Trailer Brake Light - Capsule with plug?

[Mark Hofman]

My right trailer brake light has the running light burned out. It's a sealed capsule inside the low-profile box and lens, but the original capsule had a plug that connected to a similar plug on the trailer's wiring harness.



I bought a new capsule from my local dealer, but it doesn't come with the plug at the end of the wires (Wesbar 3348 Replacement Tail Light Capsule).



First, does anyone know if the capsules with the plug are still available?



Second, if they're not, are there any suggestions for making the connection waterproof if I have to splice the old plug onto the new wire leads coming out of the capsule?

 

[William Brooks]

MoFish, I had to replace a Wesbar trailer capsule and ran into the same problem; I'm not sure whether there is a better way to make it water proof but I just cut the wires off the old capsule about 3 inches from the connector and soldered each colored wire back on to the new one and wrapped each soldered connection tight with electrical tape. So far I haven't had any problem with the light working but its only been about 6 months.

 

[Staci Matheis]

MO -



Worb's right. There is no way other than to cut the wires.



It's not necessary to solder the connections - crimp connectors will do just fine. Don't push the crimp connectors back into the frame afterward - that would make them vulnerable to corrosion from moisture that accumulates in the rails. Add a wrap or two of electrical tape for security.



me!

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Two weeks ago a tree jumped over 2 feet and bit the back of my trailer....amazing feat by the tree, anyway, I had a client so I went to the marina owner and told him to replace it while I was out. They used male/female connectors on each wire that plugged into each other and were encased in plastic/rubber and are watertight. Why doesn't Westbar make the replacement to fit the pre-wired plug anyway?? That's not very smart in my book. Especially for those of us that have predatory trees!!



TOXIC

 

[TrepMan]

Man Toxic, i don't know if i EVER want to fish in your waters - First something MAKES all the tackle fly out of the boat NOW predatory TREES??



What's next? Fish that steal your tackle right out of your boat? Frogs that talk you into driving you boat into a san bar then JUMP en masse into the boat and beat you with their tongues???

 

[Thomas Macaluso]

MOFish there is a website that sells trailer parts that carries wesbar trailer light parts I was able to get new lens for my 929 trailer there .I 'll see if I can find the website for you I might have the address at home.You can try a search using wesbar as your key word I believe the trailer place was somewhere in PA

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

That frog thing sounds kinda fun Trep, LOL!! All I have to do is open the livewell hatches and the fish jump in so I don't need tackle!! That's why I won't fish tourneys, it just wouldn't be fair to the other guys who paid their $$. I am the original "Murphy's Law" example.....If anything can happen, it will happen to me!! I have to be super aware and careful! Kinda like the Bill Dance Bloopers....been there done that...ha, ha. I've got a buddy that is worse than me. He has a frequent stay card and his own coffee mug at the Emergency Room.



TOXIC

 

[Dave Muniz]

I use heat shrink tubing to cover the connections and then wrap with electrical tape. May be overkill but I haven't had to rewire connections due to corrosion in about 10 years.



My 2 cents.



damuniz

 

[TrepMan]

I'll go with Damuniz - Heat shrink the connections then cover with electrical tape too! can't be too careful when talking electrical connections that get wet! You could always go with the Crimp Connectors (Scott's idea) then heat shrink that and 3rd tape it too!!! can't hurt to put a little clear silicon sealer on it too!!

 

[Bob G.]

I had to re-wire my trailer this past summer and I used butt splices, tie-wrapped in the center of the bundle and then squirted clear silicone in the ends of each butt splice. I'm sure someone will find a joke in this post somewhere.



Bob G.

 

[Carlos Hathcock III]

Trep,

It is not frogs. Is is wild turkeys that take things from unwary boated on Lake Anna. hahahahah



Carlos



PS Glad there are no predatory trees in the Potomac Just prop eating crab pots.....

 

[TrepMan]

Bob - There are too MANY to choose from - Butt, Squirted, Silicone and sooooo many more!!



He spliced this WHAT?

Bob re-wired his butt?

Bob had silicone butt implants?

 

[Mike L.]

MOFish, I also need one for my trailer. Last weekend was nice so I used it as an excuse to drive from Jersey to the Maryland BPS store and shop a little. To make a long story short....I was eventually told to try my local 'West Marine' store for the part..?????

I'm heading there in a few hours to see if they have them! ...............Mike L.

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Uh TEE.....if I unplug the lights, my trailer won't backup. All of the trailers rigged with brakes need the juice from the backup lights to trip a solenoid and release the brakes for backing up. Just another way of saying "I'm $crewed"!! The fuse on my backup lights went out and I can tell you, that trailer will not back up!! As soon as the package that Craig sent me gets here, I'm goint to try and get the trailers reverse lights to work as well.



TOXIC

 

[TrepMan]

TEE how long have you had your lights, meaning how long did they last? I've not had mine blow a light yet in 2 1/2 years and I don't unplug, lucky I guess!



I do have an extra in case of emergencies though. last year I thought one blew out but after I bought and installed the new set and they STILL didn't work, I figured out it was a wiring short at the plug!!!

 

[TrepMan]

Thanks TEE, when I first thought it was a blown bulb, I was preparing to cut the back off, replace the light and seal it back as a backup set, but no need as it was electical not lights! I guess being 100% (in theory) sealed is better even if it costs a few dollars more IF it lasts longer!

 

[Mark Hofman]

Mine was a year old, I always unplugged the lights before backing into the water, and it still burned out. Urrrghh.



My father-in-law is bringing some stuff home from Boeing that he thinks will work (fusion tape?). Its like rubber electrical tape; it stretches. As you stretch it, it activates some kind of chemical content. You wrap it around the wires and in less than 30 minutes, the stuff just melts together into one big blob. Two hours later, its fairly hard, but not inflexible.



It's great having a father-in-law who can get his hands on stuff like fusion tape and a Greenlee 8-ton hydraulic punch!

 

[Mike L.]

MOFish...............I just got back from West Marine with a new capsule...$8.99...same capsule, but with no plugon the end....



TREP.........My bulbs didn't burn out...The 2 black plastic pieces that hold the metal socket against the bulb broke off and thesmaller bulb was just bouncing around the inside of my capsule.....I'll 'operate' on the bad capsule over the winter to make it a 'spare' for future use...........Mike

 

[Mike Levesque]

Had the same problem on my left taillight, on vacation no less...... ended up finding replacement capsules at a local "Boater's World", and had no choice but to cut wires, used the crimp connectors, slopped some liquid electrical tape on, then after it dried, wrapped with regular elec. tape.......... so far so good, but I do agree, it's quite a moneymaker for wesbar, having to buy an entire capsule instead of a replacement bulb........ thing is, I LIKE the Wesbar's, so I guess whenever one burns out, I'll have to shell out the $$$.........

 

[TrepMan]

Mike L - Take Pic's when you operate on the 'spare' and post a Grab Bag artile if it works!!!

 

[Mark Hofman]

Got it fixed last night. Thanks for the suggestions.



Here's what we did.



* Cut the plug off the old capsule, keeping all the old wire.

* Trimmed the wire on the new capsule to equal lengths

* Re-installed the new capsule in the housing/lens box

* Re-installed the housing/lens box on the trailer

* Spliced the wires from the new capsule to the old plug using wire nuts

* Secured the wire nuts to the wires with electrical tape

* Wrapped each wire nut and wires in 3M 2229 mastic tape (fusion tape)

* Secured the wire bundle so that it doesn't hang down

* Reconnected the two plugs together

* Tested the funtion of all lights (brake, runnning, signal)



That 3M 2229 mastic tape is neat stuff. Its like a rubber bicycle tire patch, but when you stretch it it becomes very flexible. One side is sticky. When you wrap it around the wires, a chemical reaction bonds the material together.

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Not to critisize, but why make 2 sets of connections? seems to me if you are going to cut the plug off you might as well go ahead and wire it direct instead of reattaching the plug...?????



TOXIC

 

[Mark Hofman]

Because I just like that plug design so much!



I didn't say I was rational. And I like making a repair job twice as hard as it needs to be. (Just ask the veterans around here about fixing my broken j*** n**s!!!)

 

[Mark Hofman]

I just realized you don't have to put up a second post if you think of something else to add later!

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Yeah MO, I understand, I get what I call the "Tinker Bug" now and then just because it makes me look smarter than when I just go out in the driveway and stare at the boat with nothing to do to it LOL!!



TOXIC

 

[Mark Hofman]

Well, that same bug gets me into trouble.



I take something apart to "fix" it. Then, when everything is back together, I say, "Hey, why do I have this part left over?"



And if it's a $.50 washer, I'll say to my wife, "Look Honey! We bought a great boat (motor, trailer, toaster, etc.)! They use $90.00 washers to build it!!"



(Cuz that's how much I'm gonna hafta pay a mechanic to figure out what I screwed up.)

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Reminds me of my first carb re-build. Lots and lotsa of itty bitty leftovers. That car ran but shot gas out of the carb like a squirtgun!! Lucky I didn't torch myself.



TOXIC

 

[Mark Hofman]

HA!! LOL!!!



Yeah, I definitely did NOT acquire my dad't mechanical aptitude. He's a retired Lutheran pastor, but just a few of his other talents included:



1. Auto mechanic - He completely tore down and rebuilt the 400 cui motor on our '73 Chrysler Neuport. Just for fun. And did a hydraulic repair to our '63 IH Scout, in the FIELD!



2. Carpenter - He just finished building their retirement home. The only thing he contracted out was the foundation pouring and the crane to life the roof joists up onto the second-floor walls.



3. Gunsmith. He built both his and my hunting rifles out of WWI-surplus '03 Springfield .30-06's.



4. Electrician - He built their home stereo system from various kits



5. Cabinet-maker - Grandfather clock, chest of drawers, desks, display cases, and other nick nacks.



6. Rancher - I don't know how many times he helped congregational members bale hay, castrate cattle and sheep, branded cattle, etc. when one of the family members (usually the dad) was sick or hospitalized.



7. Organ Mechanic - He flew to Tennessee to disassemble and pack up a used pipe organ. Then drove back to Colorado and re-assembled the whole thing. It even worked when he was done.



And he's a better fisherman than me, too. Yup, a true renaissance man.

 

[Dan J.]

TOXIC - You should be able to back down a ramp without your trailer lights plugged in. The surge brakes work as the piston is pushed in by the sliding hitch connection at the ball. Gravity will keep your boat rolling without the piston pushing in unless on an uphill grade, something blocking wheel movement, or rapid acceleration in reverse. As a rule of thumb, I always recomend launching in neutral so your tow vehicle's brakes aren't working against the motor, especially after a long tow directly to the ramp. Give this a try next time out. If this does not work for you, your brake system needs immediate attention. Good luck!

 

[Staci Matheis]

ROFL, Toxic!!



You just brought back memories of my first carburetor rebuild..... Rochester Quadrajet off a 327 in a 'Vette..... Sitting on the garage floor with all my tools laid out around me..... Took out all the screws that held the top cap in place..... Removed the top cap..... Turned it over to remove the base plate..... Ping! Ping! Ping! Ping!..... Several little ball bearings and springs dropped out, bounced around and disappeared out of sight!..... Had to buy a new carburetor!



me!



Here's an old Polaroid from 30-some-odd years ago of Jane B_____ doing her best to make me and the 'Vette look good!

 

[Mark Hofman]

Scott - that looks like the 'vette my boss drives to work once in awhile!

 

[Staci Matheis]

Could be.....

1963?

250 hp 327?

Only a 3-speed?

8-Track behind the passenger seat?

Quadrajet with missing parts?



Actually, MO, that picture was taken not too far from where you now live! Jane was staying that summer with the family of her friend, Cindy Sch______, and their house, the one in the picture, was just a couple of blocks from Affton High School. Jane taught English there for a couple of years after she graduated from Warrensburg.



me!