Jdpber wrote:
use a hammer that is the only logical solution
As an old mechanic I had always heard, "If you can't fix it with a hammer, it must be an electrical problem."
I guess I might have to re-evaluate that as a future option..........
Chris, sometimes you can look at an incandescent bulb like these 1157s and tell whether the filaments are broken. If they are good, and the capsule looks good, I would recommend seeing if the wire can be pulled out of the trailer farther to get to the splices. Be careful to not pull too hard or to peel insulation off the wires as they come out of the trailer frame. Another thing to check is the ground connection at the light. As I recall, there are 2 power wires going into the trailer frame, and maybe a third wire that goes to a mounting bolt for the light. If this ground wire is not making good contact you may not be getting a light, or you may be getting a weak or incorrect light indication because of feedback through the other element and circuit for that bulb.
You might also use a volt-ohm meter to check for circuit continuity.
I agree that the lights you have are a vast improvement from older versions. There is little reason to change them if they are relatively trouble free. I had those same lights on my previous boat trailer. One went for 15+ years of weekly dunkings, the other one was replaced a couple times. Trailers, especially boat trailers are known for having lighting issues. If the lights give you much trouble I would recommend going the LED route, budget permitting. They are more expensive, like maybe $50 more than your system. Hope this helps.
Gary