Rear Lighting Issues
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New User
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 18
Likes: 0
Rear Lighting Issues
Here's the issue(s): No tail lights, no turn signals, dim brake lights, turn signal on dash not flashing when engaged. Brand new turn signal switch in column. I have tested the rear lights at the plug (2 wires) and each wire is hot (lights my test light) when I turn on the running lights, hit the brakes, or turn the signal. However, when I hook up the actual light, all I get is a dim brake light. Now, I've read some old posts and think it may be a ground or flasher issue. My question is, where do you ground your rear lights, and where would I find this flasher? Do the lights ground under the dash at the firewall plug? (I have traced them back that far) Is there a ground in the tail light itself? I have 65 F100, stepside.
Thanks
Thanks
Fleet Owner
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 24,552
Likes: 74
From: Creedmoor, North Carolina
Hi Steve, The body itself is the ground. I think you have a grounding issue. Start with a battery terminal brush and clean the bulb socket good, paint can be a culpret. If you are able to power up a test light, that is a give away to the bad ground.
Pull the complete light assembly out and un plug it, if the wires are hot, you will have to start scraping and cleaning corrosion.
good luck
John
Pull the complete light assembly out and un plug it, if the wires are hot, you will have to start scraping and cleaning corrosion.
good luck
John
Posting Guru
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 1,111
Likes: 0
From: Turlock CA
Steve
My lights used to be really dim and I found my sockets to be shot. They were green and the housing was so loss you could almost pull the bulb out without turning it. The new sockets came with a ground wire that I made sure to hook up. The old sockets just grounded thru the mounting screws. Mine is a style side so it has differant fixtures from the step side. After the overhaul on the tail light sockets my lights have worked great. Oh yeah during the fixture rebuild I found that when someone tied in the trailer socket they had just twisted the wires together and they were also is sad shape so I cleaned and solderd them...
My lights used to be really dim and I found my sockets to be shot. They were green and the housing was so loss you could almost pull the bulb out without turning it. The new sockets came with a ground wire that I made sure to hook up. The old sockets just grounded thru the mounting screws. Mine is a style side so it has differant fixtures from the step side. After the overhaul on the tail light sockets my lights have worked great. Oh yeah during the fixture rebuild I found that when someone tied in the trailer socket they had just twisted the wires together and they were also is sad shape so I cleaned and solderd them...
Logistics Pro
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 3,565
Likes: 9
From: Sun River St. George
Use a piece of heavy wire about 6 inches long with a couple of ring connectors as a ground. Screw this wire to the bottom of the bed rail and the frame some where out of sight. I add these home made grounds between the block and motor mount towers, between the cab floor and frame and the bed and frame. Be sure the one Ford installed between the block and cab near the firewall is intact. New sockets are available at Napa. I like to use two sockets in the tail light housing, really lights up the rear. You can use 1247 bulbs as well (little brighter).
