3rd brake light cargo light doesn't work
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3rd brake light cargo light doesn't work
I have a 1998 Ranger 4x4 extended cab and the highmount brake light/cargo lights do not work.Does anyone know where the other end of the wiring harness is.I don't want to pull apart any more of the interior than needed? The interior dome and map lights work fine,the bulbs in the highmount are good but it doesn't seem like I have power at the 3 wire connector.I'm thinking a bad connection because the cargo lights should come on when the doors are opened and the brake light should come on when stepping on the brakes(2 different and seperate actions).The rear brake lights operate properly.Any help or ideas would be appreciated. Thanks.
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There are 2 large connectors that goes through the fire wall into the cab. One is square and one is octogon shaped. The square one has a darkgreen wire on the cab side that goes directly to the rear upper break light. Its on pin 74, outside row, second pin, from the corrner. It goes directly to the light so you can measure the resistance from there to the light socket. Its powered from the brake switch wire (light green) that feeds the brake lights. I can't find where the darkgreen and light green wire are connected, but it may be at the brake light switch connector. Also check the ground (black) wire at the socket to ground. Also that darkgreen wire is routed under the carpet on the drivers side. Hope this helps.
Dave
Dave
Dave
Dave
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Thanks Dave for the quick response and useful info. The bad ground will be the first thing I check.Do you happen to know which color wire is the ground(at the connector at the back of the light),I'm thinking of just tapping into it and creating a new ground line. Thanks again.
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From: SW Va
If you think the ground is bad, you could fashion a good quality jumper wire as a ground tester, one end connected to a good ground, the other end to the lamp socket gound & see if it then works. If so, the ground is the problem, if not, it's likely the hot lead, it's fuse, or it's connector. This could save you some time in furher isolating the problem. Let us know what you find.
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From: SW Va
One other thought came to mind on the cargo lamp. On my 99, to turn on the cargo lamp, you must rotate the instrument lamp dimmer thumb wheel, UP, until it clicks & then it turns on the inside dome lamps & the outside cargo lamp. So when your testing the cargo lamp for power, make shure you have the thumb wheel dimmer switch fully rotated UP, until it CLICKS & turns the inside dome lights on. The brake & cargo lamps, both use the same ground wire on my 99, so if neither stop nor cargo lamp work, but both have power, it's the ground, & the ground jumper should make both work, to prove it.
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On my '98 B3000, the cargo light does NOT come on when the doors are opened. It comes on with the interior light only when the thumbwheel switch is rotated all the way up.
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The light problem mystery has been solved.It was a bad ground,Thanks Dave257, Pawpaw and larpa.I made up a quick ground line like Pawpaw suggested and tapped into the ground line at the lamp assy and the lights worked.The brake light when stepping on the brakes and cargo lights when rotating the dimmer switch up.I assumed that the cargo lights also came on when the doors open because they do on my 1998 f150.Again thanks to all for your help.
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From: SW Va
Good find, fix & feedback Brilac.
Would be interesting & possibly helpful to others with this problem, to know were the ground was bad.
Was it a broken wire or just a loose or corroded ground connecion???
Would be interesting & possibly helpful to others with this problem, to know were the ground was bad.
Was it a broken wire or just a loose or corroded ground connecion???
