Tail lights working intermittently

connections are what sounds like your issue. check the back sockets and the connector on the headlight switch.

Roy

my left tail lights are not working. What are the possible causes? I replaced the bulbs.

The power wire to the L/Side tail light is open or a bad ground

All general motors are wired the same the brown wire is power for the tail lighys. However the passenger side runs through the drivers side there for I don't think that's the problem. I would check the tail light circuit board. Dorman part # 923-012

my tail lights were out and when i went to change the bulb the lens unit was filed with water. i found a crack on the lens so i put new bulbs in, but only the top brake light works no tail or back up lights.

The water may have gotten into the wiring itself and caused the harness to fail or the sockets to corrode internally. The harness is an easy plug and play replacement item.

thank you, the tail lights worked a week earlier. could all that damage have happened in that short of time frame? should i check for power just before the socket and maybe just change the socket? the reason is it would take me about a week to get the part delivered. is there a quick fix so i do not get a ticket for no taillight on my way to work?

The wires may have been corroded for a while and just failed now. You can just change the sockets if you wish.

Back-up lamps are + light green and - black.

Tail light will be + brown or brown with white stripe (depends on option package) and - black.

thanks again i just ordered new lights lens w/ harnesses

No problem, Test the wires and see what you find. There is a junction block that the harness plugs into that sometimes causes trouble but I doubt that's your issue.

I had a radial tire de-laminate, and while the tread portion of the tire was flopping around, it pulled loose the wiring harness that appears to run from the main fuse box under the hood, along the frame, to a junction box on the right side of the truck bed just in back of the right rear wheel. One of the plug-ins will plug back in, but the harness that connects to the front fuse box has the plug pulled loose. It appears that I need the whole harness from the fuse box to the junction box, as mentioned above. Is this plug-and-play at the front fuse box? It looks like the right side taillight assembly plug is also missing. Would these wiring harnesses be available from a salvage yard? It looks like everything is designed to simply plug in. Am I oversimplifying?

You're lucky you weren't hurt. Yes, I would think you could get the parts at a salvage yard. If you have a place where you pull the parts yourself, you could get exactly what you need.

thanks i thought about that, i was going to replace it just in case. my voltage when tail lights were on was 1.6 volts.

Both sides are fed from a common point inside that junction block so if one side is working the other side "should" get the same voltage. But corrosion and crud seems to love getting into these things and causing problems. When you put it all together apply some dielectric grease to the terminals to cut down on that issue.

Post back when you get it back together.

thanks, i'll try that.

Please let us know what happens so it will help others

Best, Ken

Both right rear tail light bulbs are out and the check engine light is on the dash. We have changed the bulbs, but the lights are still out.

The engine sensor does not work when plugged in.

Hi, if the data link connector doesn't work, check pin 16 for voltage. That voltage comes from cigar fuse. Pins 4 & 5 are grounds.