Plug for trailer lights hot!

[woodchuckie]

I recently had my van wired so I could plug my utility trailer to it. When I was unplugging it after using it today I noticed the plug on the van was very hot. It has slightly bulged from the heat. The van lights work normally as do the lights on the trailer. It's a converter and was installed by U-HAUL.
What would cause this heat.

 

[JDgreen227]

I recently had my van wired so I could plug my utility trailer to it. When I was unplugging it after using it today I noticed the plug on the van was very hot. It has slightly bulged from the heat. The van lights work normally as do the lights on the trailer. It's a converter and was installed by U-HAUL.
What would cause this heat.

Is it a 4-wire or a seven wire trailer hookup? It's pretty hard to miswire a 4-wire hookup but I have seen incorrectly wired 7-wire hookups. Just put a 4 wire converter on my Lesabre, the converter doesn't even get warm. I would say you have an incorrect wire hookup or the converter is defective. Just curious, are there any exterior lights near your trailer plug, or possibly an exhaust pipe?

 

[zzvyb6]

Check to see if you have a good ground. It may be back feeding thru a stop light circuit. Of course, a corroded pin in the connector can have increased resistance and thus generates heat from that.

 

[JDgreen227]

Good point...OP said "recent" so I didn't have any thought there might be corrosion on the plug...I was thinking of what he had installed, not the trailer itself.

 

[Western]

Check to see if you have a good ground. It may be back feeding thru a stop light circuit. Of course, a corroded pin in the connector can have increased resistance and thus generates heat from that.

This is what happened to a Goose-neck set up of mine one time. Ground was loose.

 

[woodchuckie]

OK, after church today I'll be checking for corrosion because it is an old homemade trailer. The exhaust is halfway over between the hitch and the van rear lights.

thanks,

 

[JDgreen227]

OK, after church today I'll be checking for corrosion because it is an old homemade trailer. The exhaust is halfway over between the hitch and the van rear lights.

thanks,

I was wondering if there was an external heat source that was causing the plug to get hot, appears that is not a factor. Please let us know what you learn.

 

[woodchuckie]

The hot spot is at the ground wire plug on the converter. The ground plug on the trailer seems to be a bit loose. Can't really tell because all four wires plug in together. I think I'll replace the trailer plug next time I'm in town to buy the plug.