Trying to get tailights to work after flat bed.

RockRanger · Feb 11, 2014

93 Ranger that I am replacing the bed with a flat bed. I have two of these lights that I am usingLink. I have a draw-tite trailer convertor that plugs in between the factory harness at the frame and bed. Current way I have it wired:

Frame harness> plug in Trailer Harness> Factory wiring for tail lights.

Out of the trailer Harness I have 4 wires.
Green > right turn and brake
Yellow> Left turn and brake
Brown> both sides tails spliced together.
White> Not used. Grounded lights strait to Frame.

When I have the factory tail light harness and lights plugged in when I turn on a turn signal the opposite sides taillight flashes with the turn signal. For example turn on left turn signal. Factory left bulb flashes, new led left light flashes, and right side tail light flashes. Turn on the right turn signal and it will do the exact reverse.

If I unplug the factory rear light harness I get a solid signal in the dash, solid turn on the correct side and the tail light on the other side comes on.

Hooking the white wire up out of the trailer harness makes no difference.

Any ideas? I would like to get rid of as much of the factory harness as possible.

4x4junkie · Feb 11, 2014

It's been some time, but I seem to recall a malfunction occurring with the trailer lights if that white wire was not grounded on mine. Another possibility is the LED lights are not enough of a load for that converter to function properly (might need resistors or something).

What's the reason for not just using the factory light configuration? (separate amber turn signals?) IMO, an amber blinker is 10× quicker & easier to see than an integrated turn/brake light blinker is... (never understood why Ford went away from this on the '00 models :dunno:

)

96Indyram · Feb 11, 2014

If I remember correctly you have to use a LED flasher instead of a normal standard flasher. A standard flasher will just make your turn signals light up and not blink.
And I can't remember if it is wired like a standard flasher or different.

Grunizzle · Feb 11, 2014

When I wired up my lights on my tube bed I experienced some of the same problems. I don't exactly remember how I wired them up in the end unfortunately. I did remove as much factory crap as I could. And my lights are the 3 wire lights, black white and red. An electronic signal flasher is required also, or wiring in resistors. My electronic flasher I got off amazon because none from auto zone or oreilys would work right with leds.

Lil-Pony · Feb 11, 2014

Not entirely related but on my 98 their is a round oem 4 wire plug in the back with the standard trailer color coded wires running to it, is it wrong to assume thats for a trailer tow package?

RockRanger · Feb 12, 2014

4x4junkie said:
It's been some time, but I seem to recall a malfunction occurring with the trailer lights if that white wire was not grounded on mine. Another possibility is the LED lights are not enough of a load for that converter to function properly (might need resistors or something).

What's the reason for not just using the factory light configuration? (separate amber turn signals?) IMO, an amber blinker is 10× quicker & easier to see than an integrated turn/brake light blinker is... (never understood why Ford went away from this on the '00 models )

I haven't found an amber light that I like and cheap enough for me is part of it. Same reason I haven't done backup lights yet. I already had the trailer light convertor as it came on the truck when I bought it. The less lights I have in the back the less likely I am to break one. I gave up on taillights on the bed cause I was busting them out so often. I have thought about resistors in the factory wring for the turn signal. I am wondering if a heavy duty flasher will work? Also adding diodes between the two tail light wires. I am thinking when I hit the brakes or turn signal it might be back feeding the opposite light.

Grunizzle said:
When I wired up my lights on my tube bed I experienced some of the same problems. I don't exactly remember how I wired them up in the end unfortunately. I did remove as much factory crap as I could. And my lights are the 3 wire lights, black white and red. An electronic signal flasher is required also, or wiring in resistors. My electronic flasher I got off amazon because none from auto zone or oreilys would work right with leds.

Do you have a link to the flasher you got from Amazon?

Lil-Pony said:
Not entirely related but on my 98 their is a round oem 4 wire plug in the back with the standard trailer color coded wires running to it, is it wrong to assume thats for a trailer tow package?

Don't know my 93 doesn't have this.

RockRanger · Feb 12, 2014

Doing some searching I see the EL12 flasher mentioned. Would this be the right flasher?

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/parts/Novita-Hazard-Warning-Flasher/1994-Ford-Ranger-2WD/_/N-j0monZ9cjeg?CJPID=6148022&itemIdentifier=6413_0_7281_

Lil-Pony · Feb 12, 2014

Im not able to find andy diagrams on ebsco so ill look in my ranger manual when i get home. It may be that the adapter requires the factory lights to function properly...

Grunizzle · Feb 12, 2014

Here is what I got, don't have the link anymore

RockRanger · Feb 12, 2014

Went to Oreilly today and picked up that exact flasher. It fixed the turn signals not working. Still at a loss on why the turn signal lights up the other side. Decided to try some separate turn signal fixtures. I picked up some 2" round amber lights. Tried to wore them in skipping the trailer adapter all together. Now when I turned on the head lights the tail lights work till you tap the the brakes. Once the brake lights are turned on they stay on till the headlights are turned off.

A friend is suppose to be coming over to help my try and get it resolved.

4x4junkie · Feb 21, 2014

You get this figured out yet?

It sounds a bit like maybe the tail (running) lamp wire got crossed with the brake lamp wire (would make the brake lights stay on with the headlamps).

RockRanger · Feb 22, 2014

I am getting 8 volts through the brake line wire when I turn the key on. Still need to sort it out.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 4

4x4junkie · Feb 24, 2014

I saw your other thread here... I'd say try putting some load resistors on the lights. If anything, this will at least tell you the issue is because the LED lights are too light of a load. I suspect the resistor can even be a little lighter load than what the original incandescent bulbs were and still have it work correctly.

Downey · Feb 24, 2014

I want to see pictures of your flat bed

DieselTech07 · Sep 1, 2014

had a similar issue on my ranger. as soon as I unpluged the aftermarket trailer controler box and threw it away and plugged the factory truck harness back together the problem went away. Believe the aftermarket trailer controler box was shorting internally. don't pull trailers often anyhow, if I get around to it someday will just wire my own trailer harness.

Trying to get tailights to work after flat bed.

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