Gen 3 Towing Thread

“Cowboy Up….”

 

Just got done with a full electrical upgrade on our 2019 Off Grid Expedition 2.0 from the OEM to all Victron Energy, including smart shunt, solar and two Battle Born LifePo4s and a Jackery 200w solar generator:





We also have some interior upgrades planned, but are waiting for parts atm.

We got the tow rig upgraded now and have not had a chance to tow the EXP 2.0 yet:

 

Towing a Mule with your Tacoma? Damn man you've got good taste in vehicles!
My Mule is a Pro MX.

 

Picked up this 7x12 v nose a few weeks back for a moto trailer / sleeping at the track setup. 1190lbs empty. Pulls great around town. Anything over 60 and the wind resistance really holds you back.

 

Yep... a brick towing a bigger brick is never a good combination.

 

I tow a 18’ boat with my Tacoma.

 

Hi. I have a 2016 Tacoma sport with tow package. Been towing every year since 2020 with no issues. Last year I had an issue where the trailer lights would not light up. Reseating the trailer connector resolved the problem. (7 pin) Didn’t think much of it. Thought it was a trailer issue. Trailer has new connector on it, and now it’s not working in my truck. It works on a friend’s truck. So I know the connector and trailer lights are working.
Using a circuit tester on the 7 pin connector on the truck, I get nothing. Pulling the harness off the back of the connector, and using the tester, I get nothing. Verified all the fuses are good. Both in the driver side cab and under the hood.
Following the wiring from that connector toward the front I see two possible grounds. The one closest to the spare tire, I disconnected, cleaned and reconnected, no luck. Seems to me that same ground is also used for truck taillights and license plates lights? If so, I disconnected that ground completely and those lights still work.

I’m new to the world of performing my own maintenance on this vehicle. And as far as electrical, never done it before successfully. Always ended up giving up and taking it to the shop. Was hoping to fix this myself. But need some help here!!!

thank you in advance.

 

Well. I think I figured it out. I cleaned the socket connector and the harness that attached to it from behind the bumper. It’s working now. Need to try it again just to make sure. The male pins are easy to clean on the socket. But how would someone suggest I clean the female side on the harness connection? I used an electronics cleaner and a serrated tweezers to scrub the female connection. It’s working, but I wonder if there’s a better way?
Thanks!

 

First time towing somewhat heavy since “downgrading” to the 3rd gen. Towed better than expected. Just gotta keep the RPM’s up

 

that's about the best way. there's official 'terminal cleaners' that are diamond-grit encrusted, but they're not going to be any better/worse than a serrated tweezers.

Innovative Products of America Patented 3-Piece Diamond-Tip Electrical Terminal Cleaner Kit with Premium-Quality Holster

https://www.amazon.com/Innovative-Products-8040-3-Piece-Terminal/dp/B0062Y599K

Innovative Products of America (8048 HD Fleet Technician's Electrical Terminal Maintenance Set to Clean Vehicle Electrical Connections

https://www.amazon.com/Innovative-Products-America-Technicians-Maintenance/dp/B009TCBVGC