parking lights out

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Dec 30, 2004 | 12:50 AM

aaronjj3687

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parking lights out

In the process of installing a new radio in my '85 F-250 I seemed to have shorted out the parking lights and the instrument lights. I have since disconnected the radio, replaced the headlight switch and disconnected a bad trailer wiring harness. The lights still wont work any suggestions??

Dec 30, 2004 | 06:22 AM

IB Tim

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Dec 30, 2004 | 08:30 AM

Hourang

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From: Troy, MI

did you check the fuses?

Dec 30, 2004 | 12:04 PM

aaronjj3687

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yeah it blew the first two but hasn't scince i took the trailer wiring harness off, I can get the parking lights to come on by putting the head lightswitch in an intermediate position but the dash lights still won't come on.

Dec 30, 2004 | 05:08 PM

Skoiv

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From: Tualatin, OR

Sounds like a bad ground wire. Check all the grounds and clean them up.

Dec 30, 2004 | 09:47 PM

JimmyRC86F150

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From: North Central Iowa

I did the same thing

Aaron, I did the same exact thing, when putting a Sony CD player into my truck. Now I know why they say, "Step 1 is to disconnect the battery." CD player worked fine, but lots of lights missing...the next time I was out at night.

Got the parking lights back with a fuse change...but still didn't have any instrument lights, ash tray light, heater panel light... Tried replacing the 5 Amp fuse, but would blow every time I turned on the hedlights.

Rechecked my wires on the CD install and discovered I had connected a blue wire w/ red stripe on the truck's factory radio harness, to a ground on the CD player. The truck harness had three wires: blue w/red stripe, black/yellow and a green. The latter two tested "hot", so I had guessed that the blue/red must be the ground...BAD GUESS. As soon as I disconnected the incorrect ground, missing dash lights were back.

BTW, I put one of those knife-style disconnects on the battery, so I won't be tempted to work on it hot, again. Good luck finding your solution.

Dec 30, 2004 | 10:23 PM

Trublufords

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Joined: Apr 2004

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From: Central Va.

Did you know that Ford radios have a wire from the dash lights that illums radio at night and you can dim them with dash lite dimmer??? aftermarket radios light up when turning on radio.This wire will test as a ground wire UNLESS park or headlights are turned on. If you use it as your radio ground wire it will work fine as a ground BUT when turning on park or headlights it will blow the fuse- you guessed it NO DASH lights poss blue with red tracer or yellow with red tracer Good luck