1995 E350 Tail Light Issue
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1995 E350 Tail Light Issue
So I’ve got this 1994 E350 Motorhome that I just picked up. Brake lights work fine, Turn signals work fine, Tail lights do not work. Front marker lights work though. I replaced the dash light switch and checked all the fuses. The fact that the front marker lights work is leading me to think there is a broken wire going to the back lights. However..... Ith the key on (truck running or not) the tail lights are dimly lit up. As soon as I turn on the headlight switch they go dead. Anyone run into this issue before? I’ve never had tail lights dimly lit with the key on before.
I ordered new tail light housings and bulbs and will be installing them this week (just because I know they need to be updated anyway). I am prepared to run new wire from the tail lights up to the front but I’m not exactly sure where I am going to tie it in at.
I ordered new tail light housings and bulbs and will be installing them this week (just because I know they need to be updated anyway). I am prepared to run new wire from the tail lights up to the front but I’m not exactly sure where I am going to tie it in at.
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Check to see how much voltage you have on the tail light circuit at the sockets. That would be a good start. Need to check for high resistance and check your grounds as well. A visual inspection of the rear wiring can find broken or damaged wires that may be causing the issue.
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With the key off there is 0 volts to tail lights.
With light switch on there is 0 volts to the tail lights.
With key on and light switch on there is 0 volts to the tail lights.
With the key on and light switch off there is 5.9 volts to the tail lights.
With light switch on there is 0 volts to the tail lights.
With key on and light switch on there is 0 volts to the tail lights.
With the key on and light switch off there is 5.9 volts to the tail lights.
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Is this correct?
Driver side -
Orange - Backup Light
White - Ground
Green - Turn Signal & Brake
Brown - Tail Lights
Passenger Side -
Orange - Backup Light
White - Ground
Yellow - Turn Signal & Brake
Brown - Tail Lights
Driver side -
Orange - Backup Light
White - Ground
Green - Turn Signal & Brake
Brown - Tail Lights
Passenger Side -
Orange - Backup Light
White - Ground
Yellow - Turn Signal & Brake
Brown - Tail Lights
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So I have 12v to the brown wire at the connector above the rear axle. I unplugged the connector and tested the continuity from the connector to the rear tail light socket and it is good, however there is also continuity to the ground (white) wire at the rear light socket. I'm thinking a wire is crossed somewhere in the back end maybe. I am going to trace through them all and see if I can isolate a wire that shouldn't be going where it's going.
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This is what I got so far and now I am stumped..
I have an audible test light and I have it plugged into the tail light wire at the connector above the rear axle. Light switch on it tests good and I can hear it from the driver door. If I plug the connector into the rear tail light harness the audible stops. I unplug the harness and wait about 3 minutes and the audible comes back on. I tested the rear lights on a separate circuit and they all work great. I took each one apart and cleaned all the contactors up and put them all back together. If I connect a ground to the white wire and a positive to the brown wire All my rear tail lights light up great.
So why would power to the brown wire (tail lights) stop when plugged into the harness and then take about 3 minutes to come back on when unplugged from the harness?
I have an audible test light and I have it plugged into the tail light wire at the connector above the rear axle. Light switch on it tests good and I can hear it from the driver door. If I plug the connector into the rear tail light harness the audible stops. I unplug the harness and wait about 3 minutes and the audible comes back on. I tested the rear lights on a separate circuit and they all work great. I took each one apart and cleaned all the contactors up and put them all back together. If I connect a ground to the white wire and a positive to the brown wire All my rear tail lights light up great.
So why would power to the brown wire (tail lights) stop when plugged into the harness and then take about 3 minutes to come back on when unplugged from the harness?
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