When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
No longer 12v power through 7-way trailer plug, bad plug?
Hey all,
Hooked up the RV today and noticed I’m no longer getting 12v power. All the lights are working as usual (turn signals, parking, brakes) but generally I get actual power to charge the RV batteries / run some equipment.
Thought maybe it was my rV, so I tried my 12V curt echo brake controller and it also no longer powers up.
no corrosion on the plug, before I purchase a new Pollak plug, anything I should try?
You have a blown fuse. This is man cub 101! Check your manual and find the location of the primary fuse. If it’s good then there is likely an inline fuse between the engine bay and the tow connection. You might also check that you have a good ground. If your receiver ball or trailer hitch is rusty then clean it. You need good metal connection for the circuit to work correctly. Good luck. This is very basic troubleshooting. I’m alarmed. Pulling my 9 year old boy out of school right now to make sure he never has to ask anybody this question.
You have a blown fuse. This is man cub 101! Check your manual and find the location of the primary fuse. If it’s good then there is likely an inline fuse between the engine bay and the tow connection. You might also check that you have a good ground. If your receiver ball or trailer hitch is rusty then clean it. You need good metal connection for the circuit to work correctly. Good luck. This is very basic troubleshooting. I’m alarmed. Pulling my 9 year old boy out of school right now to make sure he never has to ask anybody this question.
lol I had a good laugh! But jokes aside, I should have mentioned I did troubleshoot the fuses.
4 fuses labeled trailer hitch control unit in spots 7/8/40/42. All appear fine - one step more I actually took my multimeter to each and every fuse and all have perfect continuity.
I’ve ruled out fuses as my issue.
I have a hunch this time the pollak assembly has gone caput.
lol I had a good laugh! But jokes aside, I should have mentioned I did troubleshoot the fuses.
4 fuses labeled trailer hitch control unit in spots 7/8/40/42. All appear fine - one step more I actually took my multimeter to each and every fuse and all have perfect continuity.
I’ve ruled out fuses as my issue.
I have a hunch this time the pollak assembly has gone caput.
Well then I stand corrected and apologize for being a smart ***. Buy another assembly or barrow one from a neighbor to confirm your suspicion before wasting more time. Glad you could laugh about it. Your likely a cool dude.
Last edited by Diesel4Life; 09-23-2022 at 06:32 PM.
I’m stumped - I’ve replaced the Pollak plug with a new one and still no power. Signals, brakes, running lights work without issue, it’s strictly the 12v accessory power.
I’ve confirmed yet again every single fuse on the left and right side of dash + engine bay are perfect.
@Dingo24 Have you tried checking accessory power at the other end of the trailer harness (in the right rear kick panel)? It's a pita to get in there, but you need to start working your way backwards until you find power... It's possible that harness is pinched along the bumper, or is simply partially unplugged. First, pull the green plug and reinsert it. Then pull all the connector to the trailer module and reconnect them. Hopefully...
@Dingo24 Have you tried checking accessory power at the other end of the trailer harness (in the right rear kick panel)? It's a pita to get in there, but you need to start working your way backwards until you find power... It's possible that harness is pinched along the bumper, or is simply partially unplugged. First, pull the green plug and reinsert it. Then pull all the connector to the trailer module and reconnect them. Hopefully...
Thanks for the input! I have not tried the above, but I’ll take a crack at it tomorrow and see what I can come up with. I’m hoping it’s as simple as that; although I find it strange that everything else works.
@Dingo24 Have you tried checking accessory power at the other end of the trailer harness (in the right rear kick panel)? It's a pita to get in there, but you need to start working your way backwards until you find power... It's possible that harness is pinched along the bumper, or is simply partially unplugged. First, pull the green plug and reinsert it. Then pull all the connector to the trailer module and reconnect them. Hopefully...
Update; your advice worked (or coincidental timing lol) ! I unplugged the modules in the right rear panel and plugged them back in and power started working again. I confirmed that none of the harnesses were unplugged or loose to begin with so I'm baffled this actually worked.
I got a circuit tracer as well to confirm there was no breaks in the wire, and all seems to be good.
Really strange - I'm not sure where the issue is though, but I hope that it never returns. Thanks again for the advice!
With electronics, reseating the connectors is always a good first step.
(At IBM PC service training in Boca, one of the factory-recommended steps was to lift the front of the PC enclosure an inch off the desk and then drop it, ensuring that either the various connectors and IBM-branded daughter cards would be reseated, or that the computer would be really broken!)