No Tail lights Please Help

I'm here to ask for help, again.

I have an 87 4X4 Truck that we bought new. My friend happened to be behind me in traffic the other night. When we stopped for a red light, he told me that my tail lights were not working. The blinkers, reverse lights and brake lights all work fine. Since I don't check these every time I drive, I don't know exactly when they stopped working, but it is within the last 2 weeks. I checked the bulbs and the fuses under the hood and they were all fine. Oddly, The horn also quit working about the same time. Are there any fuses anywhere else? Surely this has happened to someone else.

Thanks in Advance!!

Reply 1 : No Tail lights Please Help

There's another fuse panel in the engine bay, the horn fuse is there, and IIRC the tail fuse is there too.

Reply 2 : No Tail lights Please Help

Thank-You for your response. You were right, there are 2 fuse boxes. One under the hood and one under the dash. I've never had a problem before so I've never had to look. The fuses look fine even though they are almost 25 years old. I'll have to start with a test light to see where the power stops. If anything else comes to you, please let me know.



Again, Thank-You

Reply 3 : No Tail lights Please Help

Your dash lights are also on the same circuit as tail. If the dash lights are out it indicates fuse or connection. If you have dash and no tail, that indicates connection.

Reply 4 : No Tail lights Please Help

On the fusebox cover under the dash, it shows 3 verticle rows of fuses, but when you take off the cover, there are 4 verticle rows.

The 2 rows on the right, (toward the firewall) are hot. The 2 rows on the left (away from the firewall) are NOT hot even with the switch turned on. The tail light fuse is one of the those that are NOT hot.

Under the kick panel right below the fuse box, I found a blinker and a relay. Does power go through this relay or another one somewhere else before going to the fuse??

By the way, the Dash Lights do work.

Thank-You for any and all help!

Rick

Reply 5 : No Tail lights Please Help

I changed the fuse and the bulbs. Sockets are clean, not crusty. No change. They weren't bad, but they are almost 25 years old.(I know, I'm grasping at straws) It is odd that this truck has never blown a fuse or bulb except headlights, once each about 10 years apart.

If anyone has any ideas, please let me know. I miss not driving this Truck.



Thank-You again,

Rick

Reply 6 : No Tail lights Please Help

Is there a way to test the switch to see if it is bad? I "assume" if it was bad, the parking lights or headlights wouldn't work either.