Newbie needs help with all outside lights(not working)

[sandcsantacruz]

Hello,
I am new to pop up trailers and have a serious problem.  I bought my 1st pop up (99 coleman niagara) and also had a trailer brake installed in my tow vehicle (03 silverado).  I have hooked up to the trailer 3 times. The first to tow it home, and all my lights (brake, running, turn signals, etc...) worked great, so did the trailer brake.  Same with towing it to camp.  On the way back, I hooked up and all the lights are soo dim they cant be seen unless the covers are off and you are staring at the bare bulb.  Also my trailer brake doesnt work when I push the brake pedal.  It only works if I push the override.  If I push the override and the brake pedal at the same time, nothing happens.  I have a Tekonsha Voyager trailer brake and it has a light that turns from green to red to show the brakes are working, and it just goes dim green, almost out.  I tried to follow the wires in the trailer looking for a short or something, but the wires are in the frame, then under the back panel.  It looks like major surgery to remove it.  I used a test light on my 7pin on the truck and everything appears ok.  

I'm sorry to write a book about this, but I wanted to describe the problem as well as I can.   I hope this hasnt already been addressed b4 in the forum, my area doesnt have high speed internet yet so it took my 30 min to look thru 10 pages.

anyway, any ideas on how to fix this would be greatly appreciated!!!!
thx

[AustinBoston]

The first rule of trailer wiring is "When everything fails at once, there is something wrong with the ground."

Grounding through the hitch is intermittent and can work one moment and fail the next.  That's why you sometimes see trailers going down the road with their running lights blinking on and off (and changing brightness).

Make sure the ground contact on the connector is properly connected to a reliable ground on both the trailer and the tow vehicle.  On the tow vehicle end, make sure the connection point really is ground.  The hitch frame is not always an adequate place to connect a ground (but usually is).

Austin

[gager2002]

I agree.  There is somthing wrong with the trailer ground wire.

[sandcsantacruz]

Hi,
Thanks for the help!!!  I checked the trailer today and found a ground near my water heater, connected a jumper cable to it and the truck and eurika!!!! everything works again.  So I will be sure to check the ground on the harness in my truck and make sure it is good, then run another (new) ground wire from the one I found on the trailer to the ground terminal on the trailer harness tommorow.  
Thx again!!!