have a 04 dodge dakota quad cab 4.7 with the factory tow package. towing a small utility trailer today, i noticed that when the trailer is plugged in, the trailer lights are on all the time, even with the ignition off and the truck'slights off. i have the factory 7 pin plug on the truck and im using a mopar 7 to 4 pin adapter. is this normal for the lights to be on all the time? some sort of safety deal? or is there something wrong with the wiring on my truck? its kind of a pain to have to unplug the trailer every time i shut the truck off so it doesn't drain the battery.

 

anybody?

 

of course its not normal. something is probably grounded out you need a meter or test light and knowledge of how to use said test light or meter to diagnose it. tutorials on how to use a meter can be found on youtube

 

I know how to use that stuff, I just dont know where to start testing things

 

If it's a factory seven pin, one of the poles should be a hot positive all the time for camper accessories and the like. There is a chance that the wires have gotten crossed and the lights are now linked to the accessory lead. Grab a friend and a test light and a wiring diagram showing the pin-out for a seven pin and test all the circuits (lights, brakes, signals, reverse, etc) relating back to the pin out. It's an industry standard so any aftermarket lighting supplier or trailer hitch company should have one or google images for that matter. Find the suspect circuit and begin digging.