What is this wire?

garrett0125 · 03-19-2018, 05:37 PM

Hey all!
This is my first post! I recently purchased a 2018 Sunset trail 264BH. Being winter time after I brought it home I disconnected the battery and took it to the garage. Now, I swear I remember the black and white wire was connected to the positive pole on the battery but I’m second guessing myself since normally a black wire is a ground. Does anyone know what this wire goes to? I know the red and black wires but have no clue what this third black and white wire is and where it should be connected.
Thanks for your input!

~Chase

**mark5w** · 03-19-2018, 06:15 PM

Check out which one is for the tongue jack be retracing it.

Tonemeister · 03-19-2018, 06:18 PM

From your picture it looks like the hole diameter of both the red wire as well as the "extra" black & white wire have same diameter, thus I would conclude the red & black & white wire are both connected to positive battery post? Could that black & white wire be used for trailer safety brake cable, or front power jack? Could you call or email dealer where purchased, they should know. Is it possible to trace the black & white wire? Seems like a smaller gauge wire, so not for something that draws much current. Just my 2 pennies worth, perhaps another member may have a similar setup on their battery. My travel trailer only has 2 wires to connect to battery. Good luck!

**Lloyd** · 03-19-2018, 06:51 PM

On my camper, and every other one I'm aware of
Black is positive
White is negative

garrett0125 · 03-19-2018, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tonemeister

From your picture it looks like the hole diameter of both the red wire as well as the "extra" black & white wire have same diameter, thus I would conclude the red & black & white wire are both connected to positive battery post? Could that black & white wire be used for trailer safety brake cable, or front power jack? Could you call or email dealer where purchased, they should know. Is it possible to trace the black & white wire? Seems like a smaller gauge wire, so not for something that draws much current. Just my 2 pennies worth, perhaps another member may have a similar setup on their battery. My travel trailer only has 2 wires to connect to battery. Good luck!

Hmm that’s what I was thinking maybe it was for trailer safety brake. I already tried to trace the wire but it goes into a sealed hole where all the other wires go. I also considered that it might go to the tongue jack but the wire that goes to the jack is a red coated wire and not black and white like the wire I’m questioning. I shot my dealer a text and pic he’s going to see what he can come up with.

sleepyT · 03-19-2018, 09:17 PM

garrett
sorry can't help with the wires, but I have a suggestion that might help in the future...once you find out where all those wires are placed before you take them off next year get a brother label machine and label them...some things we learn the hard way...

**Lloyd** · 03-20-2018, 06:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lloyd

On my camper, and every other one I'm aware of
Black is positive
White is negative

I should have added--
If you can get to/at the terminals on the brake away switch, and the tongue jack, you could then attach a wire long enough to reach from the wire you are questioning to those terminals and then check in between the two with a continuity meter.

I wouldn't count on the wire being the same color on both ends, or even the same from one trailer to another.

harley · 03-20-2018, 07:15 AM

Here is a simple diagnostics...don't hook it up after you connect the pos and neg . Try the tongue jack...if it does not work,then problem solved. If it still works then pull the break away connection and listen to the brakes for the humm.

**Lloyd** · 03-20-2018, 07:45 AM

Great idea harley!

Some times we try to over think stuff and just make it more complicated.

Wingchop · 03-20-2018, 08:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by harley

Here is a simple diagnostics...don't hook it up after you connect the pos and neg . Try the tongue jack...if it does not work,then problem solved. If it still works then pull the break away connection and listen to the brakes for the humm.

Smart two minute solution

Wildasindrive · 03-20-2018, 12:25 PM

Your simple solution has a flaw. If you reverse the leads and send +12v through the ground. FIZZZZ.

**Lloyd** · 03-20-2018, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wildasindrive

Your simple solution has a flaw. If you reverse the leads and send +12v through the ground. FIZZZZ.

Could you explain a little better?
I don't see where there is a problem with harley's solution.

harley · 03-20-2018, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wildasindrive

Your simple solution has a flaw. If you reverse the leads and send +12v through the ground. FIZZZZ.

I never said hook up , just elimination plus what trailer company would use extra wire ,at their cost,to put a small ground wire on a battery when they just attach any ground to nearest frame member . It is a pos wire for something . If in doubt , test the wire or take off underbelly and find where it goes..

87_Fixer · 03-20-2018, 09:07 PM

It's strange that the wire doesn't go to a fuse before it goes into the bundle. Does your camper have electric rear stabilizers? Do they work with harley's method of leaving the wire disconnected while operating them ?
Lloyd is right. The white wire goes to a common ground terminal, and there will be other white wires ( grounds ) with it.

Wildasindrive · 03-21-2018, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lloyd

Could you explain a little better?
I don't see where there is a problem with harley's solution.

I would be happy to explain.
In todays RV's there are electronic upgrades, as I am sure you are aware. These limitless electronic gadgets are not as simple as years gone by.

In the electronic circuit boards that are in all these gadgets;there is a ground plane that all the circuits are connected to. Should this ground plane be wired to +12V and the positive voltage be wired to ground, the reverse polarity will blow the entire circuit. Most of the components on the PC board will be blown leaving the device useless.

This is a very expensive proposition Harley is making (no offence), and I feel one of little understanding of the electronic world that we live in today.

Please make sure your wires are traced and hooked to the correct polarity as this little suggestion could cost thousands of dollars. No its not covered under warranty.

**Lloyd** · 03-21-2018, 07:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by harley

Here is a simple diagnostics...don't hook it up after you connect the pos and neg . Try the tongue jack...if it does not work,then problem solved. If it still works then pull the break away connection and listen to the brakes for the humm.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wildasindrive

I would be happy to explain.
In todays RV's there are electronic upgrades, as I am sure you are aware. These limitless electronic gadgets are not as simple as years gone by.

In the electronic circuit boards that are in all these gadgets;there is a ground plane that all the circuits are connected to. Should this ground plane be wired to +12V and the positive voltage be wired to ground, the reverse polarity will blow the entire circuit. Most of the components on the PC board will be blown leaving the device useless.

This is a very expensive proposition Harley is making (no offence), and I feel one of little understanding of the electronic world that we live in today.

Please make sure your wires are traced and hooked to the correct polarity as this little suggestion could cost thousands of dollars. No its not covered under warranty.

I think there might be a misunderstanding here the way I'm seeing it.

If you look at the part of harley's post that I put in bold then at the part of your post I put in bold---that is where I think you are missing what harley was saying.
If I'm wrong, maybe you and harley both could correct me.

harley · 03-21-2018, 07:23 PM

thx lloyd . I thought I explained it in basic every day easy terms so anybody could understand . Some people are very educated and read way to far into things . And it is correct about not mixing + and - . But like I said earlier, I never said to hook up anything ,just to figure out what the wire goes to. It is pretty obvious that it would be a pos wire cause of the bigger hole in thr connector just loke the red wire . Anyways ,hope op gets it figured out ..

**dagst1** · 03-21-2018, 08:21 PM

I agree. Hook up the battery and see what don't work. Kind of hard to think that CR would connect something to a hot wire that is close and run a different ground wire all the way to the battery when the whole trailer is a ground. Just my 2 cents. Also on my 05 cruiser the extra wire was for the 3 slide motors.

Wildasindrive · 03-22-2018, 02:45 PM

It appears what Harley and I are saying is the same and different.

Just be careful in what you do with the wires is all I am trying to say, as in my first posting.

I was asked to explain which I did. I hope all goes well for the OP and his woes are reduced once he figures this out.

Have a great day all, and keep the shiny side up.

garrett0125 · 03-22-2018, 09:24 PM

Thanks for all the great input everyone! My dealer got back to me today and let me know it’s connected to the positive. Also, I had tried the method Harley talked about. I left the smaller black and white wire unhooked while the regular positive and negative wire was connected to the battery and then tried the tongue jack. The tongue jack worked fine. My TT doesn’t have powered stabilizers so my other guess is possibly trailer breakaway brake power. Great job on all the posts! Such a simple thing can really get our minds going

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