Car question: What's a "running light wire"?

[atgcpaul]

I'm trying to install a hitch light harness for my car. There are 5 wires I have
to connect. Brake light, left turn signal, right turn signal, ground, and running
light. I got the first four connected but I don't know what a running light
wire is. I found a wiring diagram for my car and it was wrong! Is the running
light, the light that comes on at the rear of the car when you turn on the
headlights? Does the running light essentially turn on the brake light but at
a lower voltage?

Thanks, Paul

[Tom Slick]

Running lights are the side lights/markers and/or the rear lights that come on with the headlights.

[Wood_workur]

I believe you will want to connect it to the circuit that is for your tail lights.

[softop41]

trailer wiring

atcgpaul,
Tom & Alex are correct. The 'running' lights are the front 'parking' lights, the side marker lights, and the tail lights. Find a wire in the rear of the vehicle that is 'hot' when the tail lights are on and connect the brown wire from the conventional trailer harness to it. Generally, the green is the right turn and brake wire and yellow wire is the left turn and brake wire. White is a wired ground instead of using the trailer coupler contact to the hitch ball as a ground. Usually, a 5th (blue) wire is for trailers with electric brakes.
Here is a link to how to wire 4 thru 7 way trailer connectors. http://www.etrailer.com/faq_wiring.aspx
If your tow vehicle has the current tail light configuration that uses a separate bulb for each of the three functions, you will need a converter to go between the vehicle and the trailer to convert three single function bulbs to one three function bulb.
HTH,
Jerry

[crokett]

What Jerry said. Most trailer harnesses (well 5, but white doesn't count) are brown w/yellow stripe, yellow, brown w/green stripe, green and white is ground. The brown wire is your running lights/tail/lights for each side. Do you have a pre-made harness available for your car? My old van didn't but the new van does. There was a panel in the rear of the car with a spot to plug the harness in to. It made it much easier.

[knotley]

http://www.etrailer.com/c-E.htm

[atgcpaul]

atcgpaul,

http://www.etrailer.com/faq_wiring.aspx

Excellent! Funny. I bought my hitch and wiring harness from etrailer but you
guys have come through in spades--again! We'll see what their tech support
comes back with.

Thanks everyone for the information and that link. I guess I got so blinded
by the frustration of this wiring thing that I never found that link myself.

Thanks!
Paul