Installing 3-Bulb -1993-00 Tail Lights on 2-Bulb
 

I am looking at getting some carbon fiber tail lights and the ones I like the most are for 1993-2000 model year Rangers that used 3-bulbs. I have a 2002 with a 2-bulb setup. I would like to keep it safe and simple, and functional.

Would it be easy to do? anyone done it? And does the housing fit just like the others with no leaks? I'm assuming it was the wiring that was different only.

Thanks

These are the ones I want btw... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...spagename=WDVW

I have converted 2 bulbs to 3 bulbs.. You have to run 3 wires from the cab back to the taillights, one for the each turn signal, and 1 for the brakelight. You'll re-use the existing taillight and reverse light wires, as well as the grounds.

Well that's a lot of work. No way to splice off of what is already there?

yes you can splice it. and even if you really want to be lazy just put them in and run it as a 2 bulb wont hirt anything

If you want two bulbs that are BOTH turn and brake, then you can just splice them. If you want to have one bulb be taillight/brake, and one be turn signal only, then you MUST run additional wiring.

Do it the right way man....listen to WOWak

its not the right way bryan its just two different styles on the same princible bud...

Same principle? Using 3 lights is different than using 2. Not the same in any way, shape or form. If the goal is to use 3 lights then he will want to go with what Wowak said. If the goal is to be done as soon as possible then use 2 lights in a 3 light housing. It's still safe and all that, and I'm not knockin it...but I understood the question to be "how do I add another light to go from 2 lights to 3". Just using 2 doesn't accomplish that goal bud..

Mark, the 3-bulb wiring does not exist at your taillights but it is at the rear of the truck.

The truck's main harness is wired to accept either the 2-bulb or 3-bulb tails. Presumably, this is to make it work for different markets. Look for an 8-pin connector near the end of the driver's side frame rail. On U.S. Rangers, only 5 wires (with different color codes) continue into the subharness that branches off to the taillight light assemblies.

The additional three wires on the 8-wire harness side are the ones that would be used for factory 3-bulb tail lights.

Orange/light blue: Right turn signal ONLY
Light green/orange: Left turn signal ONLY
Light green: Brake lights ONLY

Brown/yellow: Right rear brake/turn (only for 2-bulb tail lights)
Dark blue/white: Left rear brake/turn (only for 2-bulb tail lights)

Brown: Running lights
Black/pink: Reverse lights
Black: Ground


This is how it's shown in the 2000~2003 Ford Wiring Manuals. I have confirmed that my 2003 has the additional wires and I assume your 2002 will as well.

no you dont understand what i mean. the last comment on my last post was about something else bryan.

what wowak sayed it a right way if you want independant 3 bulb lights. or if you want to be completely lazy and just tap the the wires on the brake/turn and make it have another brake/turn it will be a "3 bulb" but 2 of them do the same damn thing. thats what i ment didnt come out right. wowaks is a good way. so is the lazy way just get two different things. neather is bad just different. both make it 3 bulb just different.

see wowak has the 98 tails which has amber/red/white tail light and would be stupid to tap to the brake/turn and make 2 of them because then when he brakes it would light up the amber/red and that wouldnt be good, that would mess the hell out of people.

now the tails mark are looking at are red/red/white so if he just taped it and make 2 brake/turn it wouldnt be a problem in anyway. just two ways of doing it thats all....

rwenzing is God. If they are partially run already I will look into extending them and utilizing the 3-bulb harness to the full potential. Yet another fun project...yay

If I had known what Rwensing just posted, I only would have had to run one additional wire, and I could have cut/extended/spliced the turn signal wires wherever that connector is. (the additional wire would have to be for the solid brake light.)

Brian, the brake light only wire (light green) is also in that 8-pin connector, right where the rear bumper bracket bolts to the driver's side frame rail. It should be fairly easy to move the 2 original turn/brake wires within the rear subharness connector to become the 2 turn signal only wires, then run one extra conductor from the light green, branched to the right and left brake light bulbs.

Originally, I also thought it would require running new wires back from the cab until I checked the wiring books this morning. Then I looked at my truck and found the extra 3 wires.

Right, actually you're right, it should be easy enough to disassemble the connector and move the pins. Now I wish I hadn't cut up my factory harnesses so much! (I did leave all the stock wiring in place so I could reverse it if necessary, although I've since sold my factory taillights.)

I have another way .. I had a trailer light hook up that i will probably never uses so i got the male end to it and ran the wires up to the tails. worked great and i didnt need to hack any factory wiring.(used about 8-12 feet of wire, 4 piece of 2 or 3 feet) and if i ever do need to hail anything i will just unplug it and still have two lights instead of three.. just my two cents...

I don't want to do any splicing at all and I'm wondering if led lights will just plug and go on my 2001 model the LEDs came out of a 94 model with 3 plugs and my 01 only has 2 plugs

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