lights out (?)
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New User
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 11
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From: mesa,az
lights out (?)
i just picked up a '78 f150 custom.the problem is lighting. rr brake light doesn't work.with headlamps on,left turn signal cut out. right rear turn signal doesn't work at all,but the front right works. when headlamps turn on, the turn indicators in the cab panel turn on(not flashing),the rear lights don't come on. also, the hazards arn't working either.i changed all bulbs,replaced the headlight switch,replaced the turn signal flash fuse. the rest of the fuses look good too. i sure it's in the wiring but GEEZ! where to start? sorry so long a post, but i NEED help!
thanks,
will in arizona
thanks,
will in arizona
Mountain Pass
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 242
Likes: 9
From: earth
lights out (?)
will,
Try replacing the flashers...both turn and hazard. If that doesn't work, start looking at the wiring at each turn signal. The black wire should be grounded between the front marker and headlight(the one that goes from the side marker to the front marker to the headlight). The rear side markers should each have their own grounds directly from the light to the body. The black wire between the rear marker and the back-up light should also be grounded. I can send you the wiring diagram for a 78 f150 if you wish. I hope this helps.
Chris
Try replacing the flashers...both turn and hazard. If that doesn't work, start looking at the wiring at each turn signal. The black wire should be grounded between the front marker and headlight(the one that goes from the side marker to the front marker to the headlight). The rear side markers should each have their own grounds directly from the light to the body. The black wire between the rear marker and the back-up light should also be grounded. I can send you the wiring diagram for a 78 f150 if you wish. I hope this helps.
Chris
Elder User
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 910
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lights out (?)
I've been through those symptoms w/ multiple Ford trucks. Every time the fix was in replaceing a worn out bulb socket. Get a sharp probe test light (it has a sharp point that you can poke through insulation). I bet you will find that the wires all do what they are suppose to right up to the socket unless you find a short or bad ground. Those bulb sockets do go bad and aren't very hard to replace w/ easily found replacements at the autoparts store. Remember that when patching it in, that the running lights are the dimmer filament in the 1157 bulb and the turn signal and brake is the brighter fillament. Also there are multible kinds of Ford Sockets, and one type will push the bulb too close the the lense and melt a hole in it. I believe the ones I've gotten are labeled to work w/ Ford,Chrysler and AMC, rather than just Ford. It's weird what kind of strange symptoms that the bad bulb socket will do.
BBT
BBT
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 56,966
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From: Virginia
lights out (?)
The turn signal lights in the dash coming on when you turn the headlights on, is a sure sign of a bad ground. This can be caused as stated above by a bad socket, or a bad connection to the body at the ground pigtail from the socket. The running light current does not have a good return path to ground, so it finds it's way back through the dual filament 1157 bulbs and runs backwards up the turn signal circuit where it turns the dash lights on.
