Hey, I'm just going to apologize to everyone here for being the biggest moron alive. Everytime I "fix" something, two other things break and I'm on the Brickboard asking for advice, again. Thanks to everyone who puts up with me. Today I did the tailgate wiring harness, the drivers side went very well and I checked to make sure I had license plate lights before I did the passenger side, yes, I had lights. The passenger side didn't go as well: It's a long story and I won't get in to details, but after a lot of fighting I got it done.
Anyway: Now the license plate lights do not work. Checked the bulbs, they're good. Ran the multi-tester and suddenly there's no power. Fuses are good. If I get off work during daylight tomorrow I'll check the connections. The only time I've got brake lights is when the headlights are off. Checked fuses, they're good. I don't understand this because the tailgate wiring and the headlights have nothing to do with each other or do they? And last: the third light is completey out. I'll check the bulb and connections and after that back to being lost. I think one of the park lamps is also out for no logical reason, too. Other than checking the usual suspects I'm out of ideas. I'm thinking of selling the car because I can't seem to get it fixed and I haven't started on the major projects.............
Thanks as always......

After reading Smitty's post and thinking about it for a moment, I wish to retract my pinched wire theory, at least tentatively.

When the brake lights illuminate when the headlights are off, are they quite dim?

The only explanation that I can come up with as to why you would have brake lights only when the headlights are off is as follows: The brake and running light sockets share the same ground in the tail light assembly. If that point in the circuit is not grounded, the current from the brake lights will pass through brake light bulbs to the socket ground, then backwards through the running lights, up to the headlights, through the headlights, and then to the headlight ground. It may find an easier ground in the headlight relay when the lights are off, I'm not sure about that. At any rate, the power must pass through at least one extra set of light filaments, and this means that there is a great deal of resistance in the ground path, so I would expect the brake lights to be dim. When you turn on the headlights, the brake lights cannot ground through the running lights any more, because the current hits a 12V live wire on the other side of the running light bulbs.

The question is: How did working on the tailgate wiring disrupt the ground to the tail light sockets? Did you do any other work, or pull hard on the wiring harness above the headliner?

The suggestion that the ground wires in the hinges have failed was good. However, even when those wires fail,the tailgate should ground through its hinges and latch. It is not a good idea to use moving parts as ground connections, but the electrical stuff in the tailgate will all work properly. The reason that you need the ground wires is to avoid the corrosion and sparking that occurs when you use moving parts as electrical connectors.

You are far from the biggest moron alive. You are simply a victim of a f****d up ground. Each hinge has a black ground wire, as el raidman has mentioned. Somehow your tailgate-to-car electrical ground has been compromised; to prove this, run a long test lead from a good ground on the 'gate to a good ground on the car, then see if everything works. Asuuming it does, then find where the ground(s) have failed and fix 'em.

You aren't going to want to hear this, but you probably need to take the right hinge off and find the wire that got pinched under a bolt head or hinge. It's either that, or something is plugged in wrong or grounding out down in the door. I'd have to open up mine and look at it while contemplating your symptoms to narrow it down any further.

I just did mine last weekend. I don't replace the wires, I just cut out the bad (brittle) section in the wire and solder it together, and pull up the harness a few inches to get fresh wire through the hinge. I spliced in 1 ft extensions to the wires down in the door the first time I did it years ago, so that I could fix it this way several times (I'm really cheap; Scotch, ya-know).

You already know what tools you need (ratchet, deep socket, Torx bit) so I presume that you are wrestling with the door itself.

I disconnected the shocks that support the door, and supported the door with a couple of short 1" x 2" sticks threaded through the door handle. One end of the sticks rested on metal just below the window, the other end stuck out and rested on a step on my stepladder. I then laid a 1" x 4" on the roof of the car and when I removed a hinge, I slipped it rearward so that it supported top edge of the rear door. When the hinge was bolted back to the door and was ready to screw back down to the roof, I slipped the 1 x 4 out from under it so that the hinge would settle back down in its spot.

It was cold, which made the wire and the caulking stiff and hard to work with, but otherwise, there was no problem.

Any car that costs you less than $10k (and some that cost more) will require periodic repairs. Even if you break something once in a while, it is a cheap education and you will be money ahead in the long run. You can do it. Just remember to work smart, not hard. ;)

Hey, Manolo, It just never gets any better. I pulled all of the old wiring out of the hinges and ran the brand spanking new IPD kit on the inside of the hinges. I ran out of day light--I will pull down the headliner and check my connections again, hopefully if I get out of work at a reasonable time tomorrow. I'm still boggled why my brake lights only come on when my headlights are turned off and why my third light doesn't work at all. I forgot in my original post that the passenger side harness is working like a champ: Power Locks: Awesome! Rear Window Wiper: Kicks Ass! But so many other thing have stopped working, it's not even a victory.........

Hey, Manolo, It just never gets any better. I pulled all of the old wiring out of the hinges and ran the brand spanking new IPD kit on the inside of the hinges. I ran out of day light--I will pull down the headliner and check my connections again, hopefully if I get out of work at a reasonable time tomorrow. I'm still boggled why my brake lights ony come on when my headlights are turned off and why my third light doesn't work at all. I forgot in my original post that the passenger side harness is working like a champ: Power Locks: Awesome! Rear Window Wiper: Kicks Ass! But so monay other thing have stopped working, it's not even a victory.........

Hey, Manolo, It just never gets any better. I pulled all of the old wiring out of the hinges and ran the brand spanking new IPD kit on the inside of the hinges. I ran out of day light--I will pull down the headliner and check my connections again, hopefully if I get out of work at a reasonable time tomorrow. I'm still boggled why my brake lights ony come on when my headlights are turned off and why my third light doesn't work at all. I forgot in my original post that the passenger side harness is working like a champ: Power Locks: Awesome! Rear Window Wiper: Kicks Ass! But so monay other thing have stopped working, it's not even a victory.........

Hd it happpen to me also..turned out the connections that run through the hinge itself were broken...check those.
I'll give you $100 for the car right now...had to ask...
tu amigo,
el Raidman

Hey, Raidman-- I actually REPLACED the harness and less stuff works on the car than it did yesterday. Sweetie, I'll give myself 100 crispy dollars and beat the crap out of it with a hockey stick---maybe I'll stuff it full of candy like a pinata. How festive..... Sorry, I'm bitter-I always wanted a 240 wagon and the only way I could afford one is if it were 16 years old, I love this car but it doesn't love me :(

Sorry Biggo:
I meant the ground wire that actually runs through the underside of the hinge itself.
Take off the hinge and I will bet that the wire is broken and the new wires are running current to the lights,etc and there is nowhere for it to find ground.
BTDT.
el Raidman
PS. Invite me to the Pinata Party!!

Sorry Biggo:
I meant the ground wire that actually runs through the underside of the hinge itself.
Take off the hinge and I will bet that the wire is broken and the new wires are running current to the lights,etc and there is nowhere for it to find ground.
BTDT.
el Raidman
PS. Invite me to the Pinata Party!!

Is it the big black wire? Possible date for pinata party December 28: my 32nd and Big Blue 16th. Austin, Texas---I've got a spare hockey stick, do you shoot right?

Sorry Biggo:
I meant the ground wire that actually runs through the underside of the hinge itself.
Take off the hinge and I will bet that the wire is broken and the new wires are running current to the lights,etc and there is nowhere for it to find ground.
BTDT.
el Raidman
PS. Invite me to the Pinata Party!!

Sorry Biggo:
I meant the ground wire that actually runs through the underside of the hinge itself.
Take off the hinge and I will bet that the wire is broken and the new wires are running current to the lights,etc and there is nowhere for it to find ground.
BTDT.
el Raidman
PS. Invite me to the Pinata Party!!

Sorry Biggo:
I meant the ground wire that actually runs through the underside of the hinge itself.
Take off the hinge and I will bet that the wire is broken and the new wires are running current to the lights,etc and there is nowhere for it to find ground.
BTDT.
el Raidman
PS. Invite me to the Pinata Party!!

The post isn't quite right either, try adding some text!


Regards


Pete