Rear Tail lights / Dashboard do not work.

[bcrabman]

I have an '02 explorer 4x4 e.bauer. Today while driving with the lights on the dashboard lights quit working and also the rear tail lights quit working. The brake lights work fine and all other electrical items seem to be working okay. ( horn, turn signal, radio etc.) Sounds like a possible fuse to me. Any idea which one? i looked in the manual and I do not see a fuse listed for either the rear tail lights or the dashboard. Any idea about where to start or what to check?? thanks so much for any help/advice.

 

[RealBIG]

Check the fuse

 

[Old As Dirt]

The dash and tail lights have been wired together for years. When your dash lights go out, you know that there are no lights on the back of the vehicle and that is a good thing to know. I have not checked my manual, but you should be able to look at the top of the fuses in the panel and see the one that is blown without difficulty. Use a flashlight. Otherwise, just pull out one at a time and you can see the break through the side of the fuse easily.

 

[bcrabman]

thanks so much guys. i hope it is just a fuse and that i can locate it. I can't find it listed in the manual which fuse it is. Anyone have a ford service manual that says which fuse it could be? I did a quick look and do not see anyone that looks blown. Next step is to pull 30+ fuses out to check. If a fuse did blow that still probably means that something else is wrong correct? or any idea's? thanks again.

 

[Buttsy]

Check fuse 16 at the battery junction box (next to battery). Use the inside of the cover to determine which one is 16 (blue/15 amp).

 

[bcrabman]

THANK YOU SOOO MUCH BUTTSY. I owe ya. It saved me TONS of time. Yes it was fuse 16 that is blown. i will get a new one tomorrow. Any idea the possible cause? or something else could be wrong?

 

[Buttsy]

Moisture in or around electrical systems can cause "glitches". In any case, the fuse is just doing it's job. If u continue blowing that fuse, look for exposed/pinched wires, bad/corroded grounds, or flakey switches. Glad I could help...

 

[bcrabman]

Yeah something else is wrong. I've blown 2 fuses. they only last about 5 mins then it blows again. I'm not a mechanic, but i can do some work. Any idea where to start looking? I figure it will probably be something that i couldn't find and i HATE to do it but might have to take it to Ford Dealership and let them fix it. Could be lots of money i'm sure, but hopefully not to much. thanks again.

 

[bcrabman]

i found some exposed wires that the previous owner had for either a tv or another stereo of some type. Could they possibly be the cause? or wouldnt' it have to be on the same wiring or circuit as the tail lights? again thanks

 

[dman726749]

yep, make sure thoes wires arent grounding out and causing the fuse to blow....

 

[bcrabman]

How do i determine if they are grounding out?? thanks again for help

 

[Buttsy]

The wires need to isolated so they don't touch the chassis or any other wire. The best fix would be to remove what the prior owner did and return the wiring to the original configuration. Systems powered via fuse 16 vary depending on what options your EB has installed. Did anything unusual happen when the fuse first blew?...i.e, hit a huge chuck hole, went thru large puddle, etc...

 

[bcrabman]

No nothing unusual happened. The headlights were on the "automatic" turnon setting.....lights turned on....about 5 miles or so down the road all of a sudden dashlights went out. I will try and follow some wires tomorrow.

 

[mrken]

Check fuse 16 at the battery junction box (next to battery). Use the inside of the cover to determine which one is 16 (blue/15 amp).

Thanks Buttsy! Your advice on fuse #16 worked great. I see that in addition to the dash and tail lights, my fog lamps were also on this circuit.