Lights not working properly ... Help!

[topdri]

Ok ... I got my 1990 bronco painted recently and when I got it back, the lights would not work right. It worked when it went in and did not when I got it back - probably coincidental.

1) If I put the switch in parking light position, nothing works.

2) If I put the switch in full light position (all the way out), only the headlights work.

3) If I move the switch just past the parking lights position, all lights work fine - including the clearance lights and high beams.

4) When the switch is not on, brake lights work along with the turn signals and reverse.

All connections appear to be intact and properly seating. I replaced the switch with one from AdvanceAuto and got the same result. I then replaced the switch with one from Ford and got the same result. I took apart all lights and re-checked connections ... all appeared to be fine. I unplugged the low/high beam floor switch ... still the lights were screwed up.

I have no clue as to what the problem could be other than the switch and I replaced it twice with no luck. If it was a bad ground somewhere, then the lights would not work at all, right? I put di-eletric compound on the connections and still nada.

Any ideas? Help!

Thanks,

Todd

 

[fordfanatic75]

Had similar problem once. don't know if this is yours but worth a try. When they painted it they painted a spot where a ground is! statistics are 75% of all electrical problems start with a bad ground. bought a truck once that had just been painted. they had disasembled it, and when they put it back together they didn't clean a spot for a ground.

 

[Shadow_D]

I'm with Frodfanatic75, you have a bad ground. I would look everywhere, rad support & behind the DS Tail light for starters.

Good Luck

 

[Seabronc]

Here are a couple of diagrams that might help though they are not for the 90 but are probably close. It definately sounds like a grounding problem since you have changed the switch so many times and the fact that it was painted. As you can see by the attached diagram, there ain't much to go wrong. Get yourself a multimeter and do a little probing. If you have any voltage on one of the ground leads you have a grounding problem. A prime suspect is G701 which is under the dash and screwed to one of the firewall braces. It is on the right hand side of the radio under the instrument panel in my truck. All of the grounds tie together to that point. Two others are on the front fender wells.

 

[topdri]

1) I looked behind the driverside tail light and it looked to be intact. I will take it off and clean up the area a bit. It was a Maaco paint job so I took off all parts myself.

2) What about the clearance lights? Do I need to scrape away paint for the tiny ground wires that connect to the *****. Maaco painted the holes as they should have. Does the ground need to touch bare metal or just the ***** going down into the roof?

3) I will check behind the radio for a ground point that could have come loose for some reason.

4) What about anything up front where the headlights are? I had both lights out along with the grill.

5) Anything in the tailgate as I had the back cover off and the back cab off. Could have paint got into the tailgate? Any grounds there?

Thanks for all of the responses ... I will check into things a little closer. It just strange that I could get the lights to come on by playng with the switch, which is why I blew off any ground issues.

Thanks again,

Todd

 

[topdri]

I spoke to my mechanic this morning ... the question we have is that if it is ground related then how do the lights ever come on, period? Being that I can't get the parling lights to come on by themselves, telle me/us that it is somewhere within the parking light system. I have never seen anything so strange - I hate electrical issues. I did look at the ground behind the DS tail light and it had paint over it but it was still intact ... painting over a ground should not matter.

I will do more poking around tonight.

Please post anymore thoughts you may have.

It may be totally coincidental to the painting. Oh and I don't smell anything burning when I mess with the switch.

Thanks,

Todd

 

[bluesman17]

Headlight switch is my guess, mine went out and when i pulled it all the way out only the headlights would work if i moved it around enough i could get the parking lamps to come on instead but not both at once. (13 dollar piece if thats it)

 

[topdri]

Still looking ... I see nothing wrong with the grounds. It is not the switch unless I got a bad switch from Advance Auto and a bad one from Ford. Highly unlikely but you never know. I am going to MD to visit relatives tomorrow and my brothe rplans on looking at it. He has seen the actual plug have a couple bad plugs within it on F250s. I am just not seeing anything wrong - could the cab lights not being grounded properly (since I just got the truck painted) be the culprit? Do I need to scratch away at the paint on the roof or do the screws provide enough ground. What is baffling is that if I play with the switch, all of the lights do come on. If there was a bad groung, wouldn't nothing come on? Thanks, Todd

 

[fordfanatic75]

Still looking ... I see nothing wrong with the grounds.  It is not the switch unless I got a bad switch from Advance Auto and a bad one from Ford.  Highly unlikely but you never know.  I am going to MD to visit relatives tomorrow and my brothe rplans on looking at it.  He has seen the actual plug have a couple bad plugs within it on F250s.  I am just not seeing anything wrong - could the cab lights not being grounded properly (since I just got the truck painted) be the culprit?  Do I need to scratch away at the paint on the roof or do the screws provide enough ground.  What is baffling is that if I play with the switch, all of the lights do come on.  If there was a bad groung, wouldn't nothing come on?  Thanks, Todd

19894[/snapback]

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maybe try this, if by wiggling the switch the light com on and you have replaced the switch, maybe the connection from the wire to the metal connector that attaches to the switch is loose

 

[topdri]

Great thought ... I have never seen such a strange issue like this. I have seen where something wasn't grounded and nothing worked. All indications point at the switch or the plug going into the switch which has like 8-12 wires going into it. This could be a fun task. Oh Joy!! I may try bending the prongs in the switch to make better contact. I can't get the parking lights to come on by themselves at all. All the way out = headlights only ... push the switch back in some and I get all lights ... actually I think I can make the parking lights come on by themselves by pushing the switch in just a tad more (not quite into the parking light position). Weirdness ... Todd

 

[Bradt]

Just shooting off the top of my head here, but since you're having problems at different areas of the truck I would look in the one place where they all come together. D/L the diagrams seabronc posted, then get a test light and check all the wiring to the switch to see what you get.

It's gotta be something simple you're missing. You've checked all the hard stuff.

brad

 

[topdri]

Yep - I have printed off the diagrams and I am hoping my brother can make heads or tails of this situation. Thanks

 

[slhockey17]

I had a similar problem with my lights. Just a suggestion but what was wrong with mine was who ever had the truck before me tried wiring their own trailer lights and gave up. Then he had a dealer do it but he left the wires he installed live and they were grounding themselves together good luck

 

[topdri]

I have looked at many things with no avail. I am about ready to turn it over to my mechanic to figure out. Will keep everyone posted! Thanks again for all of the ideas and thoughts.

 

[hms79]

Hey man, My 1985 did the same thing. Come to find out my fuse box had been HOT and all the wires were melted. Someone before me had put a amp for the radio in, and instead of wiring to the battery, the wired to the fuse box, it got red hot, and caused the wire to melt. It worked fine when I first bought it, but 2 months down the road, I had your same problem. Had to re-wire entire fuse panel! hope this helps,

hms79

 

[topdri]

Ok ... are all of you reday for this ... it's a biggie ... after checking grounds over and over ... trying out 3 different light switches ... trying out a new push rod for the switch. I was with my brother this past weekend and said well ... maybe its a fuse. We checked "most" of the fuses - I thought we checked them all but it was rainy and cold up in MD ... we forgot to check one fuse. That was the fuse that my mechanic found after he took all lights out and also tested each connection within the switch. A flippin' fuse ... my brother and I were on the right track but missed one ... that was an expensive fuse --- $50 as my mechanic spent over an hour where it took me over ten days of scratching my head along with puzzling my neighbor, my brother, and others. So there you go ... I learned something new ... that a blown fuse can obviously be jumped to work within a headlight switch. Thanks again and See ya, Todd

 

[Bradt]

I told you it had to be something simple!

I spent 5 days putting off tracking down a tail light problem, and a full day testing wiring before I discovered that I just forgot to reconnect the wires where I had taken off the trailer wiring harness to put on another vehicle.

It happens to all of us. Glad you got it sorted out.

brad

 

[topdri]

Yes, you did ... and I thought the same BUT I did not think simple enough --- actually I was red hot by checking the fuses - just missed one /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> Have a good one...Thanks ...

 

[Shadow_D]

Been there, Done that :-"

Now for the real problem...

Why did the fuse blow Hopefully you found that during your searching.

Don't sweat the small stuff, it happens to the best of us :blush: