Install The Trailer Lighting Wire Harness Connector

Transcription

1 Install The Trailer Lighting Wire Harness Connector This is probably the toughest part of the whole trailer hitch install. It helps to have a little background in electronics, but if you don't then simply following these instructions should do the job fine. I've never been a fan of wire splices and butt connectors as they are prone to problems after months or years of use. I prefer using solder and wire shrink tubing but I'll stick with the crimp-on style for this first install. If (when) it gives me problems down the road I will completely redo the whole setup my way. Here are the parts that come with the OEM trailer hitch. Everything is there to make a nice professional finish.

2 This task is started by removing the spare tire from the rear cargo area: You need to remove the rear cargo pan drain hole cover. I did this by climbing under the vehicle and bending the tabs for the plug so that they stuck straight down. Then I used the butt end of a screwdriver to push the plug up through the floor. It takes quite a bit of force to break through the sealant. Don't be timid, if you are pushing the center of the plug you aren't going to break anything. Here you can see the resulting hole: You will want to clean some of the sealant away from the edge of the hole with a screwdriver so that the grommet that comes with the wire harness can make a water proof seal.

3 This is what the plug looks like after removal (sealant side up). Insert the 4 wire connector through the drain hole and seat the channel of the grommet in the hole. I found it easier to start the grommet in the hole from the top and then climbed underneath to seat the channel all the way around the hole. This is what the grommet will look like beneath the vehicle when it is correctly installed: I was very pleasantly surprised to see how this grommet was setup on the wire harness from the OEM factory. All that tape and protective coating on the rubber and harness was already there. All I had to do was feed it through the floor pan. And this puppy is certainly sturdy!

4 Secure the wire harness module in the spare tire area against the left aft wall using the double sided sticky tape that is already attached to the module. (Some of these pictures are a little blurry due to the tight quarters) Remove the storage bin to the left of the spare tire area. I used a large screwdriver to unscrew the fasteners since I didn't have the right star shaped tool.

5 Under the storage bin on the floor panel you will see a connector with a wire bundle going into it. This is the wire bundle that we will use to splice in the trailer lighting wire harness. Route the trailer lighting wire harness under the structural foam and run it along the back of the compartment and back up the side to reach the vehicle's wire harness. Don't stretch the wire tight anywhere along the route. Wire doesn't like stress, especially if it is spliced in.

6 Pull the cover from the spare tire jack area. You will see the wire bundle we will splice. The loop consists of yellow, blue, brown a black wires as well a straight green wire. Unwrap the electrical tape form the bundle and pull a bit of it from the plastic wire conduit until you have the loop completely exposed.

7 Warning: At this point, if you have been running the sound system in the Vue while working you need to TURN OFF THE ACCESSORY POWER and pull the keys from the ignition switch. Cutting these wires with power applied can result in anything from a blown fuse to damage to circuitry, especially if you cut two wires simultaneously. Pick your color of choice and start cutting wires at the middle of the loop. I recommend doing one color at a time and splicing it to the trailer wiring harness wire of the same color before moving on to the next cut. Prepare the wire for the crimp splice by stripping 5 mm to 10 mm of the insulation from the wire. You will need to strip the wire you cut as well as the trailer wire ends.

8 Here is my wire harness all spliced together. I used solder on the wires that I cut, soldering the two ends of the same color together before inserting them in the butt connector. There are other kinds of connectors you can find at a hardware store that are more forgiving but I used the ones supplied with the OEM harness simply to prove they can work nicely. I learned a long time ago when I used to splice wires on fighter aircraft; when the crimping is done you should be able to give a firm tug on each of the wires and not pull them from the splice. If you can tug out a wire, redo the crimp. The insulation covering the crimped butt connectors is made from a heat shrinkable plastic. Use a heat gun (if you have one) to shrink the insulation tight against the wires. If you don't have a shrink gun use a high wattage blow dryer, backing the wires with a pancake turner (spatula) from the kitchen as you blow the heat directly on the insulation at close range. The pancake turner helps to reflect the hot air back up and makes the temp even hotter around the splices. Resecure the entire wire bundle in place by inserting it back in the split wire conduit and using electrical around the remainder of the wire. After ensuring that the wire bundle isn't pinched against anything and is routed around the perimeter of the cargo storage area, reinstall the storage bin and the jack cover.

9 Lastly, install the dust cover on the four wire trailer connector that is hanging under the floor from the grommet and secure the connector to the plastic mounting bracket. Attach the mounting bracket to the hitch. (the chrome fascia makes for an excellent mirror to inspect the top of the connector. Finally, pull the cover off the front of the connector, squirt a liberal amount of the terminal grease that comes with the hitch into each of the terminals to prevent corrosion, and put the cover back in place. Voila! A complete and professional looking trailer hitch install. Pat yourself on the back, you just saved yourself $300 to $400 by buying the hitch online and installing it yourself!