Tail Light Wiring?

[FinnDawg]

Hey there,

Not sure if anyone can help me on here but I figured I would ask. I discovered last night that my tail lights weren't working (got pulled over) and the officer who had pulled me over was nice enough not to give me a ticket.

So today I hopped under the truck and found that I have a broken wire on my plug for my tail light plug in. Unfortunately it is the plug end that connect to the main wiring harness for my entire truck (brake, blinker, trailer plug in).

I don't have enough wire to just put it back into the plug nor do I think I could with this particular plug.

My question is, is my best bet to buy that entire wiring harness and splice the old wiring to the new plug? Has anyone ever had this issue?

The truck is a 2015 f350 6.7 powerstroke.

Here is some pictures to help explain my situation. Any help is really appreciated!

You can see the broken yellow wire on the right side of the plug

Here is where the tail light plug ties in to the main wiring harness

[blgoodbrand1]

I'd try for warranty on that if you can


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[FinnDawg]

Originally Posted by blgoodbrand1

I'd try for warranty on that if you can


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Unfortunately I don't believe powertrain covers wiring such as this. I'm already passed the 60,000km warranty.

[dangerranger5143]

With the proper tool, the pins can be removed from the connector body and a new one can be spliced onto the wire and reinserted into the connector body. I wouldn't go buying a new harness for one broken wire. There will be a lock tang or tab depending on pin style. There may also be a secondary lock in the connector body that needs to be moved to allow for pin removal. With more pictures of the connector face I may be able to offer further assistance.

DR

[Kristopher10]

I'm not sure where exactly in Calgary, but you should be able to get replacement pins/terminals from an electrical supply company. Cut the wire a few inches back and solder in a new piece with the new terminal. You'd have to bring the old terminal in to get matched up likely. If you were in Edmonton I could help you out a little more.

If that one broken wire is the only concern I wouldn't buy a new harness. Likely save you a small fortune, I've seen some pretty expensive harnesses depending on how far into the truck you have to go. Not to mention the labour.

[spirit4u]

It would not hurt to check the warranty. Getting the complete harness that runs along the frame will be over $1000. Plus disconnecting the harness from everything along the way, def tank, fuel tank sender, etc and it runs behind the fuel tank so there is a section you can't even see. Chances are some of the other wires have also been stressed by whatever pulled the yellow one out. I would cut each one individually, crimp it and heat shrink them, tape them altogether and plastic tie the harness up and out of the way.

[FinnDawg]

Originally Posted by dangerranger5143

With the proper tool, the pins can be removed from the connector body and a new one can be spliced onto the wire and reinserted into the connector body. I wouldn't go buying a new harness for one broken wire. There will be a lock tang or tab depending on pin style. There may also be a secondary lock in the connector body that needs to be moved to allow for pin removal. With more pictures of the connector face I may be able to offer further assistance.

DR

Originally Posted by Kristopher10

I'm not sure where exactly in Calgary, but you should be able to get replacement pins/terminals from an electrical supply company. Cut the wire a few inches back and solder in a new piece with the new terminal. You'd have to bring the old terminal in to get matched up likely. If you were in Edmonton I could help you out a little more.

If that one broken wire is the only concern I wouldn't buy a new harness. Likely save you a small fortune, I've seen some pretty expensive harnesses depending on how far into the truck you have to go. Not to mention the labour.

Wow, awesome. Thank you both for your help. I know what you mean about expensive, I bought the wrong side of the harness and plug and it was $120

I'm not sure if I will be able to save the plug as it is slightly broken as well. Here is a better picture of it. Also I have big dumb hands and broke the wire further up where you can see it had some damage already so now I don't have all that wire

[Kristopher10]

Originally Posted by FinnDawg

Wow, awesome. Thank you both for your help. I know what you mean about expensive, I bought the wrong side of the harness and plug and it was $120



I'm not sure if I will be able to save the plug as it is slightly broken as well. Here is a better picture of it. Also I have big dumb hands and broke the wire further up where you can see it had some damage already so now I don't have all that wire

Another option you have if not under warranty, is that you can buy complete connectors and pins from the same suppliers. Again, cheaper than a complete harness, downside is if you ever do have to replace the harness that connector won't plug in.


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[overhere]

Pm sent

[HunterDave]

Being the redneck that I am......I'd forget about the connector and run a wire from the broken wire to the corresponding wire on the other side of the connector and bypass the connector completely. You might want to test the line with an alligator clip from the broken wire and stick the point of the tester into the good wire to see if it'll fix the issue before cutting and splicing anything though.

[dangerranger5143]

The plug may be able to be saved but with it broken like that the moisture and all the other great things on the roads will get into it and corrode the wires again causing the same issue you have now. Another option I didn't mention before would be to get rid of the plugs all together. One by one cut the corresponding wires on each side of the plug and splice/solder them together and using a good heat shrink, eliminating the plug all together. But as mentioned this makes future harness replacement more difficult

I am not as familiar with the automotive electrical world but in the heavy duty world pins and connectors are readily available to be purchased.

DR

[FinnDawg]

Originally Posted by HunterDave

Being the redneck that I am......I'd forget about the connector and run a wire from the broken wire to the corresponding wire on the other side of the connector and bypass the connector completely. You might want to test the line with an alligator clip from the broken wire and stick the point of the tester into the good wire to see if it'll fix the issue before cutting and splicing anything though.

Originally Posted by dangerranger5143

The plug may be able to be saved but with it broken like that the moisture and all the other great things on the roads will get into it and corrode the wires again causing the same issue you have now. Another option I didn't mention before would be to get rid of the plugs all together. One by one cut the corresponding wires on each side of the plug and splice/solder them together and using a good heat shrink, eliminating the plug all together. But as mentioned this makes future harness replacement more difficult

I am not as familiar with the automotive electrical world but in the heavy duty world pins and connectors are readily available to be purchased.

DR

I honestly didn't even think of that! If I can't figure it out this is definitely a good option. Thanks guys!

[HunterDave]

Originally Posted by FinnDawg

I honestly didn't even think of that! If I can't figure it out this is definitely a good option. Thanks guys!

Make sure that you use duct tape somewhere or it's not a real redneck fix.

[Grizzly Adams]

Originally Posted by HunterDave

Being the redneck that I am......I'd forget about the connector and run a wire from the broken wire to the corresponding wire on the other side of the connector and bypass the connector completely. You might want to test the line with an alligator clip from the broken wire and stick the point of the tester into the good wire to see if it'll fix the issue before cutting and splicing anything though.

Great Minds think alike. Be a cold day in Hell before I'd spring for a new harness and installation ain't gonna be easy either.

Grizz

[dangerranger5143]

I'm with Grizz on this one. Can't stand buying things like harnesses from a dealer. Overpriced wire neatly wrapped in loom. I would probably make an attempt at making my own harness before buying on. But I'm also very stubborn with things like that.

DR

[Roughneck12]

Originally Posted by HunterDave

Being the redneck that I am......I'd forget about the connector and run a wire from the broken wire to the corresponding wire on the other side of the connector and bypass the connector completely. You might want to test the line with an alligator clip from the broken wire and stick the point of the tester into the good wire to see if it'll fix the issue before cutting and splicing anything though.

That's what I was thinking.

[skidderman]

Originally Posted by HunterDave

Being the redneck that I am......I'd forget about the connector and run a wire from the broken wire to the corresponding wire on the other side of the connector and bypass the connector completely. You might want to test the line with an alligator clip from the broken wire and stick the point of the tester into the good wire to see if it'll fix the issue before cutting and splicing anything though.

This. Use good connectors with shrink wrap on it and good to go. A 15 minute fix.

[colroggal]

Another vote for hunterdave's method. 5 bucks and 5 minutes. Use a good heat shrink and wrap the whole mess in electrical tape. Tell your wife it's a three hour job but you'll save hundreds of dollars doing it yourself. You get to hang out in the garage AND you look like a hero.

Not that I've ever done that.

Colin

[traderal]

I'm with Hunterdave on this too. Have spent a lot of time fixing trailer wires and a direct connection is still a good fix. It's also warm outside if you don't have a garage.

[Peace Meal Farm]

Send me your VIN. I will look up the harness base part number and as a courtesy check the harness for warrantability past the 60 000 km bumper to bumper coverage.

That yellow-blue trace wire always breaks, and usually it is the only one at that connector to do so. I don't know if it's due to how the harness is pinned to the frame and the angle at which it sits, but that circuit is common to go open there. It is also in a location where it gets blasted by road debris.

At last check the female side of that inline connector is not serviceable through Ford as it is one of the few connectors for which we do not have a pigtail kit available.

Most often I scrounge a pin from a scrap harness and I repin the connector. The danger with just bypassing the connector (soldering a wire outside of the connector) is that the connector becomes difficult to seal against water. Having an open pin connector then tends to fill with debris and further circuits corrode. Repinning is the proper repair. However, with your connector being physically broken due to rocks/mud (as it seems) repinning looks to be too little too late. If there is no warranty coverage I suggest hitting up a scrap yard and snipping off of the connector you require.

[CaberTosser]

If you opt out of the DIY fix there is a shop in Calgary called Mikklesons Auto Electric that does all kinds of wiring harness repairs. I know they would do all kinds of repairs to theft damaged steering columns and wiring harnesses. They were a former corporate neighbor and client, I did the plumbing service in both their home and shop.

4848-35aSt SE, phone: 403-243-4555 (ignore old listings placing them at 4720 1St Street SE, that's where we were corporate neighbor's for over 20 years). They do full rebuilds re-pinning harness plugs, etc.

[FinnDawg]

Big thank you to big zeke! He invited me to come over to his house and fix er up. I would like to say I did something but he did it all for me, I just brought the beer! lol.

What we (aka he) did is just as everyone else was saying. Removed the good wire from the connector, spliced it to the other wire and crimped them together put some heat shrink tube on and siliconed the connector where the wires were to prevent anything getting in and making a mess and voila! We have tail lights!

Thanks again Dave!

[RandyBoBandy]

[pa_of_6]

Try an auto wreckers.

They can cut out the plug with enough wire for you to splice er in