Blinking Side Lights

Bert · October 2015

During the dealer demo of our new Tab Outback MaxS, we couldn't help noticing that the trailer's side (marker) lights were blinking. We asked the parts salesman doing the demo what that meant. He didn't know.
When he unplugged the trailer from our van, the blinking stopped.

This might not be such a concern to me except that when we got home we discovered that the trailer's tail lights (and turn signals) weren't working and the interior lights weren't working when the trailer was relying on battery power.

I'm thinking that the battery power problem may be related to my request that the trailer be winterized (all water removed) so I could use the Alde furnace when it was well below freezing (winter is coming in Montana). The pigtail attached to the battery does not have a fuse in the flat black rubberized fitting at the end of the pigtail where I'm suspicious a fuse belongs.

The thing that really got my attention the morning after parking the Tab in my driveway overnight was my TV's failure to start in the morning. I've replaced the van's battery, so I know that was part of the problem. Could the blinking lights be telling me that the trailer was drawing power from the van--Please unplug me!

If so, isn't it odd that I don't have a manual explaining that (or whatever the real reason might be).

Nomad · October 2015

Have never seen mine blink. They definetly don't when hooked to the TV when it's turned off. The tail lights blink when the emergency flashers or turn signals are on but that's it.

Verna · October 2015

The lack of interior lights is because there needs to be a 30 amp fuse in the "flat back rubberized fitting" at the battery. This fuse completes the circuit and allows the battery power to power everything that runs on 12 volts. The lack of this fuse has nothing to do with your lack of exterior lights on the T@B. Those lights are powered by the 7-pin plug from your tow vehicle. You may need to verify the wiring of your 7-pin plug on your tow vehicle to make sure it matches the industry standard. (Search for 7-pin wiring diagram and you'll find a couple of them.)

And, yes, you do need to unplug the T@B's 7 pin cable from the tow vehicle when you park, otherwise it will draw power from your tow vehicle, and will drain your tow vehicle's battery.

As far as your blinking lights, there are some vehicles that need a change made to "something" because of the way the vehicle is wired. It's only a few models......I'm trying o remember which ones, and it may have been a couple of Ford models and an import model or two. Sorry I can't be more specific on that one.

Back to the lack of the fuse at the battery. If you do plan on storing the T@B for a while, it is a good idea to either remove the fuse from the battery or to put a cut-off switch at the battery. There are many things inside the T@B that draw power constantly, and this is called "parasitic draw". There are many posts here on the forum concerning this. (The search box is on the upper right side of the page and you can spend hours reading through the valuable information other owners have shared.)

As far as a manual, there are no manuals on the T@B itself, except for the individual components that are included with the T@B from other manufacturers (fridge, sound system, etc.). Little Guy is a small enough company that it can make manufacturing changes in less than a week if the need arises, so manuals become outdated quickly. Your best source of information is this forum, as other owners willingly share information. If you check with owners of other brands of small campers, you will find they, too, do not have manuals for their campers either. Little Guy is kind enough to pay for this forum so the owners can share information, tips and techniques.

Good luck, and happy camping.

Verna · October 2015

Here is a link from trailer.com of an adapter that can help some models of vehicles with the blinking lights and light errors on the tow vehicles: www.trailer.com/wiring/Curt/C57003.html

Note: this may or may not be your problem, just a suggestion since this happened to some tow vehicles on the Little Guy Forum that had certain LED brake and turn signal lights on their tow vehicles.

Nomad · October 2015

FYI - Getting a 404 on that link Verna

BBchBum · October 2015

Since PLX got an error on the link I put the url in the google search box and it found the link - then clicked on that and it worked. Its a small extra step but if you get the 404 error it should be able to get you there. When I got to the trailer site and checked the url it was the exact one Verna posted. Maybe different browsers? pesky computers ;-)

Bert · October 2015

Thanks, everyone. Not sure exactly whether we've isolated the problem yet or not, but the Curt 7-Way to 7-Way LED Trailer Light Adapter for Vehicles with LED Tail lights solves a problem that's similar (but perhaps not identical). The adapter has resistors to add load so that certain German vehicles don't think the tail light is out when a trailer with LED lights (that draw very little power) gets hooked up. You can learn more here: https://www.etrailer.com/Wiring/Curt/C57003.html

Verna · October 2015

Sorry about the link problem.....the link was a couple of years old....

Bert · October 2015

We had a new ground installed on our TV's seven-way connector. The trailer's side lights no longer blink when the trailer's electrical plug is connected to the van's seven-way connector and the van is turned off. Tail lights and turn signals work properly now.

I found the 30-amp fuse that had been removed from the battery pigtail when the dealer winterized the new trailer. The 12-volt system works normally with the fuse installed.

Still can't use the new Tab Outback because the dealer left antifreeze in the Alde's hot water system while telling me that the Alde was winterized and safe to use. Thanks to the Forum I have a pretty good idea what to do, but I want the dealer's service department to correct the problem. That way, it should be clear who was responsible if the pressurized hot antifreeze harmed something in the Alde or my water system. THANKS!!!

propus · November 2015

My VW Touareg had the same problem. The Curt adapter was the fix. German cars look for resistance to tell if a bulb is burned out. the LED lights on the trailer don't have enough resistance for the vehicle to sense.
This can also cause problems depending on which, if any, brake controller you are using.
In the dark, you may see rapid dim flashing of the trailer lights. This is the vehicle's anti theft system "pinging" the trailer to see if it has been unplugged. It is normal. The old incandescent bulbs would never light, but the LED's are so fast (they don't have to heat up) and require so little current, that you may see it.

ChanW · November 2015

I don't think just the one exposure to antifreeze will damage the Alde hot water jacket, as long as you rinse it out well (I made that same mistake before the Alde recommendation was available, and our boiler seems to be fine now, after two years of further use). But I don't blame you for wanting to have the dealer deal with their responsibility about it.

You might be able to contact Alde USA for a definitive answer about it. It might not be worth the trouble of pressing the dealer.

Just a suggestion. (I hope you can find a better place for future service. They sound a bit flaky!)

Blinking Side Lights

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