Weird brake light issue '97 ranger

[drueg]

Greetings,
Friend of mine following me let me know that the brake lights on the bed of my Ranger were not working but the third light on the cab was functioning correctly.

I checked the bulbs and they are fine. Fuses are good #21 and #22. Obviously the BOO switch is working as the third light works fine.
This apparently is new as they worked fine last week.

Thought I'd check here before getting raped by the local dealer.

Dan

 

[drueg]

Come y'all.
Some one has to have an idea?

Dan

 

[nutpantz]

The connectors on the Wiring harness might be loose, or you might have a ground issue.
Check the light plugs for voltage with a volt meter or a test light
(connected to a known good ground). If the writes have no voltage check the harness connectors to see if they have voltage. Follow the wire back to the fuse box.or check the wires at the fuse box by shoving stick pins in the wires (sewing stick pins work if they conduct electricity) follow the wires until you find the dead spot.
Check for grounds first then connectors.then if nothing else stick pin the wires and find the break.

my bet is grounds or connectors.
(the light on the back of the cab may be on a different circuit with completely different wiring)

Do your signals work? 4 way flashers? Running lights?

 

[shane96ranger]

Check the connection in the harness. The harness is behind the rear bumper. You will see a black (I think) connector. Take it apart and see if it's dirty or corroded.



Sent from a Commodore 64 using a 300 baud modem

 

[DIRTY]

i am having the same problem with my truck. could u tell me what worked for u??

 

[drueg]

What worked for me was to remove a previous owners rats nest from a tow harness he had added to tow behind a motor home. I also removed the trailer four pin aftermarket converter connector and then removed all the ground connections and cleaned them with a wire brush on a drill.
Not sure which was actually causing the problem, but all the lights are now working