no tail-lights

[blumule]

I dont have any tail lights, but i do have brake and turn signal. My backup lights work also but no parking . bought a new switch but didnt help.if my turns work shouldnt my tailights?

[fordman]

tail and brake use the same side of the bulb and wire going back there. the parking lights on the front will only work when the switch is in the parking light position. if the headlights are on the parking lights will shut off. power for the tail lights comes straight out of the headlight switch and right to the tail lights. i doubt it is a ground problem. since the brake and turn work. have you checked that power is coming out of the good fuse in the fuse box? if yo uhave power into the headligth switch then you will have to check for power out of the switch and find out why it isnt powering the tail lights. maybe there break in the wire. maybe under and behind the bumper. that seems to be a famous bad spot for cuts and rigging in trailer lights.

[blumule]

thanks, ive already tried a new switch and checked fuse. Its puzzleing since other lights work.whats the best way to get a good ground back there?

[Thunderfoot]

The "Tail lights" are separate from the "Turn/Brake lights", the bulb is a dual element so it takes 2 wires, one for the Brake/Turn and one for the Tail Lights. This is an #1157 bulb.
I would first check that the bulbs are good.
There is no fuse for the tail lights it is a circuit breaker in the light switch and you replace it so that is not the issue.
If the bulbs are good then check the Brown wire running back to the tail lights for a brake in it, as this is the wire for the tail lights.
Your ground is fine as your other lights back there are working so this is not the issue.

[blumule]

i see that the tail, brake , turn signal light has 2 wires going to it. are the turn and brake tied together and tail separate? So if i put on turn signal then apply brake does turn signal stop blinking?Im trying to figure out the correct operations. someone before me has rewired the back lights and ive got an obvious mess.It appears theyve run a separate brake wire, cut and tied it into the brown wire just before it enters the socket. the other end of brown wire is hanging loose and hot inside light housing.this is all on the passenger side. Now i have to undo the new brake wire, reconnect the original brown tail light and figure out how to get brake lights.So the brake ties in with the turn?And tail is separate? Then it ties in on drivers side?

[fordman]

yes the brake and tail are green on one side and yellow on the other brown is only for tail lights. the turn signal light will shut off when the brake is pushed. they used the same side of the element in the bulb. that is why the bulb is a 1157. that is a dual element bulb. the back up light bulb is a 1156. a singl eelemnet bulb. the brown wire should go to both sides. yellow and green are turn signals and brake lights run through the green and yellow wires also.

[Thunderfoot]

Just to add... the brake lights go through the Turn Signal Switch and that is why your brake lights don't over-ride the turn as it (Turn Signal Switch) disconnects the brake signal from that side while in use, as the Turn Signals and Brake lights use the same element in the bulb.
Your definitely on the right track fixing the brown wire back to the light switch for the tail lights.

You'll have to figure out what the deal is with this added brake light wire... I suspect that your TSS is bad and they wired around it... You might end up replacing it as well to get everything to work correctly.

[blumule]

what would happen if i just tied the new brake wire into the yellow and green turn signal wires respectively? then run the tail light straight.Wonder if they would cancel each other or cause a fire hazard? Obviously there was a prior brake light problem . dont want to go hunting that down. if push comes to shove ill eliminate the turn and use hand signals.

[Thunderfoot]

I'm guessing that the PO ran a new wire from the Brake Light switch to the back bypassing the TSS. If you tie them together with the turns respectively back in the back of the truck then your turn signals wont work when you hit the brakes.
Look at the brake pedal just under the dash you will see the switch connected to it, it should have a Red and a Red/black striped wire hooked to it (in and out) see if you can see where it has been spliced into the Red/Black striped one with this new wire you found... Other spot to check would be on the wires going into the steering column for the TSS look for this same Red/Black striped wire there to have been cut and routed to this new wire you found.

[blumule]

looks like a new wire from fuse block straight to switch then out to brake lights.theres such a tangle of wires under there i dont think ill ever see the originals without messing up something else. i dont drive it everyday, as long as i can get tail and brake. just dont want a fire hazard. ford and foot have both set me in right direction. thanks.ill touch back if i can straighten this out.

[fordman]

the wire fo rthe brake wire switch runs to the emergency flasher can then to the brake light switch. from there it runs to the turn signal switch and then back out to the brake lights. it does sound as if the po has routed around all of that. and hooked into the tail lights are the rear instead of the brake lights.

[Thunderfoot]

what would happen if i just tied the new brake wire into the yellow and green turn signal wires respectively? then run the tail light straight.Wonder if they would cancel each other or cause a fire hazard?

Couple more things here to consider...
If you were to tie the "new" brake wire into the yellow and green turn/brake wires then when ever you turn on the signals it would flash both sides as the "new" wire ties them together (Lt/Rt). And as I mentioned before the brake lights will over-ride the flash.
The 1157 dual element bulb has a brighter element for the Turn/Brake then the Tail light so the way the PO has it now your brake lights are not bright and will be very dim in the light of day... not a safe deal there...

If you don't want to try to fix the wiring I would at least hook the tail light wire back up like it is suppose to be on the truck and hook this new brake wire to some new separate lights mounted on the bumper for the brake lights. Be sure to get ones that are bright for brake lights like ones for a trailer or ones used on flatbed trucks and big rig trailers, any truck stop/shop should have some. Wont look as pretty but you'll be safe...

[blumule]

Ford, thats exactly whats happened. But You know what ? I put in a new turn signal switch 2 years ago. I wonder if if i can find the original wires under dash and rehook them to their rightful place on the brake switch.You say its a red and red and black?Who knows might be worth atry. Its just so blame cold outside. Supposed to be in the 50s this wkend.You and thunder have been invaluable.Im gonna get it right , Im hot on its trail !

[blumule]

i cant locate the red/ red black wires that originally went to brake switch.i think ford said these same two wires route from power supply to emergency flasher then to tss then out to brakes. If i locate my emer. flasher i ought to find these 2 wires correct? i did get tail lights back through the brown wire.Im sure glad yall know these color codes.

[Thunderfoot]

Just wondering if your Emergency Flashers work? The wire for them does tie into the brake light switch usually at the TSS and at the Emergency Flasher. Here is a diagram showing the wiring for the rear lights. http://www.fordification.com/tech/wirin ... dl83-2.jpg Originally the power came from the fuse box as wire 383 to the Flasher, it split off there into the Red wire 284 to the Brake Light Switch. The 810 wire then went to the TSS and hooked up with the wire out of the Emergency Flasher Switch 810A these 2 wires then go through the TSS using the wire 10 in this diagram.
Basically since you already replaced the TSS just run the out wire from the Brake Switch to the #10 wire of the TSS and you should be in business for your brake lights.