no tail lights

[Aiezaazfire]

hi, i just bought an 89 escort, manual tran. I have no tail lights ..i have turn singnals, and brake lights and head lights.....i have changed the fuses and checked the bulbs..all are good so i am supposing it is in the wiring somewhere....is there some place on here that i can find info on the wiring so i can check it? It is a 1.9lt....the engine sounds great, very smooth with no knocking. I am not really smart where cars are concerned so any help would be appriecated...

[A. Souphound]

Originally Posted by Aiezaazfire

hi, i just bought an 89 escort, manual tran. I have no tail lights ..i have turn singnals, and brake lights and head lights.....i have changed the fuses and checked the bulbs..all are good so i am supposing it is in the wiring somewhere....is there some place on here that i can find info on the wiring so i can check it? It is a 1.9lt....the engine sounds great, very smooth with no knocking. I am not really smart where cars are concerned so any help would be appriecated...

What style escort is it 2 Door, 4 Door, GT, Wagon.
On most Escorts the light assy. is a combination of the brake, tail and turn signal. You say the R/H & L/H Tail Lights are the only ones inoperable. is that correct? Do the tail lights work when the headlight switch is in the parking light position?
I'm asking these questions in order to study the electrical diagrams in an effort to find a possible link to the problem.
Alvin

[Aiezaazfire]

Originally Posted by A. Souphound

What style escort is it 2 Door, 4 Door, GT, Wagon.
On most Escorts the light assy. is a combination of the brake, tail and turn signal. You say the R/H & L/H Tail Lights are the only ones inoperable. is that correct? Do the tail lights work when the headlight switch is in the parking light position?
I'm asking these questions in order to study the electrical diagrams in an effort to find a possible link to the problem.
Alvin

it is a 2 door w/hatchback, Yes the r/h and l/h tail lights are the only ones not working. They do not work when in the headlight switch is in parking position. my flashers work ( emergency )

Kathy

[A. Souphound]

Originally Posted by Aiezaazfire

it is a 2 door w/hatchback, Yes the r/h and l/h tail lights are the only ones not working. They do not work when in the headlight switch is in parking position. my flashers work ( emergency )

Kathy

Kathy,
There are a couple of places to start looking for the problem. There are two filaments in the bulb/s a (high & low side) and everything you describe indicates the low side is not working. Here are a couple of the possiblities:
a. Bad bulbs (half of the bulb can be bad) Incorrect bulbs or installed incorrectly. Bulbs should be double contact type.
b. Broken ground wire. This wire is the black one.
If you have a test light you can check to see if power is going to the bulb, and check the ground.
Alvin