The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay '64 no tailights - all new wiring - help!

I need some direction on where to next troubleshoot my tailights not working.

Some history:
-Been having issues with tailights over that last few years.
-Replaced tailight and mid wiring harnesses about a year ago and things seemed better.
-Last summer I had to have my odometer worked on which required pulling the dash and ever since I got the truck back the tailights don't work?
-This past winter I rewired 95% of the truck (main harness, engine bay (both sides), front headlights, front signal, dash, steering column, heater, new ignition switch, Hi/low switch, flasher, brake switch, and new headlight switch.
*I was very careful to make sure the harness I was replacing matched the color and position of wires from old harness.*

Problem:
-I still don't have tailights...but I do have the license plate light which is part of the same harness (brown wire) which should power the tailights but don't?
-No brakelights...other than if I leave the white and orange wires on the switch they glow real dim?
-Front head lights work fine both hi/low.
-Front parking lights work fine...only have license plate light in rear.
-Turnsignal left front blinker ok...but both rear lights & license flash dim. On right both front lights blink dim and both rear blink real dim along with license light.
-With parking lights on and turnsignal I don't get any flash right or left.

Do I have a ground problem or a new harness that isn't wired correctly?

I'd appreciate any help!!!

Sure sounds like a ground problem but here's a couple of things you can check:
You're gonna need either a 12 volt test light (these work great for troubleshooting these kinds of problems) or a voltmeter.
First, pull your switch out to the first notch. Since your license plate light works, and I believe the license plate wire is tied in with the tail light circuit, I think we can assume that your fuse, switch, and wiring to the back of the truck is good. So, take one of the bulbs out (now's a good time to make sure the bulb is good!!!) and look into the socket, you should see 2 points that contact the bulb. Connect one side of your test light, or meter, to a GOOD ground and probe the 2 contacts. One of them should be hot. If neither of them give you a reading, then trace the wiring back towards the light switch in the dash but I'm betting you will get a reading.

If one of them is hot, move the probe from ground and clip it to the metal light socket - you should also get a reading here. If you do, look carefully at the socket at make sure the contact springs are pushing the contacts towards the bulb, and that the little wafer hasn't twisted in the socket so that the contacts aren't making a connection to the bulb.

If you didn't get a reading when the ground probe was moved to the housing, you've got a grounding problem. Make sure the housing is grounded good to the bed, and make sure the bed is grounded to the chassis.

Sorry for the novel, hope this makes sense, and good luck, keep us posted.

if you are getting juice to both points on the light socket in back; you might make sure the bulb, when pushed in and twisted, is in sinc with the socket. so the 2 points on it are in the same position as the socket. good luck.

Waldo53...thanks for the "novel" it gave me some ideas! I hope you will read through my short story below...

hoggyrubber...yes I carefully examined the bulb placement...I was thinking something was off there too...but read below...

Update:
Just came in from the garage and I have good news!!! I didn't get my hands on a multimeter yet, BUT, I did run an extra ground wire jammed between the bulb and it's brass housing to the license plate light housing (I assume this is the ground for this light). This seemed to be the *only* place to get any ground. To my surprise the tailights came on...really bright!

So I would assume my tailight housings are not properly grounded...any suggestions on the best way to ground...while still keeping the original look? This is a Stepside with the old Oklahoma Farm Bumper...so the tailight housings are exposed.

1) I've considered soldering a connector to the backside of the brass bulb housing (where the boot slides on) and then running a ground wire through the rubber boot and connecting to the frame somewhere?
2) Or maybe running a ground wire underneath the bracket and connected to the bolt that attaches the tailight housing to the bed...that would still be inconspicious?
3) Am I going overboard and should just get a braided ground strap and connect to somewhere on the bed and frame?

Turn Signals:
I also have working the Turn Signals both left and right at the back...however in the front the left is fine but when I try the right side both front parking lights blink? A ground problem in the front parking lights?

Brake:
So now the brake lights work...but they work completely opposite...if I push in the plunger on the brake switch the brake lights go out...if I let the plunger out the lights go on? This happens with both the new switch and old switch.

Dash:
When turning the parking lights on the dash lights up but so does my right turn signal indicator. If I go to headlight mode the turn indicator goes out. Is this sounding like a ground thing too?

Turnsignal switch in column:
So I replaced my turnsignal switch with one from Brothers Truck. When I openend the box I got the feeling someone else had already installed this switch on their truck and then removed...maybe some wear from testing? I installed anyway. I notice that when pushing up to indicate right the switch doesn't always engage...you hear a click but no flash. Should I yank this switch and get another one? Any recommendations on who to get a new one from?

Thanks for all the help!!!!

Disregard the Brake Issue...the switch is suppose to activate when the plunger is out and then off when in. Dar...

Well, sounds like your making progress.......I think!
Many of these issues are probably related and I would work on one thing at a time, starting with your taillights. The bulb sockets should be making physical contact with the housings, and the housings, through the mounting bracket, to the bed. If the truck has been painted, they can't make a good bond so often times a seperate wire to a good ground from anyplace on the housing will do the job. When grounding to anywhere, clean the mounting surface with your angle grinder or a wire brush to make sure of a good ground. And sometimes the bed won't be grounded to the frame so a simple ground wire hidden somewhere can get that job done.

Sounds like a similar problem on the front turn signals.

Keep working, and keep us posted.

Update:

All tailights and turnsignals are now working perfectly. I bought a 20" braided ground strap and connected one end to the bolt that connects the license plate light housing to the steel bumper/frame on the backside. Ran the other end to an existing hole on the bed support just below the tailgait. Used a dremel to get to bare steel first then bolted everything down..used some electrical grease to prevent any corrosion.

Up front I found a bad bulb in front right parking light...went to remove it and the glass separated from the brass base. Once out and replaced with a new bulb the front is now working perfectly...that also fixed the indicator light in the dash from always being on...shorts can sure do strange things!

Still have the left indicator out in the dash...could be a bulb...will check that tonight!