I'm thinking about buying a new set of tails.



As you can see these have 3 light sockets, 2 for brakes/running/blinker and one for reverse. As you all know, our rangers only have the 2 lights (reverse and break/running/blinker)

I was thinking, is there any way to like, splice the wires and make it so the middle light acts as the blinker and the lower acts as the brake/running light?

If not, how about just splicing so that both the middle and the lower light act the same (brake/running/blinker)?

 

those lights should come with the wiring for the other light you just have to tap it in.

 

Won't accomplish what he is asking though.

I know you can use the signals in the trailer hitch instead of the conventional positive source for brakes/turns as they are seperate in the trailer hitch.

I did something similar to this when I built my L1224R tails with my black aftermarket tails very similar to these.

 

I did the same thing. I did it the hard way IMO. I tapped into the 3rd brake light wire (brake only light). On our 2 bulb set-up, the brake/turn/running light... and the reverse light. I cut the brake/turn wire on the stock light, spliced it into the middle bulb of the new light. And ran the new 3rd brake extension into the bottom light. Leaving the bottom light as a running light/solid brake only. The middle light as a brake/turn and the top is still the reverse light. That way, when you hit the brakes... you have 4 lights light up as brake lights. Then when you are braking/turning... you have the 3 lights lit up... and one flashing.. if that makes sense. I just thought it looked better than splicing into the brake/turn wire only, and having 4 brake lights.. then 2 lights on one side flashing.

I can try to take pics or get the wire colors for ya, if that helps. Also, to tap into the 3rd brake... pull up the trim on the drivers side door bottom, look under the flooring/carpet... for a bunch of wires... undo some of the tape... look for a light green wire.. that's ur 3rd brake.

 

Taillights don't come with wiring, Downey.





Steve....Just get another 3-wire taillight bulb holder and pigtail. Fill the other hole in the lamp. Tie it to the existing 3-wire tailllight. This will give you two lights that do the same thing on the back. I did something similar to my old truck('01) when I ran APC 93-99 tails on it.....but I wired the extra to do just running light, and left the other one to do what it's meant to do, tail/brake/turn. JP7(posted above) is running the same tails that I ran on my old truck.


To do what you want to do, having a stand alone signal and stand alone brake/running light, it's a little more involved. Scrambler82 has done it to his 00+ truck. Hopefully he'll pipe in. But for now, take a peek at the threads he's made. He may have a thread that covers it.

Your truck MIGHT be pre-wired for 3-bulb tails. On the backside of your bumper, on the driverside frame rail, look for a plug. This plug will be approx 1" x 3" cylinder shaped plug. The wires from up front go along the driver frame rail, into this clip, then splits to the taillights and trailer harness. Take a look at the front side of this plug.....if you've got 8 wires there, congrats! You're pre-wired for what you wanna do. If you've only got 5, sorry, you've got some work ahead of ya.

 

Awesome, thanks for the replies guys. I'll have to take a look under the truck once it stops raining.

Ryan, I like your idea, I'm just hoping there is an easier way. I can't recall if our brake light bulbs actually have one wire for each setting (running/blinker/brake). If they do, then maybe I can just tap it off of the other harnesses/bulbs. I can't imagine that it would overload the circuit, especially since I'm using LEDs, right?

Oh, I also just stumbled across this similar thing done to an F150...the guy added the wire to his third brake light on the cap...maybe I can use this as some sort of reference How To Wire a 3rd Brake Light On Your Ford Truck

 

Steve,

Here is what I did: Simplest Way
Ring out the wires so you know what is what, some will be easy there is only one wire per socket but just to make sure.

There will be four wires at the Tail lights.
1 - Brake/Turn
2 - Tail lights (Running Lights)
3 - Reverse Lights
4 - Ground
1 and 2 go to the same socket so careful which wire you cut, you want the brake/Turn Light Wire.
a) Cut and mark the Brake/Turn and the Reverse Light wires from the existing Sockets Both sides.
b) Attach the Brake Light/Turn Wire to the Reverse Light Socket on both sides.
c) Run a new Brake Light Wire from the Brake Lights Sw (under the Dash) Load side (the wire going to the brake lights) to the Brake Light Socket at the Tail Light. (You can run the wire out of the cab from under the driver’s eat, may not on your but that is where I did it)

Do this to both sides and you will have Brake Lights and Separate Turn Signals which will be safer.
You will need only one wire for the Brake Lights from the Switch under the Dash, not one for each side, just splice from one side to the other.
You will need to add aftermarket Reverse Lights but most of us do anyway.

p.s. Although the Reverse Light Wire is there doing nothing for the moment remember a few things:
The OEM Reverse Lights are low Wattage and these wires were not designed to run two 55W and larger lights.
The Reverse Wire can run a Relay but the location of the Relay should be under the hood, close to the Power Source so reconsider using that location.
You could pull the wire back to the engine bay and use it to activate a relay (great idea) and rewire new aftermarket Reverse Light (100 watt’rs) by running a new fused 12 or 10 gauge power wire from the battery to the relay to the lights.
Also consider a separate ground for the new Reverse Lights back to the battery, it is not necessary just good workmanship.

Good Luck, great and SAFE Project.

 

Good stuff...thanks.

 

the simpler way is to use the
UN-USED trailer wiring harness connector
grab an extention harness and just run those extra lights off of it
GREEN - right signal/brake
yellow - left signal/brake
brown - running lights
white - ground

grab some extra sockets from a scrap yard

 

That is IF you have the correct Trailer hitch connections, some don’t like my 03 EDGE didn’t.

Rather than make a mess, run the extra wire and be done with it and you still have the OEM Trailer wiring intact.

 

thats why i love my 99. it has 3 different bulbs in the tail light, turn, brake/running, and reverse.

 

THANK YOU SANDY/Grev?!!! lol. That's been something that I've been toying with in my head for a LONG time and I know you've spilled how you did it to me before, I just havnt touched on the subject since! lol. Time to find me some Mexi/Brazil tails!!


Dave...your idea of stealing hot from the trailer plug doesn't pan out in my head. It's setup just like the existing tails now. If you relocate the signal/brake hot and turn it into a signal hot like Sandy suggested above, you'll still need some way of taking power for just the brake light feed. Scrambler took it from the brake switch. If you take it from the trailer harness, you'll be functioning just like stock and doing unnecesary wire moving around and it's not just working out in my head. Of course, tha'ts if you're suggesting on adding a plug and have it do the same sorta stuff as the stock 3 wire tail/brake/turn like I suggested above as an alternative.


Just to clear the air some..... We're talking of two different options here.

 

I like to mix things up to make it confusing Sandy/Grev…

What I am suggesting is to take an OEM Two Bulb Tail Light and make it into a Three Bulb Setup.

 

Topper Parts - Dome Lights and Brake Lights

scroll down and look at the logic box

just another idea

basically the trailer wiring harness runs off of their own fuses
so technically you are not stealing hot wires
you will just be using what is already there

 

I like the idea of using another harness...but i like making my life harder lol. I'm just tht cheap

 

You can get that same box thing in a hitch light. I bought a Ford hitch light for like 15 bucks in Walmart that only lights up when you hit the brake. Might be a SUPER easy thing to do instead of running all these wires.

 

Only thing is I want the light to be on when the head lights are on.

 

What do these Tail Lights look like ?

 

Re-reading your OP and noticed that these lights have three sockets.
You might consider using the middle as a directional, leave the Reverse Light.
Use the same wiring lift the Brake Light Wire and move it to the Middle, just thinking out loud.

Also, the OEM Load Wire at the Brake Light Switch, tape it up and fold it back out of the way, do not use it.

 

Now that I have purchased the tails and the bulb harness I will begin the journey...once they get here.

I will start a write up for those of you who are curious with the route I decide to take and for those of you whom wish to do this mod.

 

Just to be curious what happened to your vehicle in your avatar, ramp on passenger side front, no route with it that way ?

 

it was an attempt at a flex...like tht angle lol

was bored as hell tht day

 

Judging by the follow quote, he's just gonna wire an extra light in and make it be just a running light. I think. lol. Time will tell though...


BAM!

 

Running light AND brake light

 

Just moving the directional signal from the Bake/Tail/directional to where ever he decides.