Light problems again

[shadango]

I had some electrical issues with our 92 Dakota 6 weeks or so ago......lights were all acting crazy....parking lights and brake lights....turns out it was a bad bulb.

Well, I guess it's time for issues again,.,......this time with the barracuda.... tonight coming from a cruise we found out we had NO rear lights at all except for the license plate.......


When the park lights are off, we have no brake lights...put it in reverse and the rear park lights and sidemarkers come on very dim, right tail dimmer than the other three.

Turn the park lights on, with trans in reverse and they all go off.

Take it out of reverse and leave the park lights in on position, all go out (fronts are all normal)....plate light is still on. 

Parking lights still in on position, Left turn signal  fronts are fine, all rear lights (park, sidemarker) BLINK...right tail dimmer than all.....right turn signal makes and all the rear lights except plate light go out. Fronts are fine.

Hazard lights with park lights on, all rear lights blink. Plate light still fine.  The plate light is no issue at any position or combination and the fronts work normally.

So obviously there is a short somewhere......but the reverse coming into the picture has me befuddled.

Anyone ever see this before?

[erat340]

Ground, ground, get a ground, I get a ground.

[lulurocks]

wow 

well there is a harness connector in the driver side kick panel were all those functions connect to the main harness .  I would inspect that first . But they really don't go bad . From there those wires run in the drivers side rocker gutter under the carpet into the trunk.  At the trunk they split to the rear lamps . 

- each lamp housing in grounded  by contact  at the housing .

So I think you might have a loss of body ground to the rear lights .   ,

Can you pull lamps and take voltage readings at the sockets  with the parking light switch on to see if you have 12vdc from the center pin to the body . If you do you know your power is getting to the lamp but has a grounding issue .

Also check your marker lights when the tail lights are on .   Those housings are plastic , so there is two wires in each socket . Ground and positive .   Follow those socket wires you will see where one lands to the body

Again sounds like they are all seeking grounds causing that dim issue  you see.


Your lisence plate lamp never has an issue cause it's grounded thru the metal bumper to metal body

Sorry that was a mouth full

[shadango]

"So I think you might have a loss of body ground to the rear lights .  "

Well, have some of the issues fixed...bad ground at the left rear tail light.....

Everything works ok now except NO brake lights....

[purple1]

Check your turn signal switch. I had 3 of them fail because of the trailer. They kept burning up until I switched to LED lights for the car and the trailer. Anyway the brake lights go though the turn signal switch. If something shorted that switch will burn out quick.

[shadango]

Check your turn signal switch. I had 3 of them fail because of the trailer. They kept burning up until I switched to LED lights for the car and the trailer. Anyway the brake lights go though the turn signal switch. If something shorted that switch will burn out quick.

Yeah I did a search and found many folks posting about this  sort of thing including your thread....so I tested the switch and all was fine.  Also tested the brake switch.

Plugged it back in and viola , brake lights again.    Maybe just the reseating did it.....

I am thinking about replacing the whole rear harness....its been on my to do list for a couple years but always fell to the "its woirking so why change it" mentality.....LOL

[lulurocks]

You can add grounds to the housings pretty easy and still keep them hidden  to look factory if that concerns you.

glad you got her fixed up..