No License Plate Light on 2014 320 CSS

xslsand · July 19

Shortly after buying a 2014 T@b 320 CSS I drove from Georgia to Oregon. Somewhere along the way I lost my license plate. After receiving a replacement plate, a friend made a bracket that allowed the plate and frame to be attached a bit higher so they didn’t hang below the bottom edge of the camper. He commented there was no license plate light, which I hadn’t noticed. There were 4 holes, each pair fairly close together vertically, where the old plate was attached. I’m assuming two of the holes were for a light. However, there are no wires visible. Can someone tell me how to access the wiring so I can install a new light?

Bayliss · July 19

@xslsand, I am not familiar with the CSS hatch construction, but I did a quick forum search to see if there are any posts responsive to your question. I did not find one, but the following discussion might be of interest to you:

https://teardrop-trailers.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/comment/655#Comment_655

xslsand · July 19

@Bayliss thank you for researching this. The 2014 Tab’s rear lights are on the diamond plate below the hatch cover. I did locate a white and a brown wire that run along the side wall that disappear under the metal cap that is screwed into the base of the hatch. I’m thinking that removing that cap may provide access to the wiring for the lights. See photos below.

Bayliss · July 19

@xslsand, it is possible those are your tail/running lamp wires (brown - positive; white - negative), but I have also seen nuCamp use green for those lights, so take that into consideration. They are green on my trailer, but it is a 2019 T@B 320 S Boondock Lite. If you look at the diagram of my electrical junction box (J-Box), which is located at the front exterior frame of the trailer (see post regarding the "J_Box") here: https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/6406/electrical-resources#latest , you will see that the wire is green. BUT, brown has also been used for the tail/running lights in some RV electrical applications. If your J-Box is similarly configured, temporarily disconnecting the wire for the tail/running lights will tell you if that color wire is in fact controlling those lights.

BEFORE disconnecting the wire from the applicable terminal in the J-Box, be sure there is no 12V battery power going to the J-Box so you don't risk getting shocked, or blowing a fuse. Once the wire is detached, re-connect the battery power to determine if power to those lights has been lost.

If the metal cap depicted in your photos is easy to remove, that will likely resolve whether the brown wire you found is in fact connected to the taillights. If, for some reason, that does not expose the electrical connection, you could access the back side of one of the tail lights to determine what color wire is present. However, it might be more helpful (and more reassuring) to contact nuCamp directly and ask them how to access those wires for your model year trailer to add a license plate lamp, and ask if what you want to accomplish is doable. They would be in a better position to help you out with this issue.

nuCamp does not always respond immediately (in my experience), so give them a few days for a response before re-contacting them.

help@nucamprv.com

xslsand · July 19

@Bayliss. This is all great information. I’ve never done any electrical wiring, and was relying on a friend to help me out with this. I will pass this on to him, but also contact NuCamp.

Bayliss · July 20

@xslsand, since you have not dealt with electrical wiring in the past, keep in mind that when testing the trailer lights, you will need to have your tow vehicle connected to the trailer for power (via the seven-way electrical cord.) However, as I mentioned in my earlier post, it is advisable to disconnect the battery power while removing or reconnecting the wires for purposes of testing the 12V system. Therefore, you will want to unplug the trailer from the tow vehicle as well for that purpose. The same principle applies when you are doing work on the 120V AC system (when the trailer is plugged in at your house, RV Park, etc.) Just remember to reconnect the power (DC or AC) while testing any electrical system for troubleshooting, or to confirm power is present in the wiring you are testing.

Assuming your trailer has a battery disconnect switch that can be used to cut (turn "OFF") the 12V power between the trailer battery and your 12V systems in the trailer, as well as to the electrical connections in the Junction Box, then you can use that disconnect switch to shut down that power. In other words, you don't have to physically disconnect/unbolt the wires from the trailer's battery posts. BUT, whoever is doing the electrical work for you should use a multimeter to confirm that the disconnect switch (if present) is connected in a manner that does actually kill all the power to your 12V systems and the Junction Box.

I point this out, because there have been instances where the disconnect switch has been wired in a manner that only disconnects the trailer's power center/converter (e.g., the WFCO power center) from the Junction Box. If it is wired that way, then the trailer battery is always providing 12V power to the Junction Box, in which case you would have to physically disconnect the trailer battery wires when connecting/dis-connecting any other wires, such as electrical wire connections in the Junction Box (again, to avoid getting shocked, or blowing a fuse.)

FINALLY, after thinking about your desire to install a license plate light, you may want to consider whether it is really necessary, or worth the time and effort. Check your state's traffic laws, or contact your state's Dept of Transportation (DOT), to find out if a license plate light was required back in 2014. My understanding is that currently, most, if not all states, do require a license plate light, but it would be worth a phone call (or online search) to get an answer to the question. Other than the presence of the holes you described, it appears that there may never have been a license plate light installed on your trailer. If so, that tends to indicate that one was not "required" at the time. Otherwise, it is hard to understand why the manufacturer would not install one, or a previous owner would have removed it. Regardless, in considering whether to add the light, you are fortunate that your license plate has a white background. Headlights from vehicles behind you will illuminate the plate. Additionally, it is possible that your plate is sufficiently illuminated in darkness by the indirect lighting from your taillights, so maybe check that out.

P.S. While writing this post, and doing some further online searches, I came across the below 2010 discussion about someone wanting to do the same thing as you. The first post by "BO" may be of interest to you. I decided to add it here in the event anyone else is researching the "license plate light" topic in the future.

https://www.tnttt.com/threads/license-plate-light.1047838/

I was not aware of that site, probably because it is for tiny trailers and teardrops, but you might try searching it for ideas since those trailers often have the rear hatch. For example, I came across this post about mounting a license plate and light on the rear hatch:

https://www.tnttt.com/threads/mounting-license-plate.1083992/#post-12246646

AND, for what its worth, the wire colors for my license plate light (as wired by nuCamp) are brown and white:

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021717/uploads/editor/41/yr0oex4g3e1x.jpg

xslsand · 1:28PM

@Bayliss Wow! You are incredibly generous with your knowledge, which is much appreciated. It’s amazing to me all the things I have learned since buying my first camper 2 years ago. That was an Aliner with just a sink and electrical, no holding tanks. Then, I upgraded to a T@b and the things to know seem to have expanded exponentially! This forum has been immensely helpful. I’m going to check out the tiny trailer forum. Thanks again.

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No License Plate Light on 2014 320 CSS

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