tailights

[smithhe]

have you tried using a test light with a sharp point,,to find out just how far along in the wire to the tail lights has current ??

I think that’s my next thing I’m going to do, I need to buy a test light all I have is a multimeter and I don’t think I’m using it right cause I can’t get any reading off the wires, I’m not the best with electrical stuff which is the main reason I’m so into old cars

[popscomet]

make sure you have a good ground !!! work your way down ever so often pokeing the sharp point of test light into the insulation,,,make sure tail lights are turned on,,,,you can just pull parking lights on.....that process will find a break in a wire if there is one,,,I think I would start checking as far away from the switch as I could,,,if light won't come on start working toward switch,,,inch by inch....A GOOD TEST light is a must to own,,,and one is very cheap to buy...good luck..... PS,,,DON'T POKE YOUR FINGER IT CAN HURT AND BLEED a bunch pop

[popscomet]

make sure you have a good ground !!! work your way down ever so often pokeing the sharp point of test light into the insulation,,,make sure tail lights are turned on,,,,you can just pull parking lights on.....that process will find a break in a wire if there is one,,,I think I would start checking as far away from the switch as I could,,,if light won't come on start working toward switch,,,inch by inch....A GOOD TEST light is a must to own,,,and one is very cheap to buy...good luck..... PS,,,DON'T POKE YOUR FINGER IT CAN HURT AND BLEED a bunch pop

HEY,,if you poke the point plum thru insulation and cause point to touch metal......you just made a momentary short,,,spark and heated insulation is what your going to get plus a chance on blowing a fuse,,,,so pay attention....to save your fingers try using a piece of wooden block or a chunk of rubber,,,,,common sense comes to the front,,,thanks POP

[tomb22]

I agree with POP but check the switch first to make sure you have 12 volts leaving the switch with that test light.
tom

[smithhe]

Thank you guys very much for all the help, I’ll buy a tester by the end of the week and let y’all know what I find.

[popscomet]

I agree with POP but check the switch first to make sure you have 12 volts leaving the switch with that test light.
tom

so true,,that's part of common sense, I was talking about..good luck !! pop

[sandman]

I'm following this topic closely, I'm having the same problem. This has happened twice to date and just started a month or so ago. I keep blowing the 15A fuse for front and rear parking lamps, courtesy, dome and instrument lights. Signal, backup and headlights are on another circuit and work fine. From what I've read so far, it appears I will be looking for a short somewhere.

[popscomet]

I'm following this topic closely, I'm having the same problem. This has happened twice to date and just started a month or so ago. I keep blowing the 15A fuse for front and rear parking lamps, courtesy, dome and instrument lights. Signal, backup and headlights are on another circuit and work fine. From what I've read so far, it appears I will be looking for a short somewhere.

and about the only way your going to pin point it is to start a process of elimation,one at a time...this may take some time,,just have plenty of fuse's on hand …..jmo....pop

[smithhe]

well I know its ben a while since ive updated but I finally got around to installing the new headlights/courtesy light dimmer switch in the car. Sadly this did nothing to help my problem so im guessing that it must be the wire running from the switch to the taillights, even thought that doesn't really make sense in my head because if the wire was bad then wouldn't my brake lights not turn on when I pushed the brakes??? oh well ill just have to chase the wire and see if I find anything. Also does anybody know where the wire is run through the car that goes to the taillights? I spent a little time trying to chase it a while ago but I gave up rather quick. Thank you all again for all the help.

[lavron]

Also does anybody know where the wire is run through the car that goes to the taillights?

It runs down the drivers side of the car under the door skid plate (starts out behind the kick panel), just unscrew the plate and you will see the bundle of wires, it continues behind either the rear window panels or the rear skid plate depending on if you have a 2 or 4 door, in the trunk you will find the wires up next to the trunk lip in a little channel, again all on the drivers side.

See Ya,
Mike

[Lou's Comet]

well I know its ben a while since ive updated but I finally got around to installing the new headlights/courtesy light dimmer switch in the car. Sadly this did nothing to help my problem so im guessing that it must be the wire running from the switch to the taillights, even thought that doesn't really make sense in my head because if the wire was bad then wouldn't my brake lights not turn on when I pushed the brakes??? oh well ill just have to chase the wire and see if I find anything. Also does anybody know where the wire is run through the car that goes to the taillights? I spent a little time trying to chase it a while ago but I gave up rather quick. Thank you all again for all the help.

The brake lights does not use the same wire as tail lights. The brake lights use the same wires that the turn signals use.

And you don't have to chase the wire if you don't want to, you could just run a new wire and be done. If the wire is bad you are going to replace it anyways. And if it isn't the problem you eliminated it as a possibility.

Should be the black wire coming out of the light switch. Then when it goes to the rear of the car it should go to the left rear taillight then piggyback to the other tail lights.

Lou

[smithhe]

Well I finally got fed up with getting pulled over and never being able to figure out what the problem was so I just put a new socket in the middle hole where the reverse lights would go but since my car didn’t come with reverse lights they were empty, so I ran a wire to the sockets and wired it to a switch and hot damn it works just fine, and no more getting pulled over... for my taillights that is... thank you guys for all the help! I’d post pictures of the lights working but I can’t figure out how to do that so if anyone could help me with that then that would be great! Thanks

[Jims65cyclone]

so I ran a wire to the sockets and wired it to a switch

Sounds like you might have changed three things at the same time. Did you add a separate switch or connect to the original switch? If you added a separate switch, connect the new wire to the original switch instead to see if the lights work? If they do, then the original switch was not the problem. If not, the original switch was defective. Now, using whichever switch works, disconnect your new auxiliary tail lights in the trunk and connect to your original tail lights. If they work, then your problem was the original wire (and/or the original switch if it failed the first test). If the original lights don't work, then the problem lies in the lights themselves, likely poor ground or corroded sockets.

Jim