I changed my headlight switch today because I didn't have any dash lights. I got in the car tonight and still didn't have dash lights and that isn't to bad so I figured I would tear everything apart in a couple days. I then got out of my car and set my alarm but only the front parking lights blinked nothing at all in the rear. The Tail light fuse is getting power hence the front parking lights working. The INST fuse for the dash lights isn't getting any power if I jump a hot wire over to it the dash lights come on. How could the front marker lights be getting power but not the taillights? I did not check the back up lights but my license plate light isn't working either. I do have an alarm that I put in and alot of wiring for fans and stuff but that has all been in there for over a year now so it is kind of possible something it is something I did but I doubt it. I now from my service manual it is a brown wire for power to the rear lights but where does it travel down the length of the car? Also my brake lights and turn signals work as does my interior lamp. Is it possible I lost the ground wire in the rear or something? Any help would be great.

Thanks
Brett

 

There is always the possibility of buying a defective part. I would turn the headlights (or parking lamps) on at the headlight switch, and poke the brown wire with a test light and see if it is getting power. If the brown wire is hot at that end, and not at the other... you know the problems is somewhere in the middle. The wires run down the drivers side of the car and enter the trunk behind the drivers side trunk kick panel (i hope that made sense), and loop around the back. So if your looking at your car from a birds eye view, the wiring schematic would be in the shape of an L. If your brown wire is hot at the switch AND hot in the rear, I would check your grounds. You said your brake lights work if i recall correctly, and your brake lights are powered through a light blue wire, so that would explain why those work and the parking/tail lights don't work. And your turn signals work because those get their power from the yellow and green wire. So it sounds like your brown wire is the cause... or.. the connection at the switch is no good. Hope this helps.. good luck!

Oh ya... yer marker lights feed off the brown wire too!