Lighting issues
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New User
Joined: Apr 2011
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Lighting issues
As soon as my brake lights started to work, my tail lights stopped working and when i have it to where they should be on, either one of my turn signals turn both tail lights on solid and they dont flash on the panel inside either.
Also, the brake light on my dash is now staying on which it has never done before. What could be causing this? Could it just be a problem with a fuse?
Also, the brake light on my dash is now staying on which it has never done before. What could be causing this? Could it just be a problem with a fuse?
Fleet Owner
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 24,552
Likes: 74
From: Creedmoor, North Carolina
Cody, There are 3 wires going to the rear of the truck.
1- is tail light licence plate etc., same circuit as park lights on front.
2- the other 2 are brake shared with the turn signal, one left and one right, brake light runs on both.
I gathered when reading your post that you have been swapping some wires around. Get a circuit tester like this one.
The bulb in the handle will light when there is a hot wire. Identify it and put it in the right place.
Many time issues can come in around the rear bumper when trailer wiring is done. I recommend starting at the rear of the truck, then move forward if you need to.
John
1- is tail light licence plate etc., same circuit as park lights on front.
2- the other 2 are brake shared with the turn signal, one left and one right, brake light runs on both.
I gathered when reading your post that you have been swapping some wires around. Get a circuit tester like this one.
The bulb in the handle will light when there is a hot wire. Identify it and put it in the right place.
Many time issues can come in around the rear bumper when trailer wiring is done. I recommend starting at the rear of the truck, then move forward if you need to.
John
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All i did was plug in loose wire under the truck and all of this happened fixing my brake lights. I'm not too good with electrical obviously so hopefully its simple. I will check all of the wires along the path starting in the back and see if i can find it
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Now my turn signals wont work at all. I am very confused because my brake lights didnt work before and everything else did. Now my brake lights work (only when the lights should be on) and the other lights do not work
Fleet Owner
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 24,552
Likes: 74
From: Creedmoor, North Carolina
Cody put your town in your profile like I have, maybe a member here is close by and will come by to give you a hand. Did you get a circuit tester so that you could identify the hot wires?
You may have to have the ign. switch turned on to get the brake lights to work. It can be aggravating sometimes but it's pretty simple.
John
You may have to have the ign. switch turned on to get the brake lights to work. It can be aggravating sometimes but it's pretty simple.
John
Mechanic
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 218
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From: High Desert of Oregon
?? Do the taillights come on with the headlights or no? The way you describe this it almost sounds like the taillight wire is hot when you step on the brake and the turn signal/brake wires are never hot.....
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They do not com on with thevheadlights. But i think the brighness of the brake light do change with the pressure but ive been having someone else check. Is that still a possibility?
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Mechanic
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 218
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From: High Desert of Oregon
Electrical issues are just about my least favorite thing......And, trying to diagnose long distance = big chance of epic fail. However; what should happen when you turn on the headlights is that the taillights come on - one of two filaments in the bulb - and when you step on the brake pedal the second filament should come on, effectively making the light twice as bright. The same (second) filament is used for the turn indicators. If the turn signals don't work at all and the brake lights only work if the headlights are on - something has gotten crossed up in the wiring.
You really need to get a circuit tester like the one shown above in order to find out what's going on in the wiring. A multimeter is pretty helpful as well because the circuit tester will only show what is live or not. A bad ground at the rear lamp housing can cause odd symptoms and I found out through experience that extra, unused, wiring for the trailer light socket can give you fits. I fixed the rear lamps (everything was dim) on a Chevy PU by pulling out 15 feet of wire that had been coiled up and zip-tied to the frame rail.
You really need to get a circuit tester like the one shown above in order to find out what's going on in the wiring. A multimeter is pretty helpful as well because the circuit tester will only show what is live or not. A bad ground at the rear lamp housing can cause odd symptoms and I found out through experience that extra, unused, wiring for the trailer light socket can give you fits. I fixed the rear lamps (everything was dim) on a Chevy PU by pulling out 15 feet of wire that had been coiled up and zip-tied to the frame rail.
Mechanic
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 218
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From: High Desert of Oregon
Just...wow.... However, that may simplify your troubleshooting. My personal experience has been that if all the rear lights work except for the brakes the problem is in the switch 9 times out of 10 and that is a really cheap and easy fix.
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As soon as my brake lights started to work, my tail lights stopped working and when i have it to where they should be on, either one of my turn signals turn both tail lights on solid and they dont flash on the panel inside either.
Also, the brake light on my dash is now staying on which it has never done before. What could be causing this? Could it just be a problem with a fuse?
Also, the brake light on my dash is now staying on which it has never done before. What could be causing this? Could it just be a problem with a fuse?
Thread Starter
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New User
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 7
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I gave up and took it in. there was some... creative wiring as the mechanic put it. crossed wires bad grounds and a wire from the brake swtch had been rewired to a ground which it shouldn't have been wired to
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