Taillight shenanigans
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Tuned
Joined: Oct 2021
Posts: 297
Likes: 42
Taillight shenanigans
Hey all, if you’re from the Midwest it’s getting pretty cold up here, about 10 degrees on average and some funky things have been happening with my taillights. Sometime my reverse lights stay on when I’m driving, sometimes the brake lights don’t come on, the rear turn signals when turning right flash both the rears, and the running lights for the taillights don’t come on. The wiring job by the PO was messed up so I pulled and repaired the taillights wiring harness and everything worked great again. But man have some weird things been happening since it got this cold around here. I would explain more but there doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to it. Also when the turn signal is on, the clicker or whatever it’s called clicks super slow. Seems like the weather is making things pretty tough on this truck -electrically, thankfully nowhere else but still annoying and probably not too safe on the roads.anyone else experience anything like this? Super frustrating and confusing.
Lead Driver
Joined: Jun 2021
Posts: 5,219
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I would say pull the connectors apart again and use bulb grease in the sockets after cleaning and drying fully with electrical spray and then dielectric grease in the frame ones. check ground path from chassis to frame and both of those to batttery
Fleet Owner
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 20,785
Likes: 1,751
From: Kentucky
The rear tail/stop/park lamps are grounded at G100 located on the driver side of the radiator support. There are a few splices along the way. Only the chassis cab F350 uses the frame as ground for these circuits.
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Tuned
Joined: Oct 2021
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I’ll cleans up that area, pretty sure I was working on or around that area a few days ago. Funny how that happens
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Tuned
Joined: Oct 2021
Posts: 297
Likes: 42
Cleaned up the grounds you mentioned still having an issue, I figured it out - the problem. When my lights are off the turn rear turn signals “work” but both are going off at the same time like the hazards would. When I turn my headlights on the brake running lights don’t come on. Checked the bulbs, they’re fine. When I turn my turn signals on with the headlights on the flasher clicks real slow and the rear lights light up really dim. Almost like a loss of voltage. New alternator and fresh battery so that can’t be it. Any ideas? Maybe the flasher is going bad? Pretty cold out here parked my truck in the garage so it’ll warm up and hopefully I’ll be able to rule out the cold weather doing this.
Edit: replaced the flasher, issue proceeds. I believe it’s some sort of impedance. If the headlights are taking too much amperage possible a bad wiring harness or ground or somthing in the rear harness for the taillights.
Edit: replaced the flasher, issue proceeds. I believe it’s some sort of impedance. If the headlights are taking too much amperage possible a bad wiring harness or ground or somthing in the rear harness for the taillights.
Lead Driver
Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 5,070
Likes: 863
From: N.W. Alabama
what year truck, I forget what year it started, but Ford(
) was nice and put the turn flasher, and the hazard flasher, on top of one another, the one you see, where fuse panel under steering wheel, cover off, there is another flasher behind/or stacked on the one you see.
) was nice and put the turn flasher, and the hazard flasher, on top of one another, the one you see, where fuse panel under steering wheel, cover off, there is another flasher behind/or stacked on the one you see.
Fleet Owner
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 20,785
Likes: 1,751
From: Kentucky
The funky rear tail/stop/park lamps could be a bad multi-function switch. I have seen quite a few grown green corrosion. That stuff is conductive which can cause weird operation. There physical connection between the headlamps and tail lamps are the headlamps switch and the battery and grounds. One headlamp is grounded at G100, the other at G101 (near the battery). I believe one of the front park/turn lamps also grounds there. An open ground connection for one of these high current devices can cause issues. One common symptom is the engine dies when you turn on the headlamps. A bad or melted headlamp switch can also be the culprit here.
Are you sure the alternator is charging the battery? It may be new but that does not mean it is good. If the green/red wire does not have voltage with the key in the Run or Start position the alternator will not turn on as well.
Are you sure the alternator is charging the battery? It may be new but that does not mean it is good. If the green/red wire does not have voltage with the key in the Run or Start position the alternator will not turn on as well.
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Thread Starter
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Tuned
Joined: Oct 2021
Posts: 297
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The funky rear tail/stop/park lamps could be a bad multi-function switch. I have seen quite a few grown green corrosion. That stuff is conductive which can cause weird operation. There physical connection between the headlamps and tail lamps are the headlamps switch and the battery and grounds. One headlamp is grounded at G100, the other at G101 (near the battery). I believe one of the front park/turn lamps also grounds there. An open ground connection for one of these high current devices can cause issues. One common symptom is the engine dies when you turn on the headlamps. A bad or melted headlamp switch can also be the culprit here.
Are you sure the alternator is charging the battery? It may be new but that does not mean it is good. If the green/red wire does not have voltage with the key in the Run or Start position the alternator will not turn on as well.
Are you sure the alternator is charging the battery? It may be new but that does not mean it is good. If the green/red wire does not have voltage with the key in the Run or Start position the alternator will not turn on as well.
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Thread Starter
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Tuned
Joined: Oct 2021
Posts: 297
Likes: 42
what year truck, I forget what year it started, but Ford(
was nice and put the turn flasher, and the hazard flasher, on top of one another, the one you see, where fuse panel under steering wheel, cover off, there is another flasher behind/or stacked on the one you see.
was nice and put the turn flasher, and the hazard flasher, on top of one another, the one you see, where fuse panel under steering wheel, cover off, there is another flasher behind/or stacked on the one you see.my truck is a 1990 F-250 351W 4x4 5spd ZF trans.
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Tuned
Joined: Oct 2021
Posts: 297
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Alright I did figure it out, normally i’m pretty decent at wiring but I guess the crimp job I did on the rear harness wasn’t good enough, i wiggle the harness and my tail lights come on and off, thanks for the help everyone. I got it from here
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Tuned
Joined: Oct 2021
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Likes: 42
Just took another look under the truck, It was the ground wire which I didn’t crimp, hats off to the PO haha for his lame crimp job. I agree solder is better but crimping can be more than adequate in most situations with the proper tools ie a crimper
Fleet Owner
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 20,785
Likes: 1,751
From: Kentucky
Glad you found it.
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Tuned
Joined: Oct 2021
Posts: 297
Likes: 42
thank you sir, I’m in the rust belt too, I found a decent crimp kit which comes with heat shrink on it already, not those crappy plastic ones you find at the store… I believe it’s called wirefy found them on Amazon, haven’t had a failure yet. Time will tell
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