Help with rear brake lights wiring harness.
 

So the harness for the rear of the truck was not connected when I bought it and was in a box in the back of the truck. I finally snagged some tail lights and want to get it hooked up. Having a little trouble determining what a missing wire is.

I found the plug under truck and the end of the harness. My question is.

What is the broken wire? I'm assuming it's a ground wire that's missing end on it. Also you can see on one end of the wiring harness there is no ground and on the other end there is a ground wire by the light sockets. So should all I need to do is put a connector on the clipped off wire and should be good to go?

Any help would be appreciated.

Re: Help with rear brake lights wiring harness.
 

See additional pictures.

Re: Help with rear brake lights wiring harness.
 

The ring terminals are grounds, connect to a post behind the rear side marker light. The one without a terminal would go the the license plate light.

Re: Help with rear brake lights wiring harness.
 

So this wire is for the license plate light, so it must be a power wire then and then just ground the license plate light to the frame. Makes sense.

When it comes to the pigtails on each end. Why would there only be a ground on one side? Or was it just designed like that?

Re: Help with rear brake lights wiring harness.
 

Yes it is a power wire, the license grounds itself. The ground wire runs through the entire back harness, no need to ground it multiple times.

Re: Help with rear brake lights wiring harness.
 

Thanks Richard :)

Re: Help with rear brake lights wiring harness.
 

I was looking online to a taillight bulb reference and found the following. It says that the 1157 "tail & stop lamp" but when looking at the pigtails on the end of the harness one has one element and one has two. Is this the correct bulb?

Is the smaller white connector a 168 bulb? Also which bulb goes in what socket in the taillight?

Re: Help with rear brake lights wiring harness.
 

Yes, 1157 is correct for the tail & brake / turn signal bulbs. These fit into the double contact socket (the middle socket in the picture where you're holding all 3 in your hand). This socket goes into the upper large hole in the tail light housing so it's behind the red portion of the lens.

The reverse lights use 1156 bulbs. These look similar to the 1157's but are single filament / single contact. They go in the single contact sockets (bottom socket in the picture where you're holding them). This socket goes into the lower large hole in the tail light housing so it's behind the clear portion of the lens.

And yes, the small white connectors for the rear side markers take 168 or 194 bulbs.

Re: Help with rear brake lights wiring harness.
 

Thanks Ray for the great explanation. I put in brand new 1157 and 1156 bulbs along with new 168's I picked up from the parts store. I plugged in the rear harness and went to pull the park lights on and I got nothing in the rear. I have front park lights, headlights, front side markers but nothing to the rear. I tried to use my test light to see if there was any power to that rear plug and I couldn't get anything. Does anyone have the pinout of that rear plug and what each prong is supposed to have/do. I also have no turn signals as I think either the flasher is dead or the turn signal switch in the column needs replaced. Any help would be appreciated. I will pickup new 552 flashers next week.

Re: Help with rear brake lights wiring harness.
 

No mention of having checked for blown or missing fuses.. That should be the first step, have you done that??

Re: Help with rear brake lights wiring harness.
 

I checked the fuses and didn't see anything that looked blown. Most of the lettering is worn off so it's hard to tell what is what. Anyone have a picture of the fuse panel with the glass fuses and labelling.

Re: Help with rear brake lights wiring harness.
 

Looking at a fuse is not checking it.. With the fuse in place and voltage applied, use a volt meter or test light. Ground the light (or meter lead) and check for voltage on each end of the fuse. It's good to be able to read the labeling but not necessary when checking fuses --- check every one..

[EDIT]
In section 12, Body and Chassis Electrical, of the Factory Service Manual, you'll find a diagram of the fuse panel.. It illustrates the location and amperage of each fuse.. If you don't have this manual, it's available as a free download in several sites on the internet.