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2008 tow harness help

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AlGreen

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I recently hooked up a 2008 factory tow harness to my 2008 Patriot, and it went pretty clean with the hookup. The lights on the Patriot still work great and I can hear the tow harness relays clicking with the turn signals on, but unfortuntley the tow connector is not working.

I tried it on the trailer, then on a test connector and neither produced running lights, brake lights or turn signals.

I read that the 2007 & 2008 had different tail lighting, so I re-checked the harness kit# to make sure it was for a 2008, which it was.

Any ideas?
 
Discussion starter · #4 ·
I double checked my hookup per the mfg instructions again, and could not locate any ground lugs on the harness, and the instructions did not cover any ground connections.

There was one connector unused on one side that has a red wire going into it with only one pin. Any idea if the red wire connector needs to tie in somewhere else on the vehicle.
 
#5 ·
AlGreen said:
I double checked my hookup per the mfg instructions again, and could not locate any ground lugs on the harness, and the instructions did not cover any ground connections.

There was one connector unused on one side that has a red wire going into it with only one pin. Any idea if the red wire connector needs to tie in somewhere else on the vehicle.
Click to expand...
YES! That red wire connects to the trailer fuse--that's where the 12V comes from to make trailer lights work--the relays work off the regular lighting, but to avoid confusing the computer with too much current draw, the relays switch constant power. Good luck!
 
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Discussion starter · #6 ·
I checked around the engine compartment and near the fusebox, but did not see any connector for a Trailer Fuse. Is there a factory connection available or will it need to go to the 12v source through a in-line fuse.
 
#7 ·
There is a fused wire going to the back left (driver side) light assembly, which you can use for powering your trailer harness. I cannot find the right thread now, but I'm sure someone will come over and point it out. That will save you a lot of time!
 
Discussion starter · #8 ·
I ran my own fused wire from the battery back to the left rear light, and tied it into the red wire that was unused on the new tow harness. It did not seem to make any difference. I will re-test the connection again and get back with the results. It sure seems like the factory harness would not require running extra wires after such a clean hook up through the existing tail light connectors. Maybe it is a defective harness.
 
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