Hi guys I have a problom with my park lights or running lights what ever you call them. Anyway to start off ill tell you what lights work.
1. Brake lights
2. turn signles
3. head lights( when I have them on)

Now for what dont work.
1. tail lights
2. front park lights
3 Cab lights( you know the 5 on top of the truck)

Can somone please help me and tell me what could be the problom right now for me to drive my truck at night is to hold the brake light on all the time and i have to say, that sucks

 

Does your cigarette lighter work? On my old '85 D250, when a coin would fall down into the cigarette lighter, the fuse would blow and I'd lose the tail lights. Check that fuse.

 

I will check, but also my dash lights dont work ether

There is a fuse in my block that I tryed to stick a fuse in it and it poped it, so I tryed sticking a bigger fuse and it started smoking so I pulled it out????

 

The dash lights would go out on my '85 as well. You have to find what is making that fuse blow. In my case it was a dime in the cigarette lighter.

 

have you recently hooked up any gauges? (sorry i know it's obvious but sometimes that's the easiest stuff to miss)

 

No sorry no new gauges( I wish thou)

 

i busted that same fuse when using the lighter (like wanna said) is there anything in the lighter outlet?

 

Just went and checked and no there is nothing in the lighter

 

i just looked again as what is and is not working.... all of the things that don't work are controlled by the "first pull" on the headlight switch... the rest are controlled by the second... i would check that switch out for a short... they are all(dash lights, tail lights, front running lights and cab lights) if i am not mistaken controlled by that first click

 

Would it just be a bad headlight switch?

 

not sure... i was just making an observation... not great with all things electrical, but hopefully someone will chime in

 

Back in 1991 I got a real killer deal on a almost truck, don't all laugh now... It was a 1989 El Camino from a dumb friend for $600.00. Imagine this it was only 2 years old and in perfect shape except most of the electrical system was dead. He thought he was pulling one over on me, big smile on his face.
I never let him know it was a dime stuck in the cigarette lighter
Why do they put a little tray to put change in front of the lighter socket?
Jim.

BTW check the lamps under the dash, it should I think a 1004 lamp that has 2 contacts on the back like a stop lamp bulb. If you put in a 1156 single contact or 1157 stop lamp, it will blow the fuse. Same with the dome light.

Also check your trailer connector if you have one.
Jim.

 

I just started having the same problem last night.
Try very gently pulling the headlight switch out very slowly. You should get the dash/running lights to come on for a split seond, then as you pull the headlight switch further out, they will go off and the headlights will come on.
This indicates the slide portin of the headlight switch is bad,( a paper and plastic rheostat assembly) easy fix, replace for about 14$ from the local O'reillys...

 

really sounds like blown fuse(dash,tail,cab marker)
Clark

 

oops, missed the one where fuse smoked. check wires where they come thru roof to markers. Also, I had same thing on old chev pu. Drove me nuts, was lic. plate light wire shorting, actualy the bulb got smashed and filiment was smashed against bumper.
Clark