Dash and tail lights out
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Dash and tail lights out
Hello All,
I was driving my '93 F150 this evening and the dash lights and the tail lights went out. I still retained my headlights, brake lights, hazards (in rear), and turn indicators (in rear). I checked fuses and all seemed to be well. Any help/advice would be much appreciated!!
Thanks in advance!!
I was driving my '93 F150 this evening and the dash lights and the tail lights went out. I still retained my headlights, brake lights, hazards (in rear), and turn indicators (in rear). I checked fuses and all seemed to be well. Any help/advice would be much appreciated!!
Thanks in advance!!
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From: Virginia
I am guessing your front marker lights are out too. If all the fuses are good, then it sounds like the tan/white wire going to the headlight switch may have burnt in two. It happens once in awhile.
What you can do is pull the headlight switch out, and with it plugged in, probe the tan/white wire to see if it has voltage. If it doesn't, follow it back and see if there are any problems with it. This wire comes directly from the fuse panel.
If you have voltage on the tan/white, unplug the plug and look at it to see if it's melted. If it looks ok, your headlight switch may be bad. The tan/white feeds the marker light contact in the headlight switch, and also feeds the dash dimmer part of the switch internally. So if you lose the tan/white feed, you will lose the dashlights also.
What you can do is pull the headlight switch out, and with it plugged in, probe the tan/white wire to see if it has voltage. If it doesn't, follow it back and see if there are any problems with it. This wire comes directly from the fuse panel.
If you have voltage on the tan/white, unplug the plug and look at it to see if it's melted. If it looks ok, your headlight switch may be bad. The tan/white feeds the marker light contact in the headlight switch, and also feeds the dash dimmer part of the switch internally. So if you lose the tan/white feed, you will lose the dashlights also.
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Thanks Franklin!
A bit of a stupid question (newbie...), but when you refer to the "headlight switch", you're not referring to the headlight **** you pull out to turn your lights on, are you? If not, where exactly is the headlight switch?
Thanks again!!
A bit of a stupid question (newbie...), but when you refer to the "headlight switch", you're not referring to the headlight **** you pull out to turn your lights on, are you? If not, where exactly is the headlight switch?
Thanks again!!
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From: Virginia
Yes, the headlight ****. I am not sure what type of switch your year has, but some had a little button on the switch you have to push to release the **** and shaft assembly. Others, you just pull the **** off.
If you feel a little button on the part of the switch behind the dash, opposite of the wiring side of the switch, then go out and take the battery cable off, pull the headlight switch **** all the way out, reach back and push on the button, and then pull the **** and shaft all the way out.
You can then re-insert the ****, turn the switch off, hook the battery up temp, and then do some testing with a meter.
If you feel a little button on the part of the switch behind the dash, opposite of the wiring side of the switch, then go out and take the battery cable off, pull the headlight switch **** all the way out, reach back and push on the button, and then pull the **** and shaft all the way out.
You can then re-insert the ****, turn the switch off, hook the battery up temp, and then do some testing with a meter.
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Cool. Thanks Franklin. I actually went ahead and took the dash facade off, unscrewed the headlight switch, and unplugged the switch. As I was doing this, the dash/tail lights were flickering on and off. After I unplugged the switch, there appeared to be some small heat damage to one prongs and it's area of connection. I'm hoping this is the culprit. I'm off to the auto parts store to see (hopefully) if they have a replacement headlight switch. Keep ya posted. Thanks again for the help!
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