What does this orange wire go to?

[Millermatic252]

I have the plug and play trailer kit from spyder accessories. The converter box or whatever the big black box is with the wires coming out into the other plugs for the bike has an orange wire. It starts out as a bigger black wire and then splits in to two smaller orange. One goes into a plug, and one goes to nothing. Does anyone know where that one could possibly go? As of right now no lights or anything work on my trailer. Would it be due to that one wire?

Also, the my time out trailer has a five plug flat on it. The wiring from my bike has a four plug flat on it. That should still work right assuming everything else works correctly?

 

[Millermatic252]

So upon closer inspection, it's not getting any power past the box. Power goes through the harness to the tail lights fine. Just the four pin gets nothing. It gets lost in the box.

 

[cptjam]

Sounds like a ground wire.

 

[ThreeWheels]

I think cptjam is right. It sounds like a ground wire.
You say you got the harness from Spyder Accessories ?
Is that Pierre ??
He's a pretty OK guy. instead of asking us to guess, I'd recommend you email or call him (or wherever you bought it from).
They'll probably have more definitive knowledge.

Just my opinion, I could be wrong. If I am, I'm sure someone on this site will gleefully tell me.

 

[Millermatic252]

I emailed him yesterday. Hoping to hear back today.

 

[billybovine]

If you got that from Pierre. Then that is new. He did not have trailer harnesses with that style of converter module. That brand of module in your picture I think is isolated is power isolated. That would be much better then what he was using. If so that module will need dedicated power and ground.

That is a 4 wire output module and your trailer is a 5 wire. That will not work. Just to be sure. Does your trailer have amber turn signal lights. If so then it is a 5 wire system. Your options are. Rewire your trailer to abandon the amber turn signal light and split the right and left brake lights. Buy the parts and build an adapter. Get a different trailer harness.

 

[billybovine]

That looks like a Tekonsha module. White wire is ground and the black wire needs constant 12V. By your description the orange wire is connected to the module black wire. So my guess is you need 12V power. You did not share what kink of Spyder you have. That makes a difference since not all Spyders have 12V in the harness for the trailer.

 

[Millermatic252]

Tekonsha #119147 /119148 is the number off the power module box thing. It's going on a 2019 f3s. I believe the turn signals are red, but separate from the brake lights. I'll double check when I get home.

 

[Brad0414]

I emailed him yesterday. Hoping to hear back today.

call him he picks up sometimes

 

[Yabbadabbadoo]

I purchased the same harness a couple months ago. Called Pierre and the orange wire goes to 12v power.

 

[pegasus1300]

If you can I would return that harness to Pierre. It is a flat 4 and you need a flat 5. Value Accessories has a plug and play flat 5. No need to either butcher your trailer or Pierre's harness. All my trailers are flat 5 so I bought AV's harness and it works great. I think it is made by Big Bike Parts/Show Chrome.

 

[Steve W.]

I believe the turn signals are red, but separate from the brake lights. I'll double check when I get home.

Whether the turn signals are amber or red doesn't really matter. What DOES matter is whether the brakes and turn signals light up the same bulb.

In either the 4- or 5-wire system, you will always have a tail light wire and a ground wire. The 4-wire will then have "Left turn/brake" and "Right turn/brake" as the other two wires. In the 5-wire system, the "Brake" wire will light up the brake lights on both sides, then you will have separate "Left turn" and "Right turn" wires.

.

 

[Millermatic252]

So I called Pierre last week, got the answer, and just now I stopped being lazy and solved the orange wire. It does need power which connects to the customer accessory circuit. Not the black wire, but the other one. Tested everything with a multimeter, all systems go. Hooked the bike up to my trailer, all systems go.

The four pin on my bike worked perfectly with the five pin on my trailer. Brake lights, turn signals, running lights, everything. Didn't have to change anything out there so I'm leaving it.