Replaced the front running light housing against my better judgment, I should have restored it.
Back to the tail lights! Last week, after replacing the headlights, I turned my attention to replacing the bulbs with LEDs. I started walking around the rig, pulling out items and replacing bulbs.
I posted this on Mud, but I will re-post it here for the sake of thoroughness. Here's the breakdown:
| Component | Status |
|---|
| Headlights |  Working |
| Brake Lights | Working |
| Dash Illumination | Working |
| Front Side Markers | Working |
| Rear Side Markers |  Not Working |
| Tail Lights (Rear) | Not Working |
| License Plate Lights | Not Working |
| Rear left turn signal | Working |
| Rear right turn signal | Not Working |
I mentioned
@Cruisertrash's Fusible Link in the post just as a data point, that I replaced the OE Fusible Link. He joins in the fun, and we go back and forth with each other. I check the ground on the rear harness; nope, it's good. The voltmeter buzzes like I got the wrong answer on The Price Is Right.
I keep going, now, I'm into day two or three (I lost track) of frustration, sleep over it, go back to it, use the Volmeter to start testing out the connections, wiring, turns out, there is current going from the battery to the fuse box, but none going back to the rear. I then start questioning my sanity.
I wake up again and ask,
"Has this always been like this?" I go and check out the security camera footage of the driveway for the evening hours to see if it has, sure enough, yup, the running and brake lights have been borked all along as far as I can date it. OK, then.
I remember two distinct holes on the floorpan. I also remembered that there was a harness in place, so I crawled under it to look, and sure enough, I found the source.
My theory, as I explained on Mud, is that when the guys sandblasted it last year, they punched through what was already an existing hole, ripping through the harness. No wonder I had sand in the cabin, and this explains it. Look what happened to my girl.
What's interesting is that it never shorted or blew the fuses, even with the cheap Amazon variety. I replaced those with the fancy LittleFuse Glows. The pressure from the sandblast nozzle had just ripped through the wires cleanly, and this explains why things weren't working.
Someone on Mud told me that I could access the harness from the top by removing the scuff plate, carpet, and kick panel, and it's right there. Yup, sure enough, time to get to work, and luck for me, I'm now an expert in what-not-do with the soldering harness. Dave in Denver would be proud of me. After correcting the issue, I tested the voltmeter with 12V power in all connections, so that's solved.
Amazingly, my cluster gauge Oil Pressure is right on the money now, 3/4 at idle, and 1/2 at running speeds, which was previously at 1/2 and 1/4, so there was current flowing from the oil sender, but inconsistently. I don't know if this is related, but the rig is running better now. It could be my imagination, but it feels a little punchier, and I haven't yet figured out if any of those wires would have made a difference.
