hey all!
hope everyone is doing better then myself over the past couple days. Ive been having a issue with my back lights (turn signals, reverse and brake) all dont work. i thought maybe it had something to do with my flasher fuse and changed that and its still causing problems...

background: (all lights on the front work perfectly fine... so far) the truck is a 1993 ford ranger 4x4 4.0L

i turned my signal on to turn at the stop lights and can hear it clicking and as i go and get closer to the red light. I hit my brake to slow down before the light and as i do that i couldnt hear any ticking at all, it just stopped. Then when i release the brake i could hear it start ticking again?? so i get home, leave the truck running and turn on my signal lights... THEY WORK!? i thought ok sounds good... so i hit my brake and then everything just doesnt work or the turn signal light stays lit yellow (fairly dim). i changed all the bulbs in the back with new ones and its still happening until earlier today now no lights on the back work at all.

i'm a broke college student just looking for a break here so if i can fix it and save money even better! please help me out fellow rangers! thanks for looking!

 

multi function light switch on the dash

replace it with a working unit

 

thanks for the reply cheese man ill have to see how much they are napa tomorrow... i was reading up a bit more things and a lot of people mention to check my ground wire, does that sound right?

 

just another update but now all the lights on the back wont even come on at all... looks like ill be driving without any lights for a bit ahah.

 

there are 2 ground straps to replace

1 / engine to firewall ground strap

2 / engine to frame ground strap

these are the 2 straps that easily corrode should be replaced without question

 

check the connection where your trailer plug attaches (im assuming you have a trailer connection) its definatly a ground issue most likely at a splice or a connector.( body grounds possible too, but usually your radio will cut out and you get zapped while getting out of the truck when body grounds go bad)

 

another update:
i went to napa and ordered the switch and should be a few days (small town) haha.

funny you mention that turboeeyore,
while i was at napa i talked to a guy who also mentioned about my trailer wires and told me to just cut them off past that black box and tape it cause he says its common for corrosion in the box on older trucks and see if it works, i did that this morning and reconnected the wires with no luck, still nothing.

another funny thing is this morning before i left my driveway i noticed the radio just reset itself...

cheese man
could you possibly tell me where to find these wires? any diagrams? im a newbie :(

thanks, i really appreciate the feedback guys, anything is helpful at this point and id like to learn as i go so i can fix these problems later on myself and save on the ol' wallet!

 

also would i have to buy a specific ground wire for a ranger or will any wire do?

 

the engine to firewall ground strap runs from the back of the engine block to the cab`s fire wall

the body cab to frame ground strap is located underneath the driver side cab

the ground straps look like braided aluminum wires

these 2 ground straps are the 1st ground straps you should replace before anything else