Clearance light wiring

[Rodeor]

Trying to learn why I'm not getting power to some clearance lights on my 2003 10ft Alaskan.
All contacts at each light have been cleaned up. I don't know the wiring pattern.
Any help?

 

[Bill D]

I don't have an Alaskan but I would assume your wiring pattern is a single hot power cable with each individual light grounding through the camper frame/body.

You are still likely not getting a good ground even though you cleaned the contacts.
Connect each light to a known good ground. If they light up you know your issue.
2nd step is to use a test light and ensure each light is getting power.

Likely you have bad grounds. This is why I chose to run a ground to my lights to a known good ground wire, grounded to the frame, that always remains dry. Grounding each light though the camper body is annoying and constant maintenance.

 

[PackRat]

I believe Bill is correct. The running lights are grounded to the skin of the camper. Since you have some but not all we know the skin is effectively grounded and since the running lights are powered in a daisy-chain, I think if your remove the base and insure that the one screw holding it to the frame is clean and the place where it passes through the metal inside the light is clean as is the skin where it is attached to the camper. When you remove the lens, if the internals are rusted out, then a replacement is needed if you can't clean it up. That tells you water is getting in there and it is an excellent time to remove all of the bases and put in some new butyl tape to waterproof them for another few years.

However...the black wire from the socket brings power to the light bulb socket...if it is broken off then the only way to reconnect it is from the inside where the wiring harness for the lighting system runs....if you have no plans to gut the interior and replace that wiring system then you probably won't be able to reconnect the black wire to the harness. So, no luck with that one!

 

[wagoneer]

Another (unrelated issue) I have is when I turn on the roof vent fan is the running lights turn on along with the fan. It's these little mysteries that make it all so much fun.

 

[Rodeor]

Thanks for the clearance light advice. I have gone thru each light separately, cleaning contacts in bulb & trying to improve contact to the skin ground. All lights working for now. The light contacts are copper & corrode very quickly here. (Near many gas wells) so, I ordered & received a set of new cleance lights to install when the problem recurs. New light contacts are not copper so may be better.
Again thanks.
Wish I had better internet so I could follow more articles here & more frequently.