License plate bulbs not working

[MiniMag_Crazy_Greg]

Anyone have any hints on why my license plate bulbs would stop working all together? :thinking: I replaced the bulbs, and checked fuses, but nada....if it was a bad ground, wouldn't the other tail/stop/turn lights also stop working or blow fuses? Thanks for any tips.

BTW, they're on my 94 Ford explorer.

Greg

 

[Alaric Darconville]

On my brother in-law's Explorer ('99 or 2000), it seems to me that the license plate is on the liftgate itself, not mounted on the fenders and therefore not on a fixed part of the vehicle.

Therefore, the trouble could yet be bad grounds, or shorted wires that go from the roof to the top edge of the liftgate. I wouldn't be surprised if your rear-window defroster (if equipped) also does not work. (Although the lighting wires and the defroster wires may go through different 'looms'.)

 

[souptree]

I had a license plate light go out earlier this year. When we disassembled it, it was clear that there had been some kind of catastrophic failure, as it was all melted and burned out inside. We had to replace the whole fixture. 2001 Mustang.

 

[Diesel_Bomber]

Grab a test light, turn on your parking lights. I'm assuming the rest of the parking lights work? Check for power and ground at the socket, then work your way back, checking both power and ground.

Edit: Check and make sure the test light works, first.

 

[MiniMag_Crazy_Greg]

Thank you all for the replies!! :twothumbs The factory harness to both left and right light "clusters" and trailer "plug and play" "outlet" for the OEM trailer harness are intact and I really don't want to unravel the looms to check for shorts/voltage, they're 99% perfect :thinking: so I dunno where a possible short may be.

Just a little background info, I have a remote start (w/integrated bully dog alarm (I think, or it maybe a "bull dog" alarm system??:shrug) that illuminates the parking lights (no headlamps) when it is running remotely. I've researched and investigated the factory wiring diagrams (thanks to Haynes manuals :thumbsup and only found that are only a couple of grounds to the rear circuit. With my truck being 15 years old, I really don't want to fix if it aint broken. This is such a weird isolated problem that I hope it's only the two (four really) wires that go directly to the two bulbs. I religiously monitor all the bulbs and slather the sockets with dielectric grease to ease corrosion. Thanks again for all the CPF'ers that have given me direction!! lovecpf

Happy Holidays!!

-Greg