Trailer Electrics

[jocurran]

Have been away for the first time with our new caravan and found that when the electrics were connected the trailer indicator on the dash did not light up on engine start or when the turn indicators were used, the rear parking sensors also still activated, does anyone know what circuit the D3 recognises when the plug is connected to activate the trailer indicator and what the D3 changes with a trailer connected.
The auto electrician fitted a diode in circuit when he installed the brake controller and also did a wiring mod at the rear to overcome the flashing LED problem, what else is needed?

[dcc49]

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/d3-zone/57419-trailer-pinouts.html

The grey plug pin outs are as follows

12s Plug & Socket Wiring (grey)
Pin 1 = Yellow - Reversing Light
Pin 2 = Blue - Battery Charger
Pin 3 = White - Chassis – Earth
Pin 4 = Green - Power Supply
Pin 5 = Brown - Sensing Device
Pin 6 = Red - Fridge
Pin 7 = Black - Spare

[sniegy]

The trailer indicator will turn on when there is a load when the trailer is plugged in.
But if the trailer circuit is not turned on via IDS then it will not work, It also turns off Reverse park sensors when a load is sensed so as not to beep continuously when reverse is selected.

[jocurran]

Thanks for that Sniegy, I have sent you a pm, as I'm not quite clear about which trailer circuit and what the IDS is

[sniegy]

JoCurran,
I will answer here as it gives other members detail for future reference.

IDS is the Land Rover computer that talks to the vehicle.
There are others like rovacom etc.
If the trailer module is not turned on in the vehicle memory, then it will not work properly. Only something IDS can do.

The flasher for the trailer sysmbol obviously turned out to be the load inserted in line.
There is a shunt pack that can eliminate this & there are a few around.
David Vinycomb makes a great unit which i recommend, there is also a Lee
Burgioux?(excuse the bad spelling). Both do what is required.

Have you tested the electric brakes with the lights on, just want to make sure the second park light cicuit has been disconnected & doesnt create a problem, this will something the auto sparky hopefully has done.

The flasher for the trailer is controlled by the CJB (Central junction box)(Main Fuse box behing lower glovebox)when a load (caravan) is hooked
up into the circuit, the CJB tells the Instrument pack to flash.

Hope this helps in some way again, or even confused you more.

[Bushwanderer]

Hi Jo,
Lee Bourgeois is the contact (principal?) for LABTRONX that I mentioned earlier (perhaps on another forum :angel:). The Company name is Lab Electronics P/L. Their website is LAB Electronics Electronics for the Automotive Industry (http://www.labtronx.com.au).

Best Wishes,
Peter

[powella]

FWIW I have a trailer with LED lights which doesn't trigger the Disco's trailer sensor.

I have a bicycle rack which plugs into the same socket and does trigger the trailer sensor.

Nothing special on the trailer, and I don't know why it doesn't but something funky must be going on in the lights.

AP

[sniegy]

FWIW I have a trailer with LED lights which doesn't trigger the Disco's trailer sensor.

I have a bicycle rack which plugs into the same socket and does trigger the trailer sensor.

Nothing special on the trailer, and I don't know why it doesn't but something funky must be going on in the lights.

AP
Hi Powella,

The LED's dont draw a lot of current, hence why the trailer indicator on the dsah does not illuminate.

I gather the bike trailer has normal incandescent globes which do draw a lot more current than LED's & this is why the tailer indicator works on this piece of appartus & not the other.

Problem solved.;)

[jocurran]

Just a follow up, went back to the auto electrician and he disconnected the load he had fitted and tested the system with his trailer test box and the trailer symbol lit up on start and flashed once briefly whenever the indicators were used but when the load was reconnected with leds plugged in, the led indicators operated ok but no symbol, so have left it like that for the time being whilst I think what to do next (ie spend more money on a differant load system!)
I'm not too sure what he has used as it is all concealed but he has added an additional fused wire, I think rather than using a shunt he has fitted relays so that the original indicator circuit when activated activates the relay which then puts a supply to the led indicator. How do other systems work?
The trailer brake controller is wired the same as the photo in this forum with the 2 park light circuits connected together.