Okay, so on the way home I found out courtesy of the Liberty, Indiana Police department that my parking lights did not work. My dash lights shorted out earlier today but that's a new symptom.

Basically in short, my cluster, and parking lights do not work. Brake lights work, turn signal work, reverse lights work and also headlights and high beams work, but not parking or dash lights. I just replaced all the bulbs just a few days ago as 2 had burnt out, but, I unhooked the battery like normal and didn't piddle with anything else.

Please help, I don't know what's wrong and I have a 5 hour drive to Kentucky Thursday and a 1 hour drive to work tomorrow afternoon.

have you tried checking your fuses yet?

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2007 blue ranger 4d ext cab 4wd auto
i PLUG AND PLAY all day

Yeah, sorry about not posting that. I thought I did. But yes, I checked all my fuses, even all the ones that are tied in with the security system (odd, I can't exactly see how parking lights and dash lights are in any way useful for a security system?). No blown fuses oddly enough.

If it's helpful, I bought and replaced all my dash lights, but pulled the bulbs out first to check for burn spots or burnt bulbs and there arn't any.

And also for moderators, if there is a thread like mine, sorry for repost. Kind of got ahead of myself and had a hot head after being pulled over and didn't want to spend hours troving for posts like mine lol. By the way...it's sad and ironic how I just got done posting about how my truck hasn't given me any MAJOR problems...and 24 hours later this happens...on the worst days too, it's raining cats and dogs

Here's the conversation between myself and the dealership I purchased the truck from where I thought I had an awesome warranty from. Me: ''Hi, I was calling to check and see if something is covered under my warranty?'' Jason the mechanic: ''What is it?'', Me: ''My headlight switch'' Jason: ''Oh no, that's not covered''....long pause.....Me: '' Uhhh...wait...so I'm paying almost 20 bucks a month extra on an already outrageous payment for a warranty that doesn't cover most if not all the major safety equipment such as lights, switches, etc?'', Jason: ''Umm...yeah, we/they don't really cover much under electrical'', Me: ''So they don't cover anything that would say...keep me from running into a pole at 60 or, say...doing 70 in a 40 completely unaware?'', Jason: ''Yeah, pretty much''....long pause...Me: ''Oh yeah, that's a shocker...F&*k''...click...


Mind you, this is not the first thing I've found out isn't covered under my awesome 2,000 plus dollar warranty that I got when I purchased the vehicle. Power steering, not covered, air conditioning or heating, not covered, serpentine belts, not covered, radiators, not covered, anything related to your suspension, not covered. So basically I don't even bother with this place anymore as they only seem to cover the basics, batteries, shocks, U-joints, tensioner pullies and...that's about it as far as I can tell.

Really worth the extra 2,000 dollars I tacked on to the price of the vehicle don't ya think? I mean considering I've had to put almost 500 dollars worth of my own money out of my own pocket to get the thing safely running.

I am by no means an electrical technician or anything, but could it be that your new dash lights require less draw and so you have a larger than necessary fuse? Too much amperage could blow the lights, and you wouldn't be able to tell through the fuse box.

I'm guessing too much power there could, in theory, blow the whole deal. Please correct me if I am wrong, like I said, I'm not a professional nor do I claim to be.

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1995 Ranger STX Ext cab 4x4 automatic

1st, mak a sig. Then, I would try the switch. They can/do go bad.

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Ball Joints/Upper A-Arms How To
Replace Door pin/bushing
Repair broken dome light tabs
VIDEO OHC Install

Went you pulled the bulbs out, you may of damaged the connection wire on the bulb...



Those wires are easy to screw up but having said that, the wiring of the lights are not like christmas tree light strings, pull one out or get a bad connection and nothing works...I would be hard pressed to even thing that's the way it wired.
So, it has to be a bulb connector shorting out a fuse, or a wire pulled out of a main connector or a main connector not seated properly in the dash area!!!!
In other words, you got a busy night ahead of you!!!

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2008 Ranger XLT 4X4 V6 4.0 Torch Red
Bought September 29, 2011 mileage 13,800 2nd owner

Mods:
Retractable Truck Stake Pocket Anchors...installed 10-5-11, AVS Window Vent Visors, 10-6-11,Tonneau Cover, 10-15-11, Alarm/remote start and locks, 10-25-11, Bed Lights 11-13-11, front mud flaps 11-20-11, deer whistles 11-25-11, brake lite Ford emblem 12-7-11

If you boogered up a wedge base bulb on the install it could short and blow the fuse. or mebbe if so equipped, pop a breaker. I dunno, I'm a noob. Yah, I could do that. Try this, remove only the bulbs you replaced. replace the fuse. No fuses bad? Possibly just shorted badly enough to kill the circuit. All I know is that when I do something and then something happens. It is probably not a coincidence. I have learned to check my work for a mistake. When this happens. Saves buying parts you dont need. Please accept my humble apologies if it turns out to be the switch.

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"94 extended cab.4x4/ V6 pushrod 4.0? /5spd/ 600$ .rat. just bought 6/19/11 I'm a noob , teach me the true path to Ranger gooodness O wise ones.

Okay so I did some research on here and found which wires did what and I went ahead and by-passed the switch for the parking/dash lights with 4 switches a 3 post switch and a rotary switch and even ran fuses in the lines to make sure I wasn't going to break anything and same thing, no lights. I re-pulled all the fuses and even put in brand new ones and same thing. I pulled all the lights out, looked at the connections and the bulbs themselves under a desk light and the bulbs are fine...none are blown, whether I put in the aftermarket blue tinted bulbs or the stock replacements I got (bought both assuming that I may need either or) and neither did anything. Tore the cluster apart, no burnt leads either.

And to correct one poster who said something about the amps, if anything having a fuse that is too big for a certain load is going to help, not hurt. Well to a degree. It's when you have too small of a fuse for a certain load on a line that you have problems...and usually that just means you're going to blow fuses left and right (just a little knowledge I got from installing stereos and subs for people), and that's not the case right now...There are no burnt fuses, no burnt leads or plugs and no melted wires, which for means no trouble areas...honestly I wish it was that easy that I needed just to replace the fuse.

if you power the brown wire from the HL switch, the lights should come on. If they do not, you have a broken connections some where down the line. Or the wire melted to another, but that would cause a short and blow a fuse.

__________________
Ball Joints/Upper A-Arms How To
Replace Door pin/bushing
Repair broken dome light tabs
VIDEO OHC Install

But the question I have is...if there was a melted wire, and say a short or something of that nature...wouldn't of all the fuses beforehand blown? Because as stated above, I had pulled all my fuses and none were blown, some had discoloration but I think that was more-so due to them being original, not due to having heating issues of any kind. But even then, I replaced them.

So that sounds like a plausible idea though, about powering the brown wire, because if need be, because I have several switches laying around, I could run a fused and switched line to said line until I can afford to get a factory replacement (Ford priced it at 60 dollars...installed). I'm pretty good with electrical work, I never touch anything without a volt meter and a quick prayer to God (although sometimes I wonder if he's messed up as I've been shocked by 220 quite a few times lol).

Thanks a lot for the help guys. Lol, it's no joke when I say when in doubt refer to FRF, because there hasn't been many questions stupid or smart that have gone unanswered. That's in advance in case I forget to thank all for the input.

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2001 Ranger xl 2wd 2DR with a 3.0.

Mods: CAI, exhaust, tune, ported/polished heads,, ported/honed intake manifold, 3.73 Limited slip differential, Pyle double din head unit, kicker TSV10 subwoofer, Hifonics 800W amplifier, 18'' Forged Ravage series wheels, Kumho tires, blue colored cluster, under dash interior lighting, Rhino liner, tow hitch and Pioneer door speakers. Hopes and dreams.

did you check the fuse under the hood?

And make a real sig. Truck info is important. We dont know if you have a 96 or 2009.

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fwiw, my 99 had a trailer hooked up to it, it melted the wires from the switch, I have to pull a fuse under the hood or the lights stay on all the time. Dont remember which one it is, but check it.

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Ball Joints/Upper A-Arms How To
Replace Door pin/bushing
Repair broken dome light tabs
VIDEO OHC Install

Lol, yes, I did, all of those were good too, I pulled and checked and replaced still, all of the normal fuses that is, not the block fuses that they have. But for future referance it's a 2001 Ford Ranger XL 2WD 2DR short bed, 7.5 with a LSD, a 3.0 with CAI, exhaust, SCT tune, ported/polished heads, honed/ported intake, and roller rockers.

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2001 Ranger xl 2wd 2DR with a 3.0.

Mods: CAI, exhaust, tune, ported/polished heads,, ported/honed intake manifold, 3.73 Limited slip differential, Pyle double din head unit, kicker TSV10 subwoofer, Hifonics 800W amplifier, 18'' Forged Ravage series wheels, Kumho tires, blue colored cluster, under dash interior lighting, Rhino liner, tow hitch and Pioneer door speakers. Hopes and dreams.

Problem solved! Ran a fused line from the battery to a 3 post switch and from the switch to the brown wire. Works perfectly...gives me space till I get paid next week to get a new switch

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2001 Ranger xl 2wd 2DR with a 3.0.

Mods: CAI, exhaust, tune, ported/polished heads,, ported/honed intake manifold, 3.73 Limited slip differential, Pyle double din head unit, kicker TSV10 subwoofer, Hifonics 800W amplifier, 18'' Forged Ravage series wheels, Kumho tires, blue colored cluster, under dash interior lighting, Rhino liner, tow hitch and Pioneer door speakers. Hopes and dreams.

Fuses are designed to prevent too much current from going through the circuit. If, just for example sake since this is highly unlikely, you have an accessory requiring only a 5 amp draw and you throw a 75 amp fuse it there, when 65 amps go through the system it could very well blow your accessory. This is why fuses exist, and they are rated for certain loads.

Over fusing on a lower scale, say 10 amp on a 5 amp circuit, would prevent you from blowing fuses. It wouldn't necessarily prevent you from causing some damage to your wiring, though.

This is just what I've learned from working with my father. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong.

Glad you solved your problem!

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1995 Ranger STX Ext cab 4x4 automatic