A wee inkling of an idea - Escape Trailer Owners Community
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×

Go Back   Escape Trailer Owners Community > Escape Tech > Towing and Hitching
Click Here to Login
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 07-02-2013, 06:25 PM   #1
Senior Member
 
gbaglo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Trailer: 2009 Escape 17B 2020 Toyota Highlander XLE
Posts: 17,136
A wee inkling of an idea

Next time I hook up, I'm going to connect the wiring harness to the tow and test the lights, before I attach the safety chains, the break away cable and the WDHitch bars, so I don't have to unhitch it all to drive to the store to buy a turn-signal bulb.
__________________
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
- Bertolt Brecht
gbaglo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-02-2013, 06:31 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
Bruce Wray's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Pollock Pines, California
Trailer: 2009 Escape 19
Posts: 453
Whenever Murphy gets the chance, he will whap you upside the head with his Law.

Bruce
Bruce Wray is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-02-2013, 06:54 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
KarenH's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Bellingham and Glacier, Washington
Trailer: 2013 Escape 15A
Posts: 2,051
Send a message via Skype™ to KarenH
It seems so obvious in hindsight but then I've never had to drive to the store to get a bulb. Thanks for the inkling...will try to remember.
__________________
Karen Hulford
2013 Escape 15A, "Egbert"
'93 Ford 150 XLT or
'22 GMC Acadia Denali
KarenH is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-02-2013, 07:12 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
kstock11's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Asheville, North Carolina
Trailer: 2014 Escape 19
Posts: 895
Whenever I need to replace a bulb, I always replace two. The one that is burned out plus the one on the opposite side. If one is out, the other one is probably also due and the time to change the second goes really quickly.
kstock11 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-02-2013, 07:28 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
cpaharley2008's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Central, Pennsylvania
Trailer: Escape#5 2022 E19
Posts: 26,268
you can take a piece of 14/2 electrical wire, single strand, bend into a "U" shaped and connect the top 2 connectors on your trailer plug on your trailer, NOT YOUR TOW VEHICLE, when I say top. the top part that fits into your tow vehicle and has the little bump that holds it in place, this will turn your lights on the trailer and this is how people leave their unit all lit up.
__________________
Jim
Sometime life gets in the way of living.......
cpaharley2008 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-02-2013, 08:07 PM   #6
Senior Member
 
float5's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Denison, Texas
Trailer: 2015 21'; 2011 19' sold; 4Runner; ph ninezero3 327-27ninefour
Posts: 5,136
We thought we needed bulbs in our left turn signal when it did not work. Problem was, there is silicone holding the plastic light cover in place. My husband did not want to remove it when we were out in the middle of nowhere, so we started to go on.

Then it dawned on me that the last time it happened, we suspected the brake controller. The controller company told us to move the left signal pin in the connection for the lights that goes back to the Escape. We did and that fixed it. Of course, couldn't find the diagram as to which was for the left recently so moved all of the pins outward. This has happened several times now and that is how we always fix it. Good thing we didn't remove that silicone for nothing and have exposed lights --- and they still would not have worked after replacing bulbs if we had gone out of our way for that. Some others may have this problem instead of bad bulbs. Easy fix. I wonder if others have the silicone holding the plastic cover.
__________________
Cathy. Floating Cloud
"Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.... "
Emerson
float5 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-02-2013, 08:26 PM   #7
Senior Member
 
gbaglo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Trailer: 2009 Escape 17B 2020 Toyota Highlander XLE
Posts: 17,136
Silicone sounds weird to me. There are two tabs, one on each side of the lens on mine. Press one in and pull the lens.
I replaced the bulb, didn't work. I cleaned the contacts, didn't work. I messed with the connection at the tow, didn't work. I messed with the connection again, and now it works. I think I need to clean the contacts, male and female at the tow. And I will. I promise.
Meantime, I now have spare bulbs.
__________________
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
- Bertolt Brecht
gbaglo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-02-2013, 09:16 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
Bruce Wray's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Pollock Pines, California
Trailer: 2009 Escape 19
Posts: 453
And lube them with dielectric grease.

Bruce
Bruce Wray is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-02-2013, 10:28 PM   #9
Senior Member
 
gbaglo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Trailer: 2009 Escape 17B 2020 Toyota Highlander XLE
Posts: 17,136
I looked it up earlier:

The key sentence is:
It is not recommended to be applied to the actual electrical conductive contacts of the connector because it could interfere with the electrical signals passing through the connector in cases where the contact pressure is very low.

The rest of the paragraph follows.

Dielectric grease

Dielectric grease is electrically insulating and does not break down when high voltage is applied. It is often applied to electrical connectors, particularly those containing rubber gaskets, as a means of lubricating and sealing rubber portions of the connector without arcing.
A common use of dielectric grease is in high-voltage connections associated with gasoline engine spark plugs. The grease is applied to the rubber boot of the plug wire. This helps the rubber boot slide onto the ceramic insulator of the plug. The grease also acts to seal the rubber boot, while at the same time preventing the rubber from becoming stuck to the ceramic. Generally spark plugs are located in areas of high temperature, and the grease is formulated to withstand the temperature range expected. It can be applied to the actual contact as well, because the contact pressure is sufficient to penetrate the grease. Doing so on such high pressure contact surfaces has the advantage of sealing the contact area against corrosion.
Another common use of dielectric grease is on the rubber mating surfaces or gaskets of multi-pin electrical connectors used in automotive and marine engines. The grease again acts as a lubricant and a sealant on the nonconductive mating surfaces of the connector. It is not recommended to be applied to the actual electrical conductive contacts of the connector because it could interfere with the electrical signals passing through the connector in cases where the contact pressure is very low. Products designed as electronic connector lubricants, on the other hand, should be applied to such connector contacts and can dramatically extend their useful life. Polyphenyl Ether, rather than silicone grease, is the active ingredient in some such connector lubricants.
__________________
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
- Bertolt Brecht
gbaglo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-03-2013, 06:51 AM   #10
Senior Member
 
fudge_brownie's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Janesville, WI, Wisconsin
Trailer: Escape 19 (sold) Escape 21 2014
Posts: 1,879
Die-electric

I would agree with you Glen, my experience using die-electric grease on contacts caused them to stop working. I needed to remove the grease before I could get the proper connection.

Die-electric grease does not seem to have a purpose around our trailers. I would be curious as to brand names of the "electronic connector lubricants"?
__________________
Paul and Janet Braun
2003 Toyota 4Runner V8 now 2012 Toyota Sequoia V8
Escape 19' 2010 now 2014 Escape 21'
fudge_brownie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-03-2013, 08:26 AM   #11
Senior Member
 
Jrn56's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Cottage Grove, Minnesota
Trailer: 2013 Escape 19
Posts: 365
Glenn, I used to put dielectric grease on my boat trailer connections all the time. Maybe that is why I always had problems. There is much debate on the Internet about this, pros and cons.
Jrn56 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-03-2013, 09:17 AM   #12
Senior Member
 
Jim Bennett's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Trailer: 2017 Escape 5.0 TA
Posts: 15,532
I use dielectric grease on all wire connections. It has drastically reduced the number of failure in the connection. The conductivity occurs through the metal to metal contact, which the dielectric grease does not reduce, and not through the air in which corrosion happens, which gets filled with the grease to eliminate this corrosion.

It is especially helpful in moist or wet conditions where corrosion is accelerated.
__________________
2017 Escape 5.0 TA
2015 Ford F150 Lariat 3.5L EcoBoost
2009 Escape 19 (previous)
“Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” — Abraham Lincoln
Jim Bennett is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-03-2013, 09:26 AM   #13
Senior Member
 
Jrn56's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Cottage Grove, Minnesota
Trailer: 2013 Escape 19
Posts: 365
When you have problems then it is due to the poor metal to metal contact in the connection and the grease won't help or could possibly make it worse.
Jrn56 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-03-2013, 10:05 AM   #14
Senior Member
 
Jim Bennett's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Trailer: 2017 Escape 5.0 TA
Posts: 15,532
The grease will not make it worse, but if a problem with poor contact exists, it does have to be remedied first. Then apply the grease. Auto shops use dielectric grease all the time. There are some types of electrical compression connectors that come pre-loaded with the grease.

Dielectric grease does not solve a problem, it stops (or at least slows) the chance of the problem arising.
__________________
2017 Escape 5.0 TA
2015 Ford F150 Lariat 3.5L EcoBoost
2009 Escape 19 (previous)
“Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” — Abraham Lincoln
Jim Bennett is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-03-2013, 12:43 PM   #15
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: N/A, Indiana
Trailer: Escape
Posts: 976
Innovative Products of America 7-Way Spade Pin Towing Maintenance Kit
IPA8028
Best to test before swapping parts.
__________________
"Never argue with an idiot. They only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience." George Carlin
Jubal is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-03-2013, 01:23 PM   #16
Senior Member
 
Dave Walter's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Trailer: 2013 19' & 2013 15B
Posts: 2,634
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jubal View Post
That seems a little bit pricy. I think I will spend the money on beer or a bottle of Jack Daniels instead, and take my chances on being able to maintain and repair my 7-pin connectors without the kit.
__________________
2013 19' \ 2013 15B, 2020 Toyota 4Runner TRD Offroad

"It is better to remain silent at the risk of being thought a fool, than to talk and remove all doubt of it." - 1907, Maurice Switzer
Dave Walter is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off




» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Escape Trailer Industries or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 07:18 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright 2023 Social Knowledge, LLC All Rights Reserved.