Late year 1983 E-150 brake light problem
Thread Starter
|
New User
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Late year 1983 E-150 brake light problem
Ok, got the van for free last week 
Everything seemed to work fine, then the next morning we noticed the brake lights weren't working. Tried new fuses, they keep blowing out, tried new switch, still nothing. What next? Neither my hubby or I are very mechanically inclined, but very willing to learn. Just won a Clymer(they didn't have the right year for Haynes) book on ebay, but won't be getting that for another week. HELP!!
Everything seemed to work fine, then the next morning we noticed the brake lights weren't working. Tried new fuses, they keep blowing out, tried new switch, still nothing. What next? Neither my hubby or I are very mechanically inclined, but very willing to learn. Just won a Clymer(they didn't have the right year for Haynes) book on ebay, but won't be getting that for another week. HELP!!
Logistics Pro
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 4,292
Likes: 5
From: NJ where fun comes to die
Welcome to FTE. If the fuses blow out there is a short somewhere. Do all the other lights work ok? I don't know about your year but some run the wires through a "multi function switch", which is the turn signal switch. It goes from there to the brake light. I had one truck lose the back lights because the lighter was connected to the light switch, and I plugged a lap top into it. It melted the switch. The light itself should have a ground. Do your running lights work? Take your time and trace the wires. Look for a wire bare against the body or frame. It would help to have a multi meter from Radio Shack or someplace like it. About $10. It will have a continuity tester in it. It's good for finding shorts. The manual will have the wiring diagrams. Good luck.
Thread Starter
|
New User
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Thanks
Thanks for the welcome. All other lights work fine: headlights, directionals, hazards, reverse, but no brake lights. Going to finish putting in the switch today. If that doesn't work, we're going to check the bulbs and see it that's it. We also have a multi meter already(hubby's usual hobby is fixing computers, now he's learning to fix vans, along with me.
) Hopefully it'll be that easy. 
I'll be jumping for joy then! If not, we'll just wait for the manual to get here and go from there. Again thanks, you got us going in some kind of direction instead of just standing there, looking at Pepe(that's his name now. He's so much more peppy than Clifford-the BIG blue van-'87 e150 conversion, our other baby) and going DUHHHH. Well, have a great weekend, and wish us luck!
) Hopefully it'll be that easy. I'll be jumping for joy then! If not, we'll just wait for the manual to get here and go from there. Again thanks, you got us going in some kind of direction instead of just standing there, looking at Pepe(that's his name now. He's so much more peppy than Clifford-the BIG blue van-'87 e150 conversion, our other baby) and going DUHHHH. Well, have a great weekend, and wish us luck!
OK, I'm jumping for joy!
