4-pole flat wire trailer hookup

I have a '93 Nissan pickup, and want to pull a small utility trailer with a 4-pole flat wire hookup. I found two wires twisted together under the bed of my truck, which I assume to be the right and left turn/brakes; I have no license plate lights. I got a simple vehicle side connector with wire splicing clamps at the auto parts store, and the instructions are very assumptive -- as are those at etrailer, the manufacturers website, etc. I found nothing definitive for idiots!

Assuming the two wires are for right/left, I can handle the green to right, yellow to left, and even the white ground to the frame. However, that brown wire (supposedly for running lights) has me stumped. The instructions included say only "attach to taillight" -- not taillights (plural). However...

I called the parts store, and he said to take the taillight cover off and "connect" the brown wire to the black wire under the cover, adding another wire (not provided) to jumper it to the other taillight's black wire. When I asked for specifics to make that connection, I got "...however you can." He could not explain to me how to make that connection.

Do I cut the black wire, twist both ends to the brown wire and the third jumper wire (a four-wire twist), then tape or cap -- then run the jumper wire to the other taillight, cut the black wire there, for a three-wire twist?

Can I use a regular little twist cap here? Those wire splicing clamps are included with the 4-pole plug, but they have spaces to only connect two wires together -- and there are only three.

Wouldn't you have to do this to maintain the black wire's original connection? If not, how to...

Please don't tell me to take to a station; I NEED to do this simple job myself. Doing is learning! Thanks/Ed

 

Hopefully somewhere in these links is some help. Telling someone how to wire a trailer is really difficult sometimes; even doing it "live" can be a real challenge:

http://www.accessconnect.com/trailer_wiring_diagram.htm
http://www.etrailer.com/faq_wiring.aspx
http://autorepair.about.com/cs/doity.../aa031503b.htm
http://boatsafe.com/nauticalknowhow/120797btip.htm

 

Thanks for your reply. I had gone to each of those websites... the first two had only directional drawings -- and we know the function of each of the colored wires already; the boat site wired to a light bar with only turn/brakes lights and a ground -- no taillights.

The about.com site was the most informative, but stated only that once the proper wire was located for the taillights at the wiring harness to "connect the brown wire to that wire with a quick connector." There was no actual splicing technique.

Apparently, the wiring harness is buried deep under the bed in my truck (cause I couldn't find it) and wiring directly to one taillight and jumpering to the next is the easiest alternative.

If I proceed as stated previously, do you think it might be a success -- and if not, I will have done no permanent damage?

Thanks again.

 

You'll need a conversion box for amber turn signals to combination red brake/turnsignal as of on your trailer, the best and easiest way to do is buy a conversion box with "plug in" connector for your vehicle, all you have to do is plug it in, you can find those at your local walmart/pepboy/auto part stores.

 

Yellow is usually left turn ( on chevys anyways ) , green is right turn, white is ground and brown wire is for tailights or parking lights whatever you call them, each trailer light will have three wires coming out of it , ones is ground so you worry about the other two, one is for the turn/brake so you hook that to either yellow or green ( I think it is the black coming out of trailer light ) , the other one is for for parking lights connect it to brown fron vehicle.
Heavy duty trucks also have the wiring for trailer electric brakes and trailer battery feed but thats another story

 

I agree with New Guy, as my older Hard Body had to have a small conversion box that strapped under the frame and clamped on the wires. Very good instructions and brand specific. You have amber turn signals and can't just hook up green, yellow, brown and white. It won't work.