no tail lights after 4.0 swap

[swamprat]

I swap a 4.0 out of a 92/93 auto explorer into a 5 sp 89 BII . It was a late year 92. I have driven it off road for a while and is tagged and insured. I have driven it during the day. When I swapped in the 4.0 I lost tail lights and brake on drivers side and hazard on driver side. Passenger side has brake and turn and hazard. I traced the wire harness to fender well and not getting power to tail lights, is the problem in the big round plug in firewall or do I need to look elsewhere?

 

[RangerSVT]

We need some more info, when you did your swap, what electrical changes did you make and where?? The problem may be as simple as in your multifunction switch (turn signal), as all of your turn, hazard, and brake light signals come from this switch...
SVT

 

[swamprat]

I swapped out multifunction switches and that made no difference. Did the swap over a year ago. I will have to look at the harness to see what was cut. All the plugs on the fender well plugged in and nothing spliced there.

 

[RangerSVT]

Pull up Autozone.com and compare part numbers, I found out that even though mf switches look alike and have same plugs, they are different internal...Did you have this problem since the swap, or some time after??

SVT

 

[swamprat]

since the swap

 

[scotts90ranger]

it's the chassis wiring plug, I had the same issue when I swapped my '90 cab onto the '89 ranger chassis, Ford changed the chassis wiring for '90, they used the same connectors and just repinned it for whatever reason

I think it's a 6 or 8 wire connector that goes to the drivers side inner fender, isn't too hard to repin, I didn't understand wiring very well when I was doing my swap and an 8 pin connector scared me so I swapped chassis harnesses, sorry I can't help too much, but that should narrow it down

 

[swamprat]

I found the plug for the tail lights and turn signals. It is an 8 pin plug. No power for tailights but 5 grounds. Turn signals left and right have power to the same pins(2 of them) Grounds to two different pins. Hazards I have power to one pin and the bulb on passenger side works on hazard

 

[swamprat]

number pins 1-8 and what EVT on 93 explore

1 Black ground
2 light green/orange LH turn stop hazard
3 brown tail lights
4 yellow.white LH and RH turn signal(as tested)
5 black/pink back up lights
6 orange/blue rh turn stop hazard
7black ground
8 orange ? (tested as ground)



2 and 6 have power when I have right or left turn signal on. That has me confused. I cant find out what 8 is. 4 tested on the truck as both RH and LH turn signals. I can repin the back up and tail lights but the signals I am confused how both can work at same time. Is there something else that I dont know? and some test as ground on one setting then power on another.

 

[RangerSVT]

some circuits show ground at rest rather than open at rest, and vice versa, some show positive at rest and ground when cirsuit is closed. If you have power on both L and R lights when activated, this should be your brake lights...Hope this helps
SVT

 

[swamprat]

re-pinned the plug and all I had was the right turn signal. I went to the multi-switch and found some lose wires. Lose on the connector side. Found the left turn wire and ran a jumper to the plug on fender and had left tuern signal. Might have a problem in the big round plug. Are there wires there that need to be repined? Are the brake and tail lights also controled in the mulyi-switch?

 

[RangerSVT]

taillights are not controlled by mf switch, just the headlight sw, but the brakelights will be controlled by the mf switch...
SVT

 

[swamprat]

looks like brown from head light switch is tail lights. the light green/orange and the light blue/orange is turn. I think that I am having trouble with the big round plug in the firewall. It might be easier to run new wires at least to the fender well.

 

[RangerSVT]

Thats what it sounds like...Try closing the female pin a little, making a tighter fit. That'll be easier than rewiring....
SVT

 

[swamprat]

My wiring was right. The plug on the multi switch had some loose wires. The brake switch was bad. I was loosing power between the multi switch and the plug on the fender well. Had to run three new wires out and splice into the plug. Now both dome lights work, one in the back has never worked. Lost dash lights but that was a blown fuse. The fuse I changed had nothing to do with dash lights so go figure. So now everything works

 

[RangerSVT]

Glad to hear you got it figured out, happy to help you, if ya need anything else, just ask
SVT