weird tail light electrical problems

Okay this is a follow up to an earlier post I made. Here is what I wrote in it:

hi everyone,

I have a 1989 chevrolet k 1500 4x4 truck. Had some work done on the box recently (it was removed) and when i got it back my tail lights havent been working properly (the tail light wires were frayed off about five years ago when my upper shock mount broke but were re-wired up and have worked fine up until now). I have both running lights, when i hit the brakes the driver side brake light works but the driver side reverse light comes on as well, the other side has no brake light at all. When i put it in reverse, no reverse lights work at all lol. I checked the wiring underneath. everything appears to be wired up (none loose or anything) and the ground appears to be ok. any ideas what the hell is causing this to happen??

Okay, so tonight I replaced all of the old wires with new ones, re- wired the ground and put new bulbs in the tail lights and guess what??? They still aren't working right!! As well, putting the right side signal light on makes the left side reverse light blink??? I replaced each wire at a time so no to mix them up when i was re- wiring. Really stumped right now. only thing I can think of is that the sockets in the tail light circuits must be bad and need replaced. Anyone got any ideas suggestions??

-M

Reply to
thirdeye
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Reply to
Curmudgeon

ruck. =A0Had some

moved) and when i got

perly (the tail light

upper shock mount broke

w). I have both running

ight works but the

s no brake light at

=A0I checked the wiring

ing) and the ground

same thing happens when the hazard lights are on: driver side reverse light blinks like a turn signal would. nothing happens on the passenger side.

-M

Reply to
thirdeye

ruck. =A0Had some

moved) and when i got

perly (the tail light

upper shock mount broke

w). I have both running

ight works but the

s no brake light at

=A0I checked the wiring

ing) and the ground

ALright, I'm at my whit's end here. Put new tail light circuits on both sides tonight. while its a little better, its still messed up. here's a summary:

Park Lights Off:

Left side -- OK Right Side -- Both Reverse lights flash Brake -- Both reverse lights come on, left side brake light comes on. R -- right side brake light comes on hazard lights -- both reverse lights flash, left side brake light flashes, right side brake light does not flash

With Park lights on:

LS -- OK RS -- Both reverse lights come on B -- Both Reverse lights come on R -- Nothing Hazard -- Both reverse lights flash

No idea where to go from this point. I think I've checked everything. Anyone got any ideas/suggestions???

Reply to
thirdeye

ALright, I'm at my whit's end here. Put new tail light circuits on both sides tonight. while its a little better, its still messed up. here's a summary:

Park Lights Off:

Left side -- OK Right Side -- Both Reverse lights flash Brake -- Both reverse lights come on, left side brake light comes on. R -- right side brake light comes on hazard lights -- both reverse lights flash, left side brake light flashes, right side brake light does not flash

With Park lights on:

LS -- OK RS -- Both reverse lights come on B -- Both Reverse lights come on R -- Nothing Hazard -- Both reverse lights flash

No idea where to go from this point. I think I've checked everything. Anyone got any ideas/suggestions???

Tell us about the lights. When the reverse lights come on are they full bright or dim? If they are full bright you have a wire shorted. According to what you have above, the back up lights come on when the parking lights are on and when you hit the brakes. Is that right?

Al

Reply to
Big Al

Maybe this has no relevance, but just in case .... Many years ago, I was trying to diagnose a problem with cornering lights on a 73 Buick. The culprit was a bad turn signal switch in the steering column.

Is all the wiring intact/unaltered under the dashboard and in the steering column of your truck? Turn signal switch? Neutral switch? Brake light switch? Ignition switch? Short circuits can make you reach for a bottle - sometimes Jack Daniels, sometimes Rogaine. Good luck.

Reply to
klutz

yes, they are full bright. the back up lights come on when the parking lights are on and when you hit the brakes, yes.

Reply to
thirdeye

i see no reason as to why it would be altered as nothing remotely close to the dashboard was taken apart. How can i test for a short circuit??

Reply to
thirdeye

Make sure the bed has a good ground connection to the frame. All the lights rely on the metal frame for their return to the negative terminal of your battery, saves the cost of copper wire. Freaky stuff happens when the ground is bad.

Reply to
Ward Witt

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