1986 Ranger 2.9: separating the rear turn signal from the rear brake light

[RonD]

Not the whole bed just the lenses that have the amber turn signal lens

 

[Uncle Gump]

I didn't think they interchanged... they sure don't look like they do. But I've never tried it.

 

[RonD]

Upper one above is 1993 and up

Lower one is 1992 and earlier, yes different for sure

1993 thru 2011 should interchange
But read that step side beds were different

1997 seen here, has amber turn: https://partsavatar.ca/thumbnails/tail-light-assembly-dorman-1610231-pa1.jpg

2001 seen here, no turn: https://partsavatar.ca/thumbnails/tail-light-assembly-tyc-11629101-pa1.png

 

[beerhunter]

The only functional difference would be the brake lights would illuminate while the hazard lights would still flash. With the factory wiring... the brake lights override the hazards.

Ron - the above sounds great. Apologies if I have misunderstood the comment above, but do you mean the brake lights and hazards would now (with that modification) operate independently? If so, that's perfect.

 

[beerhunter]

another little piece of *food for thought*.....

will your Ranger in europe require rear *fog lamps*?

this is a mandatory feature on euro spec vehicles......it's a safety feature over there.........it's a bright red tail lamp (usually just 1) rear left.

I don't know about the fog lamp - that hadn't occurred to me so will do some investigating. Reading about imports, everyone speaks of the need to sort the turn signals, but don;t mention the fog lamp. So maybe my truck never having one means it's not required. The laws here are a weird mess.



Thanks all for the replies - this forum is ace! Now if someone can just talk me out of buying the 3rd gen Trans-Am that has come up for sale locally, that would really help.

 

[Uncle Gump]

yes... they should work independently

 

[55trucker]

I don't know about the fog lamp - that hadn't occurred to me so will do some investigating. Reading about imports, everyone speaks of the need to sort the turn signals, but don;t mention the fog lamp. So maybe my truck never having one means it's not required. The laws here are a weird mess.

Here's an article on the subject.....

Rear Fog Lights

While not common in the U.S., rear fog lights are mandatory in Europe. Typically, the rear fog light is a bright red light that is the same brightness as your brake lights. The job of the rear fog lamp is to reveal the position of your vehicle when driving in the fog, snow or other conditions that limit visibility. Your normal taillights are fairly dim, so they are not as likely be seen in foggy weather. Rear fog lights are often placed on the left side of the vehicle. This lets other drivers know approximately where the vehicle is located in a travel lane. Some newer models, however, have rear fog lights on both sides to further improve visibility. Like the fog lights on the front of your car help make you more visible to oncoming traffic, rear fog lights make you more visible to people behind you. There are several types of rear fog lights. Some take xenon or halogen headlight bulbs, but other rear fog lamps are made up of LED lights. LED lights are bright, long lasting and common on newer vehicles with rear lamps.

The last time I was over in Germany I was on the autobahn driving at night with what I thought were just the front fog lights on, didn't realize that the fog lamp switch had 2 positions, pos 1 turned on the fronts while pos 2 (pull the switch outward) turned on the rears. A few flashing lights coming up behind me & a Deutsche Bundespolizei pulling me over set me straight on the matter.

*I didn't know*...

Like driving in the city of London........it's illegal to drive in the city streets at night with ones headlights on, the streets are so well lit the main headlights don't need to be on & if one does so one will get a ticket from the *coppers*

 

[beerhunter]

Thanks all - it's a nice sunny afternoon here so I spent it rewiring. The reverse lamps are now turn signals with Amber bulbs, and the brake lights are just brake lights.

In case anyone else needs to do this and finds this thread, I cut the green wire on the brake light switch and connected this via a new wire going to the brake light lamps. I cut the live wires that used to go to the upper lamp, and soldered them to the lower (reverse light) lamp.

Thanks again.