My Tail light, Parking & Dash lights are not working right using the headlight switch. My headlights, brake & turn signals do work. I belive that the brake & turn signales work because they do not go through the headlight switch. Let me give brief history of this problem " Headlights work when pulling **** all the way out" running lights--(corner & tail lights & dash out)--all Inst.gauges work,but not Inst. lights. Parking lights do not work at all when pulling **** out to it's on position. If I pull **** out all the way then push in a little bit about half way between Parking & headlight position, I get everything working. I did replace headlight switch thinking my old one was bad but, the same thing is going on with the new one. Is this a problem anyone has had, Or what should I look for or do at this point to solve this issue. Thanks

 

Very common problem. First check the fuse for the running lights. If that's ok, pull the headlight switch back out and check for voltage on the tan/white wire.

Most likely because of your symptoms, you will find the tan/white wire dead. So follow this wire back and see if it's burnt in two. If it's not, then go back to the fuse and double check for power there.

The tan/white is what feeds the taillamps/running lights and also the dash lights. The power comes right out of the fuse to the tan/white, and the feeds the headlight switch.

The tan/white does not feed the headlights, they have a different power source feeding the headlight switch. What you are doing by pulling the headlight switch out halfway is crossing the contacts inside the switch, so the power for the headlights is jumping over and feeding the running lights circuit, which is supposed to be fed by the tan/white.

 

Thank You Dave, I will Check the Tan/White wire . I'm Looking for 12v from that wire to ground correct? I did look at the fuse it was good. I thought it was the headlight switch because all the lights worked when I pulled the **** all the way out --( only the headlights came on )-- then if I pushed it back in just a little they all worked. But as I said a new switch did not change my problem. Thanks Again, I will test as you suggested.

 

Yes, that's correct. The tan/white wire is famous for overheating and burning out, so carefully check it along it's length.

 

Test results did show that wire did not have any volts. I have get the tan/white wire traced to where it will deliver 12 volts. About the headlight switch plug,, 3 pins have 12 volts and 6 which include the Tan/white have none. I am trying to get a "Good" wire diagram. The wires go into the harness and disappear, lt looks like I may have to get the Inst. Cluster out of the way. The Chilton book IMO is not much help with finding out where the tan/white wire goes to and from. So I have to get 12 volts out of the tan/white wire. All help is appreciated & welcome. Thanks Dave you were on the ball with this.

 

I am not sure how it physically gets there, but the tan/white goes directly to the fuse box. So if it's easier, you might want to start at the fuse box, and if you can find the tan/white, probe it to see if it has voltage there. If it does, then the problem must be in the harness. If the tan/white has voltage coming out of the fuse box, and you don't want to unwrap the whole harness, there is no reason why you could not cut the tan/white at the fuse box and splice a new wire to it, and run it over and splice it into the wire at the headlight switch.

 

"The tan/white goes directly to the fuse box." Thank You Dave.

And you must have read my mind
" If you don't want to unwrap the whole harness, there is no reason why you could not cut the tan/white at the fuse box and splice a new wire to it, and run it over and splice it into the wire at the headlight switch''. I did this on a couple of my Harley's ,you know you got to keep them pretty. I couldn't see why I could not do it with this issue a long as I knew the tan/white wires source, which I assumed was a hot circuit. But I didn't want to assume and fry something. Thanks a bunch for your help, I really appreciate it

 

Oh, by the way I like that Avatar....Thanks Again Joe

 

Franklin2 , You were 100% correct tan/ white wire was the gremlin. All Lights Parking, Inst. panel, Tail lights are all good. Thank you for all your help, I really appreciate it. Thanks Joe

 

Got the same problem in my 03 250 ran a new wire and the fuse still blows everytime I turn the lights on

 

You do not have the same problem. Your fuse is blowing, his was not. You have a wiring problem somewhere on the truck. Problem is, this circuit runs all over the truck on a darkbrown wire, so it's sometimes hard to isolate the problem.

Lucky for us, there are common reasons for this circuit to get against metal and blow the fuse. Most common is hacked up wiring at the rear for a trailer plug. Check there first. If you happen to see some harness plugs that would be easy to separate, you could isolate the rear of the truck and then see if the fuse blows.

Other common areas are running boards with added lights, plow lights up front, anywhere wiring has been added and has been damaged.

 

Question - which fuse box does this wire run in to? - the one next to the switch in the dash or the power box under the hood. I got the same problem with my son's 99 Ford Explorer- only the headlights switch twists instead of pulls out . So when we twist and push it in the parking lights all come on but then go off when we let go - I cut the tan and white wire and then spliced a jumper wire to it and went directly to the positive terminal on the battery and still could not get the parking lights to turn on with direct power and the switch on.

Did I miss something here or is it truly the switch itself?

Thanks

Russ

 

Power going in on the tan/white, and nothing coming out on the brown with the switch in either on position means the switch is bad. Check the brown wire for voltage, that's the one going out to the lights. You could take your hot test wire and stick it on the brown and all the running lights should light up.

 

But Russ is asking which fuse panel this runs to; the power distribution box or the fuse box under the dash.

I am also having this problem and I'm trying to determine which actual fuse, this wire runs to as none of the fuses labeled "instrument" have been bad.

 

BTW, I have no fuse labeled "parking/running lights" in my e250 manual. I do have daytime running lights labeled but I don't have them.