brake light fuse blowing out when towing

I have a 2011 toyota tacoma and I installed the hopkins trailer wiring kit. The lights on the trailer and truck were working fine until I towed a trailer a couple miles then stoped at a gas station and got back in the truck and the tranny was locked in park , then i saw that the abs and vcs light were on. So I unplugged the wiring kit and still no truck brake lights , finally I found the brake light fuse was blown , replaced that and now its fine. It was a 10 amp fuse , do I need to use a 15 amp for the extra power the trailer lights need? Anything wrong with doing that , or is there other solutions? Thanks

 

The converter box that switches the lights from a 3 channel output to a 2 channel output is usually the issue. Remember, our trucks have individual feeds for brake, running and signals. Trailers only need 2 feeds. brake and running. The signal and brake lights are the same bulb.

I deal in trailers. Every converter box has been just shit. If you change the trailer lights to LED's, you might get lucky and have no issues. Regardless, I'm betting on that converter box being your issue.

Later

Kirk

 

A question - does this happen with any trailer you pull or just one specific trailer? If it is one specific trailer I would investigate the wiring on the trailer.

I had a truck that was blowing signal fuses when it was pulling a trailer. I found the problem to be a short on the trailer that was blowing my fuses. Before you start replacing stuff I would double-check the trailer for bad wiring if this only happens when you are pulling that particular trailer.

 

Keep in mind that the truck's wiring is only made to support its own lights. Adding additional circuits, ie. a trailer, to it can blow the fuse. LED's may lower the risk, but a powered converter is the best option. It draws power for the trailer lights directly from the battery, using the truck's light circuit as a trigger.
http://www.draw-tite.com/content/products.aspx?lvl=2&parentid=1500&catID=1535&part=0

 

x2, I kept blowing that fuse with one trailer in particular. Turned out, the trailer's wiring was shot and shorting out.

 

i will be pulling a uhaul cross country in a couple weeks, and the reviews of uhaul trailer rentals scares me a little. what do you guys look at in the wiring to make sure everything is good?

 

With the Uhaul, I just plug it in and make sure all the lights work. On a rented trailer, there's only so much you'll be able to check out. The brakes are hydraulic and do not require anything from the truck in order to operate.

 

Okay, thanks for the help.

 

I towed a 12' box trailer, from Uhaul, from Ohio to Virginia. It pulled well. I had no problems with it.
Inspect the tires for damage and dry rot, check the brakes for leaks, and note any damage to the trailer before accepting it. You will be responsible for any "new" damage.

 

thanks for the advice!

 

Wow. I have a simliar problem. I pull a small boat trailer and it blows my brake light fuse. At the same time my ABS warning light the traction control symbol comes on on the dash. I cannot get the tow warning lights to go off or clear. I put in a new fuse and all works ! What do you suggest I do ? I did find a broken insulation on the ground wire which I will fix. Thanks!
Silvert

 

Got it! Fixed. I read a post suggesting disconnecting the battery overnight to allow the computer to reset. I did that , but this morning the warning lights were still on. I turned the truck off and then on again, No luck. I had to leave so I drove about two miles and the two warning lights were off. Ahh..relief and no bill.