RamW350 dually

I'm having an issue with the rear taillight and reverse lights coming on without the headlight switch turned "ON" and ignition switch turned "OFF". What I had to do was repair a broken wire underneath the spring-loaded bulb contact piece inside the taillight assembly on this cab/chassis lighting setup. The wire broke off where the small brass contact makes contact with the bottom of the taillight bulb. Fixed it all up after doing some soldering, put it back together by installing the bulb in the socket, and now I have all lights illuminated in the rear without the headlight switch and ignition switch "ON". I also had found the 3 amp pink colored fuse blown in the fuse panel, which controls the instrument panel lamps and a few other accessory lamps (but I don't think this could be related to my problem with the rear taillights). No other fuses found blown either. Oh, and when I try to use the turn signals the front work, but the rear do not. I have checked all wiring in the rear and nothing is out of place as far as being cut or chewed. All wires are intact running back to the rear taillights, but at this point I'm lost and seeing if anyone else has any advice on what they think could be bad. Thanks.

Sal

wannadiesel

Check the brake light switch.

RamW350 dually

Hey Dave, checked the brake light switch by laying on the driver's side floor mat to get a good view down under the dash and found the brake light switch pushed back (where the push button contact switch was not making contact with the top front of the brake pedal). Moved it back in the direction of the firewall to allow for the contact button to be depressed by the brake pedal and all rear lights are good to go. Thanks and your help is much appreciated.

BearKiller

I am pretty good with all things electrical, but you have me bewildered now.


How can the brake-switch make all the rear lights come on when it is out of place such that the pedal don't contact the trigger ??

wannadiesel

I'm bewildered myself. I was thinking he had a wiring problem in that area.

RamW350 dually

I'm not really sure the answer to that question either. But let's make sure we are talking about the right switch here. It's the switch right in front of the top arm of the brake pedal right? I'm pretty sure that's the switch we are talking about and earlier today what I had found was the switch had moved backward not allowing for the trigger to be depressed when the brake pedal was at the "not applied" position. Before I had found this today the problem I was having was the rear taillights coming on basically with the battery connected (no headlamp switch turned "ON" and ignition "OFF"). I repositioned the brake switch by moving it toward the firewall to have the trigger engaged by the brake pedal and no more rear lights on. Thought I had the problem fixed after I reconnected the battery, but brake lights and turn signal lights don't work in the rear. When the turn signal is applied the front turn signals work and this is weird the driver's side rear turn signal is blinking off the reverse light bulb. Passenger's side rear turn signal does not work, yet I do have rear taillights when I turn the headlamp switch on (and noticed that the right side bulb is brighter than the left side bulb when the taillights are "ON"). Before this I didn't have any problems with the lights, except for a broken wire for the right side taillight bulb that I had to repair. No fuses blown and I don't have any cut or damaged wires running to the rear. I got a confusing lighting problem for sure and any advice where to start? Thanks.

BearKiller

First thing I would do is insure good clean GROUNDs at both rear lights.

A weak or missing GROUND at a tail-light will make all kinds of weird things happen.

BUT, that still doesn't explain the lights being ON when they shouldn't.


In my Ford, I came home one evening, flipped OFF all lights, and went about my business.

Later, after dark, I happened to look out a window, and, low and behold, the factory cab-lights and parking-lights were ON; I was somewhat confused, on account of I ain't a light-leaver-oner kind of guy.

Upon examination, all switches were OFF.

When I found the problem, the much-too-small wire that is(was) all-the-time-HOT to the light-switch had melted itself into the parking-light wire.

Needless to say, the problem was promptly remedied with much better stuff.


Part of your problem could very well be similar.




Another remedy I have used for years on all brass-based bulbs, and especially 1157 tail-light bulbs, on trucks and trailers, is to actually solder wire leads to the contacts and GROUND of the bulb itself.

Then, I tap into the wires within the light-housing, connecting the appropriate wires together with insulated blade terminals.


On the truck tail-lights, I simply plug the altered bulbs into the factory sockets, after doctoring them to work with the alterations.

I go one better on the trailer lights by eliminating the bulb-socket altogether, and soldering a springy U-shaped length of solid 12AWG copper to the bulbs GROUND surface, forming an "eye" in the end of the copper, and attaching this to the inside-rear of the light-housing.

I then bend the copper until the bulb is centered.

I usually install TWO of these pre-wired bulbs where only one was designed to be; this makes for much brighter brake-lights/signals; coupled with some very shiny metal hot-glued into the rear of the housings, things begin to get real noticable.

I keep several pre-wired bulbs, for both truck and trailer, in my travel kit, but I have NEVER had one go bad, not in many years.

RamW350 dually

Thanks for your advice. I will take a good look at the grounds for the rear lights and anything else in that area.