Marker light and tail light fuse keeps blowing

[mike schott]

Hey everybody, this is my first time having to post something, so I apologize in advance if I do something wrong.  I have a 2007 Beaver Contessa Bayshore that intermittently pops the fuse to the marker and tail lights. Sometimes it works great and has no issues, then all of a sudden it will start popping the fuse again. Does anyone have any suggestions on the best place to start looking for the problem. I’m assuming it must be a direct short to ground somewhere, but I’m not sure. Is  a spot where I should focus on at first. Any input would be very much appreciated. Thanks

[Eric Maclean Co-Admin]

Mike
I'd start at your trailer connections looking for the wires going to the plug check for worn insulation or chafed wire loom.
Apart from that you might look at your marker lights for any that are out or dim or abnormally bright indicating a possible short or broken bulb filament which could be an int intermittent short to ground.

Eric

[mike schott]

Eric
Thank you for the reply back. All of the clearance lights operate and appear to look normal when they are lit up.  I installed a resettable fuse in the place of the standard fuse. The lights come on for just a brief moment, then immediately shut off until the fuse resets. I’ll start with looking at the clearance light sockets and wiring to see if I can find anything that stands out as an issue. I’m also going to try locate where the wires come from the fuse panel up to the clearance lights to see if there could be any rubbing wires against the chassis. I really appreciate you taking the time to offer a direction on where to start. If you have any other tips, please let me know.

Thanks again
Mike

[Frank Bergamo]

Check the tail light bulb sockets and the bulbs themselves.

[mike schott]

Thank you very much for your feedback. I’ll take a look at them.

Thanks
Mike

[Joel Ashley]

I’ll back up Frank’s suggestion.  Water intrusion into the taillight assembly can cause advanced corrosion, or a pinched wire over time may have worn and found a nearby ground.  It’s been too many years, but seems I had a similar issue decades ago, and attending to one of the taillight assemblies, wires, or lamp(s) resolved it.   Keeping water out and/or providing condensation a clean route out are advisable. As Eric notes, the trailer outlet wires also often are the problem.

Joel

[mike schott]

Thank you Joel.  I’m going to inspect them this weekend. I really appreciate everyone’s feedback and advice. This was my first time asking for some help with an issue on my motorhome, and I’m really glad I asked. Having the support and recommendations from others is great to have. So glad I reached out to you all.

Thanks again
Mike