Towing Socket Electrics

[Bill McCarthy]

No matter how careful I am to ensure no moisture ingress into my 7-point towing socket, it gets in there somehow. The latest problem is the ABS light coming up on the dashboard if I brake and indicate "right" at the same time. Although the alarm indicates (stays on until reset by the ignition key), this does not affect braking duty other than to remove the automatic facility. Clearly, there is a "short" in the socket housing or at the point where the leads are routed from the main wiring loom to the rear lights. Have any readers pumped in some insulating gunk that fills the socket void, thereby keeping water out. This defect, on my Toyota Hi-Lux.

[BobM]

I've just put a new socket on the Trooper and made sure all connections were covered in Vaseline before refitting, hopefully it will avoid similar problems.I regularly clean the terminals with Scotch Brite and spray WD 30. Seems to work so far.

[Keef]

Sounds like a dicky earth connection to me. Check it's all clean, and then use liberal quantities of WD40.

[Ridders]

Ive got one of those push on PVC covers over the socket that goes over the entire socket.
One like this

[Flintstone]

WD 30

Cheapskate.

[mancpilot]

No matter how careful I am to ensure no moisture ingress into my 7-point towing socket, it gets in there somehow. The latest problem is the ABS light coming up on the dashboard if I brake and indicate "right" at the same time. Although the alarm indicates (stays on until reset by the ignition key), this does not affect braking duty other than to remove the automatic facility.

I'm baffled as to why any kind of short at the towing electrics would have any effect on the ABS circuitry, since the towing electrics shouldn't have any ABS circuitry in them...

[Bill McCarthy]

mancpilot - there must be some interference in there somewhere - it's the same when I have the headlights on indicate either left or right.

[BobM]

Couldn't afford 40, that's for big boys!!

[Keef]

Dicky earth connection.

They have some fascinating effects as they connect together different bits of the car's electrics that weren't expecting to be connected. "No earth" means that positive volts from the brake lights feed through to the flashers, or the sidelights, or wherever, and vice-versa. The easy check is to see if the brake lights, flashers, etc work correctly on the trailer.

[pb6797]

Do you have an OBD-II logger unit (or can borrow one)? I'd like to see what the reported error actually is.

I'm a bit concerned that there is something bridging your earth and live or similar, headlights and indicators affecting brake lights sounds like a French car, not Japanese one ...

[Colin G]

ACF50 works a treat. A good spray every 12 months.

[bibendum]

You didn't say whether this was happening with or without a trailer connected? If only with the trailer then the problem might be that rather then the car.

I'd be surprised if it was just "damp" that was causing your problem. We came back from the Yorks Dales yesterday towing the caravan through floods over 12" deep (that would have completely submerged the towing electrics on the Discovery) with no ill effects.

Duff earth seems the most likely cause, and this might be provoked by corrosion somewhere (the result of damp) rather than just being damp.

If you really suspect the 7N socket (or trailer plug) replace it and see what happens. I tend to do this every 3 years or so anyway as the design is pretty rubbish.

The current 13 pin sockets are a better design that use stainless steel for the pins. That might be a longer term solution if corrosion in the plug/socket is the problem.

[Bill McCarthy]

Once the frost clears (as well as my head after last night) I'm going to start with the towing socket loom wiring connections. There was a problem (fixed under warranty some years ago) when I applied brakes, the headlamps came on. It could be that they had just wrapped the joins in insulating tape.

[bibendum]

Ive got one of those push on PVC covers over the socket that goes over the entire socket.
One like this

They look pretty, but the water gets in from the dodgy seals at the back and then can't get out again because of the cover.

[pb6797]

There was a problem (fixed under warranty some years ago) when I applied brakes, the headlamps came on. It could be that they had just wrapped the joins in insulating tape.

Without the trailer? Yikes.