tails not working, signals not flashing...HELP!!!

[k1rodeoboater]

I tried to hook up my repo stepside tail lights today and was hoping that they'd work fine since the ghetto trailer lights I had worked fine (unfortunately cut them off and trashed them). I can't get the bloody things to work now.

They don't flash, they don't come on with the brake lights, and now my turn signals are stupid dim when I have the headlights on.

When the headlights are on I can get them to light up with the turn signal, but they don't blink.

Any ideas??? I need to get this sorted quick as my buddy is moving at the end of this week and my truck is parked in his yard. I just need to make it to my storage unit a few miles away.

I'm going to do all of the following in order in hopes that something works.

1.) check the turn signal switch connectors under the dash (unpluged them a while back)

2.) pull the wiring harness to the rear and inspect for issues

3.) last ditch effort will be to cut and rewire it (just needs to work temporarily)

[Larry64]

Try running a ground from the battery negative to the lights. May be a bad ground.
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[Slow Build]

On my fleetside I had to run grounds from each light to the frame.

[awbrown]

if you ground them to the frame , make sure you run a ground from the battery to the frame also...

[bryankichler]

I had the same issue with mine used the led lights wouldn't work and when using blinkers they were really dim. I used a self tapper on the housing with a ground running to the frame on both sides. A quick check would be do a continuity test between the housing and the frame.

[k1rodeoboater]

OK so I ran a wire from the tail light housing to the frame, that solved the brake light and turn signal issues....but I have one persistent problem that will prevent me from driving the truck after dark...my tail lights don't stay illuminated with my headlights being on. Any ideas?

[bryankichler]

first thing i would check is if I had power to the tails when the headlights were on. if not id start at the switch and work back. if you have a multimeter pull the headlight switch out along with a wiring diagram can be found in the electronics section of this forum and check to make sure your tails are getting power at the switch with the headlights on could be a bad switch.

Also ive had my tails not work due to a bad blinker in the front was a little odd but you never know.

[jonathan-m]

I'm actually have a 100% Exact same problem, so I'm very interested in this thread. I've replace blinkers, ran heavy gauge grounds from the battery to frame, then from frame to everything else (including tail light housing) and I STILL don't get any power to tail lights with the head lights turned on. brake lights work with or without headlights on. So frustrating.....

[k1rodeoboater]

The only thing I can think of that it might be is the actual headlight switch...though I'm scratching my head as to why it'd go bad on me all of a sudden when it was working perfectly fine before.

I've got a few in a box at my folks place in PA...but I don't want to have them dig through a bunch of boxes looking for them if it's something else or something I can easily fix....plus whats to say those aren't bad too.

[brawley]

check the fuse, Make sure the headlights and front parklights have a good ground also, all this weird lighting issues on these trucks seem to be grounding issues and until everything is properly grounded nothing works right.

[Blue Heeler]

Had the same problem it was the turn signal switch.