Towbar electrics

[N8CYL]

Just had a towbar fitted with a 13 pin socket. Both trailers I have, have 7 pin sockets. I bought a 13 pin to 7 pin converter but both trailers showed faults and caused indicator faults, occasional brake faults and at times no lights at all. However my more modern bike rack which has a 13 pin socket works perfectly all the time.

I bought another converter assuming I had a faulty one but the same light problem persists.

Anyone know why this might be?

Thank you.

[GreenV8S]

If the behaviour is intermittent or inconsistent, that would make me suspect a poor connection somewhere. Do you have reason to believe either trailer is wired correctly and has electrics in good working order?

[N8CYL]

Yes. If the trailers are plugged into an older type 7 pin car socket, all is fine.

[Penelope Stopit]

N8CYL said:

Yes. If the trailers are plugged into an older type 7 pin car socket, all is fine.

By this do you mean that the trailers lights work on any car with a 7 pin socket or the car they were wired to work on? Why I ask is that it's often the case that a cars 7 pin socket is wired incorrectly and someone then wires the trailer sockets incorrectly to match up with the incorrect car socket wiring

Anyway, you can check using these

[paintman]

Going on from PS's post I do a fair bit of paintwork for a caravan sales place.
When someone buys a caravan from them they always check as part of the pdi that the caravan is correctly wired.
New caravans aren't normally a problem but the used ones can be, either due to corrosion in the connectors or bad connections on the van, the earth being favourite.
When the buyer comes in to collect they check the car's electrics as well.
Not unusual to find that the car's wiring is incorrect.

[tapkaJohnD]

You had a towbar fitted, found it wasn't satisfactory, bought an adaptor, that didn't work, and you still haven't been back to the tow bar fitters? It's their job to make it work!
John

[N8CYL]

Will go back, its just that the 13 pin socket works fine with another 13 pin socket. No issues there. Using adapters, both fail and I cant think how that can be.

[Penelope Stopit]

N8CYL said:

Will go back, its just that the 13 pin socket works fine with another 13 pin socket. No issues there. Using adapters, both fail and I cant think how that can be.

But the trailers could be wrong

[paintman]

Did you get both adapters from the same place?
When you go back to the towbar fitters take the adapters with you so they can check them as well.
If they work when tested then your trailer wiring is faulty.

My own car has the old 12n/12s sockets.
Only issues I have had have been corrosion in the plugs or the connecting pins in the plugs needing to be opened up - the male pins are round with a cross in them & sometimes they get a bit too closed up & need a screwdriver pushing into the end to splay them out a little more so they make good contact.