Greetings, this is my first post so sorry if this isn't in the correct place...

The brake lights on my 2011 Ranger are not working. I've tried replacing the bulbs, fuse and even the brake switch but nothing, nadda... Doesn't matter how hard I press on the pedal, they just don't come on. I have tried manually depressing the new brake switch, and I can hear a click but the brake lights do not activate. Everything else is working just fine (flashers, turn signals, etc).



Anything else it might be or I could try to troubleshoot? I've got plenty of tools, but what I don't have are any sort of electrical testing devices.

 

Welcome to the forum

Can't find a Brake light wiring diagram for 2011, so I will tell you what to test for

First you must have a 12volt test light or volt meter, meter is better because you can see actual volts and can test fuses and bulbs with OHM meter part of volt meter.

Next, does the Cab brake light worK?

I will assume no

I have listed fuse #19 in cab fuse box, 20amp, also check fuse #32, 5 amp
These fuses get power from Fuse #3 in Engine fuse box, 40 amp
Test that there is 12volts at all 3 of these fuses
This is doesn't need Key ON, they should have power all the time

 

Thank you very much!

I had already tried the #32 5 amp fuse but I wasn't aware the brake light power ran through all 3 of those.

It ended up being the #19 20 amp fuse!

 

Good work

Thanks for posting the fix, it WILL help someone else

Also check for frayed wiring at the trailer light connector, if you have one, they can short out and blow fuses

 

IT DID NOT WORK.

I realized today that my brake lights were out again. I checked and the #19 fuse was again blown. HELP!

SO the brake lights worked at least for a little while. When I discovered the fuse had blown again I immediately replaced it (have a kit of fuses in the truck now) and the brake lights worked fine all the way home.

Since the fuse doesn't blow immediately I know it's not always getting too many amps, but something did cause it to go. I am guessing that means some sort of surge or short? Since so many of the lights and signals on this truck are wired through the same switches and fuses, what could be causing the extra amps to go through this fuse but not blowing out anything else???

*Edited to add: My truck does not have any connectors for a trailer.

 

Pull out fuse #19 and see what other electric things do not work, i.e. parking lights, dome light, map lights, ect.............

Brake lights are usually an autonomous system, just for the brake lights, although I don't have a 2011 wiring diagram

And if the fuse only blows when brake lights are used then it won't be a short between fuse and brake switch, it would have to be between brake switch and one of the brake light bulbs
3rd brake light on the cab could be a likely candidate they can get water inside causing corrosion and a short.

You can get a OHM Meter, then test each bulb socket for short to Ground
Center contact of bulb should have no contact(NC) to ground, so high OHMs or no change in OHMs.
Low OHMs means a short

Now a short doesn't mean a fuse blows instantly, it can depending on the type of short, but if it is just a corrosion short it takes time for the AMPS to build up to 20amps, and heat up the fuse enough to blow
So if you are sitting at a stop light long enough with the brakes on then fuse will blow, if you hit all green lights then it won't, lol

 

How do I do this? I just don't deal with electrical stuff much at all, so I don't even know what sort of tool I'd need or how to use it to do what you are describing. Could you please elaborate or point me in the direction of a good tutorial for this stuff?

From what you describe and I am experiancing it does indeed sound like a corrosion sort and I'll start with the 3rd brake light. If it is getting water in there, is there a good way to seal it? Perhaps some silicon caulk when I reattach it?

It'll be a few more days before I can get back to working on the truck. Meanwhile, a friend who is a retired engineer said to try getting a 20amp Circuit Breaker and put that in the fuse socket. That way when it does eventually heat up and blow, it will reconnect when it cools. Does that sound like a good temporary fix?

 

Only manually reset circuit breakers are ok !

Also, how are the directional working ?

Does the fuse blow when you step on the brake by itself or when you step on the brakes and the directionals working ?

Have you checked out the taillight sockets ?

 

Google: using an ohmmeter

You need a Digital volt/ohm meter
Under $20

inches
feet
quarts
gallons
ohms
volts

All are just words used to measure things
The first 4 are probably familiar to you because you have use them and you know what they mean

Ohms and Volts are the same, you may know Volts better because of batteries or household appliances.

Ohms are a measurement of electrical resistance
0 ohms is no resistance, a direct link between two points on a wire or circuit

High Ohms, 10,000+ or N/C(no contact on some meters) is no connection between the two points

If you have an ohm meter and touch the 2 probes together(its OK to do that), you will see 0 ohms, direct connection.
And thats how you use an OHM Meter, you touch the 2 probes to two separate points and see what the resistance is between those two points.
This can tell you if a wire is OK, 0 ohms or bad, high ohms

If you have a light bulb and touch the probes to each connector then you should see low ohms but not 0, that means there is connection inside via the filament and some resistance, the resistance is what makes the filament glow(light up)
If High ohms or N/C then bulb is burnt out, no connection inside

Same for a fuse, but fuse should be 0 ohms because its purpose is a direct connection

testing for a short in a vehicle is fairly straight forward
Pretty much any bare metal in a vehicle is a Ground point, and at no time should a 12volt contact show 0 or low ohms to a Ground.
You don't want voltage on when testing ohms

Bulb removed, test center pin in light bulb socket(12v) to its case contact(ground), should be high ohms, low or 0 would indicate short to ground, low could mean corroded short, 0 is usually means bare 12v wire touch metal of vehicle


To test longer wires in a vehicle get a long wire(test it, should be 0 ohms), use that long wire to extend one of your Meter's Probes.
There is no +/- with ohms, only the resistance between the probes is measured

 

Update: still not working.

I finally got some time, and some help, so looked more depth into wiring. My friend came over with his multi-meter and we took apart all the brake lights. We couldn't find any signs of corrosion and the meter didn't detect any faults, however...

We found out that the center brake light (top of the cab) bulb had not only burned out, but at some point had gotten so hot that it had started to melt and deform the plastic housing.

In addition, the connector plug for the wiring going to the brake light assembly on the driver's side also showed signs of high heat damage. You could see on the plastic housing where wires had become so hot they had started to melt through and deform the housing of the connectors.

We tested the wiring and even played around with various combinations of bulbs removed or in-place. We'd hold the brake pedal down for 15+ minutes every time and simply could not do anything to get the fuse to blow, nor did any connections even get so much as warm.

Finally we just shook our heads and put everything back together. The brake lights all worked fine we when got done experimenting but two days later the #19 fuse is blown again.

I am getting tired of chasing Gremlins.

 

If the heat got hot enough to start melting things, I would be afraid there is damage to the wire sheathing, the heat making it brittle.

Just to check things out, try running a new wire from the Brake light switch on the brake pedal back to the Brake lights. Replace the fuse ! Maybe even eliminate or replace the wire going to the 3rd Brake Light.

You won't have directionals since you need to cut the wires at the brake lights but you can start eliminating what wire may be causing the problem.

After running the new wire for a few days or maybe a week, (as long as you can stand using your hands for directionals) check the fuse again to see if it has blown, hope for the best.

If things look good then it could be one of two things, either the original wiring is damaged and needs replacing or the Multi-Function Module may be bad.

You might try one from the JY but that could be a bad one too, maybe you can find a replacement from a dealer that will allow you to return it if it works out to NOT be the Module.

Again I ask, does the fuse blow with just the brake lights or does the fuse blow when the directionals are on and you step on the brakes ?

If the fuse blows when the directionals are being used by themselves or with the brake lights then you may have a bad MF Module, again try a new one.

The Multi-Function Module has the Brake Lights, the Directionals, and the 4-way Flashers going through it and it can get a shot with in the unit. You might take the Steering Column apart, remove the connector from the Module and try checking the wiring from there to the brake lights.

I am not sure if you have separate Directionals and brakes light or not but separate wiring would make things easier. Once you determine if the wires from the MF Module are good or not, you can then determine if the Module may need replacing !

Sorry, writing too much, I hope this doesn't confuse you !

Good Luck, test each wire, write down your findings, revisit any questionable wires.

Ltr