, 3:55 pm
Nice work. Thanks for reporting back.
How did you isolate the issue? What was wrong with the trailer pigtail? Was it corrosion? Was it a simple coincidence that it happened after getting new clearance lights?
Sorry for the questions. Just curious about what you know. Thanks.
First I cut the Brown wire which is for the running lights. I did this to rule out the possibility of the new LED clearance lights being the problem. Then I checked all my grounds. Also swapped out my flasher relay. After all that I decided to run a new harness and replace the connector. Yes it had some corrosion, but not bad enough to where I would have thought it was the issue. Yup, Just a coincidence that it happend after the new lights!