Exterior Lighting (Clearance, Parking, Tail...)

SAVAGE_DIESEL · Jul 6, 2016

Ok Guys I have looked all over and maybe being new to this forum is hindering my search. Unfortunately I have a unique truck with lots of unique issues.

Basic Known truck specs:
Vin & Title say F350 year 1995
Mileage 213k it is my daily currently
Mods all done incorrectly out of inexperience?? by the PO'ers
TS 6, wonderfully done CAI with PVC (6637 RIFF RAFF in the mail), Straight pipe exhaust I believe its increased in size on the up pipe, Frame has been cut or lengthened hard to tell which, leaf springs from hell (seriously there is a stack on the truck at least 13" tall. Some half ass attempt at a hutch mod and who knows what else I will find.

So to the issue over the holiday I pulled the crap bed and replaced it with a slightly less crappy one. Welded in new cab corners and mounts tried to fix up the sending unit, began painting the frame and tried to begin some kind of new paint on the old oil leaking pig.

I ran was running out of time to wrap up and had to just move forward so I just threw the bed on bolted her down cleaned up the wiring mess and hopped in the truck went to turn on the lights and CRACK.!!! I heard the fuse blow. Low and behold its #4 in the cab 15AMP.

Fast forward I need these lights for obvious reasons I have begun to check harnesses unplug harnesses to eliminate them etc... I replaced the Switch the wring harness at the switch seemed fine nothing unusual (except like every other retaining clip in the truck they are FREAKING BROKE OFF :doh

Nothing has worked for me I am running out of ideas and am not that familiar with these trucks.

When I run an AMP test on socket #4 it draws 40amps my meter goes nuts and the leads get hot!!! that's bad bad bad. this is all with the truck off key out. Also there are 12V there with the switch off in its home position.

Any ideas, match, sell it, forget about it, etc.... Thanks guys I would appreciate any and all help. I am currently running in and out of the house amid other tasks on the truck so I will check back often as I do research.

Thanks again in advance.

6.0 Tech · Jul 7, 2016

Did you pich the harness when you put the bed back on? May have a direct short to ground in the tail lamps or somethin.

SAVAGE_DIESEL · Jul 7, 2016

No I did not, that was my first hopeful thought I only wish I would have found that. I have been looking for straight to ground type shorts but can not find any.

old man dave · Jul 7, 2016

Start by disconnecting any connectors one at a time to localize any shorts. Could even be weird stuff like an internally shorted light bulb.

SAVAGE_DIESEL · Jul 7, 2016

OLD MAN DAVE, thanks I thought of having that as a plan of attack for this evening. I have decided to clean up my garage and take a "step back". In all the years of wrenching and construction that I have shoved under my belt I have learned sometimes that's best.

Something for thought though or maybe you gentlemen would know, or at least have an opinion on. I stripped and painted the frame and the bed rails and dipped the bolts to help eliminate any possible rust within the foreseeable future. Could that have anything to do with it maybe it is not grounded on that circuit. alright just a thought I am gonna get back at it now. there are not many connectors in the truck that have not been messed with this will not be fun. :doh:

joe d · Jul 7, 2016

So you put a new bed on and did a few other things my bet is its the tailight housing wireing or any wireing that came with the new bed. Other then that no wires have changed.. Just a thought. Thats where i would start.
Disconnect bed and see if fuse pops again

6.0 Tech · Jul 7, 2016

SAVAGE_DIESEL said:
OLD MAN DAVE, thanks I thought of having that as a plan of attack for this evening. I have decided to clean up my garage and take a "step back". In all the years of wrenching and construction that I have shoved under my belt I have learned sometimes that's best.

Something for thought though or maybe you gentlemen would know, or at least have an opinion on. I stripped and painted the frame and the bed rails and dipped the bolts to help eliminate any possible rust within the foreseeable future. Could that have anything to do with it maybe it is not grounded on that circuit. alright just a thought I am gonna get back at it now. there are not many connectors in the truck that have not been messed with this will not be fun. :doh:

It aint a bad ground issue. You have too good.of a ground where it shouldnt be. Old.man daves suggestion is spot on. I would recommend going and getting a circuit breaker to install instead of buying a chit ton of fuses, that gets expensive...

SAVAGE_DIESEL · Jul 7, 2016

Joe D Yes correct I went through the wiring though I took the one that was in the truck originally out. It had the issue first and was hacked up some PO cut the damn connector out SMH. so I then played match up to the one that was in the old bed and at least used plug style butt connections. Before hooking it back up I did try throwing a fuse in and CRACK . LOL

I cleaned the garage out this evening and will begin to unhook and trace wires tomorrow when I get off work. I am unfamiliar with what 6.0 Tech is suggesting I will google Automotive circuit breaker and stop and get one It would make sense I have just been using my meter to test amp draw after I try this or that.

Anyways I guess I was looking at the situation all wrong though And yes when put that way as in the ground is to good, I am understanding it more as a short I was confusing my AMP draw and volts. The truck will benefit from taking a step back this evening. Thanks guys even though hopefully this does not end up in a complete gutting of the interior over the weekend but most likely due to the way things go will ha ha.

6.0 Tech · Jul 7, 2016

Sorry for the confusion on the circuit breaker. Most of the big name tools sell what they call a fuse tester. It takes the place of the fuse, but has a switch on the top that you just reset if the fuse will pop.

SAVAGE_DIESEL · Jul 8, 2016

Ok I believe I found the issue guys. After much unplugging bezel removing seat yanking frustration. I found many things in the cab that I was able to fix and get other things to work but they did not stop the short. At that time I then unbolted the main wire connector on the firewall in the engine bay. and the short went away and the Front half of my truck lit up. I then began to yank that harness down under the truck when low and behold wires began to fall apart due to very crappy non water tight former Splices. So in all of my yanking and cleaning and bed removal my only thoughts are that I must have wiggled one of the deteriorated wires apart or had them making contact. I am tired it has been a long day and I will attack that issue in the morning as well as try and install some new parts that just arrived from RIFF RAFF. Thanks for the help guys I believe the clarification of " To Much Ground" was what helped me grasp what I was looking for more. Enjoy your weekend and be safe. I will give a final update sometime tomorrow.

6.0 Tech · Jul 9, 2016

Good deal man, glad you got her fingered out, at least close to it!

SAVAGE_DIESEL · Jul 9, 2016

Lights are fixed. They all work I need to get bulbs for the third brake though. Should I just upgrade it to LED housing or just do the stock bulbs? Any thoughts guys, I have heard that the LED stuff can really mess with your stuff. But its good to have this behind me just tightening things up now. Looking for other issues etc... Just adding to the list ha ha enjoy the weekend.

dsberman94 · Jul 9, 2016

LED third light isn't going to cause any issues. Only issues with LEDs is in the turn signals.

SAVAGE_DIESEL · Jul 9, 2016

Ok Thanks I think I am going to just upgrade then because I have some burnt sockets in that 3rd brake light

dsberman94 · Jul 9, 2016

Might just look into buying a new one. I know I've got a super duty and your truck is OBS but I bought a really nice 3rd brake light from Anzo for about the same price as I could have bought the LEDs for. Came with bulbs and everything. Works great for lighting up the bed too.

SAVAGE_DIESEL · Jul 12, 2016

Sounds great I will look up Anzo and see what they have. I remember a chevy I had back in the day before my wife just had to have a Jeep Wrangler (SMH). It had a bed Light and it was awesome when getting ready early in the morning or cleaning up late at night. Any Ford I have ever had they never worked ha ha. Anyways thanks for the little Tid Bit.