Replacing trailer lights - wiring question.

[Ratty_and_Toad]

I'm going to replace my trailer lights with LED ones - the ones I've selected are by led auto lamps - model 207BARLP2. They have a 5 year warranty & are submersible. Cost around $90 a pair.

My question is regarding the trailer wiring back to the 7 pin plug. Choices are:


Use existing 5-core cable. I've stripped a bit back & it doesnt look corroded. If I do this, what is the best way to join the wires, and what should I use to keep the water out of the joints?
I can get new wire with the LED lamps, but they have 4 pin plugs that join near the lights with rubber seals that are supposedly watertight - should I use these & cover the plugs with heatshrink tubing and/or liquid electrical tape?Any advice welcome - I want to do this once & do it right, then I can forget about the trailer lights for a few years (well, theres no harm in dreaming ::) )

[ozscott]

mate the electric heat think tubing that has the goo built in is the way to go. I extended my electric winch remote control cable on the trailer by using 4 core and that stuff and it makes a wicked seal - I have dunked the joined area many times now - I have 30 feet of cable so that I can control the in and out of the winch whilst holding the very rear of my Vagabond when its nudging the rear of the trailer if I am by myself.

Cheers

[mowerman]

Hi

Sounds like the same ones I put on my trailer.

Stripped back the wires and used those small automotive plug and socket thingys to join each one together. But ,before I joined them I got a 100mm piece of 12mm poly (sprinkler) pipe and slipped this over all 4 wires.
Joined the wires, taped them up then slipped the pipe over the join so all 4 joins were inside the pipe.
Then filled the pipe with silicon untill it overflowed from both ends.
Then taped up both ends of the pipe out onto the wires for about 60mm over the still wet silicon. Bloody messy but that should keep the water out.

Did the same over the 4 pin plug.

Hope that makes sense.

Rod.

[PWCDad]

I did the silicone thing as well ....

My PWC trailer leds' get dunked every launch and retrieve ...

I soldered and heat shrunk the wires then covered the lot with wet area, neutral cure silicone ... used glad wrap to form it into a giant, longish cover like a sausage ....

Its now sits up in the channel hidden away .... and has been fine for 18 months at 3 launch and retrieves per month.

I even had to do it twice .... the narva leds' leaked (recalled) and they replaced them free of charge ...

Regards
PWCDad

[Spaniard_King]

If you havent bought them yet.. go and have a look at the ones repco supply... you will have to ask them tho.. they hide them for some reason :)

These come with a prewired loom... ie no joining required at the back.. just hook em up tom to the plug.. 100x times beter IMO than the ones you have to join:)

[SeaHunt]

LED Autolamps are the go, when I replaced mine I soldered the wires heatshrink over the join and a spray of lanogard for good measure, that was over 12 months ago. So far so good. Do you have separate a number plate light? I don't think led autolamps have them incorporated, well mine didn't anyway.

[Ratty_and_Toad]

Thanks for the feedback so far guys - most helpful.

I havent bought the lights yet, but yes they do have number plate lights on the RHS one.

I seems soldering the wires is the way to go - I dont have a soldering iron, but Whittakers have some splices which have a ring of solder inside and are covered in heat shrink tubing - just use a heatgun (which I do have) to join & seal the wires. Will these do the job, or should I fork out a few bucks for a soldering iron?

I then intend sealing all of the wires with heatshrink tube with glue inside it - Jaycar claim it shrinks to one quarter of its original size!

I've just looked on the net at the Repco ones that Garry mentioned - they are Trojan & are on special at the moment $129. They go on about how waterproof they are but 2 things worry me:

you can take them apart to change the position of the fixing bolts. so there must be an o-ring, and so a possible source of water ingress
they say that the lights are so good that water will never get in, but if it does it will drain out through the drain holes!?!I'll pop down to Repco & have a look - maybe they will be better than they sound:-/