2002 right rear brake light, parking light, emergency flasher not working | Ford Thunderbird forum club group 1955-2005 models

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2002 right rear brake light, parking light, emergency flasher not working

  • Thread starter Thread starter donniec
  • Start date Start date
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donniec

Diamond Member
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Thunderbird Year
2002
Hello all, recently my bulb indicator illuminated on the dash board. The right rear brake light, parking light and emergency flasher lights stopped working. All other lights working normally. I removed the tail light and checked out the bulbs. I could not see anything wrong with the bulbs however i replaced both since i had the tail light out. I check the right rear and tail 10a fuse in the trunk fuse box. It was not blown however i switched it with the left fuse. Lights still out. I am aware that there could be a ground problem however the car just turned 16K miles, always garage kept, never driven in rain unless got caught out in it. Not a bit of rust on the underside except a little on the muffler. Any suggestion on where to look next would be very much appreciated. Thanks - DonnieC

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I believe you have a ground problem in the circuit, do you have a continuity tester?
 
OK so here is what i found. I took off the other tail light to do a comparison. right side and left side tail light are the same readings. The right side brake light reading from the 4 contacts are 9.6 K ohms, 9.6 K ohms, open, open. The left side is 9.6 K ohms on all 4 contacts. I switched the sockets but made no difference. all readings taken with battery disconnected. Your thoughts?
 
The exterior lighting is controlled by the FEM and REM. The front exterior lights are controlled by the FEM and the rear exterior lights are controlled by the REM. The headlamp and multifunction switches are hardwired to the instrument cluster. When the lamps are commanded ON or OFF, the instrument cluster sends the command for the exterior lamps through the standard corporate protocol (SCP) network to the FEM and REM. When diagnosing exterior lighting it is essential to determine all related symptoms and check for fault codes stored in all control modules.

Looking at the attached wiring diagram check the condition of the 5-amp fuse (number 35) in the battery junction box. If the fuse is good check for voltage at terminal 1 of the right rear lamp assembly (orange/black wire). The grounds to light the different filaments in the bulb are supplied by the REM.

doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue

Rear Lamp 1.jpg
Rear Lamp 2.jpg
Rear Lamp.jpg
 
Thanks Doug. I don't think the diagrams are for a 2002 however they helped me tremendously. This car actually used 10a fuses to the lights. i checked the voltage at the fuse box and is was a big fat 0. The left rear lights at the fuse box read battery voltage. So apparently there is a bad connection for the right rear lights. I need to research how the fuse box comes apart so i can either fix the existing one to move to an unused port. Your thoughts?
 
I can't explain why ALLDATA shows fuse 35 as a 5-amp fuse, but the wiring diagrams are from a 2002 Thunderbird. If fuse 35 has no voltage, check relay SSP-3. Fuse 35 is hot only when relay
SSP-3 is energized.

doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue

Fuse Box 2.jpg

Fuse Box 3.jpg

Fuse Box 1.jpg
 
Actually there is not a fuse 35. Fuse box only goes to 32 that is why i thought the diagrams were not for at 2002.
 
Doug, it was the ssp3 relay. I swapped it out with another one in the box and all the lights work as they should. Where did you get the info that you sent me? i would like to get that reference guide. I have attached a picture of what I have been working on. My wife's retirement toy. I probably can't give you much help when it comes to Tbirds but i am an IT guy. So if you ever need heap with your computer or such please reach out. Thanks again for your help. I really appreciated it. Now off to NAPA to get the relay.
 
Before I retired, I was a dealership technician for forty years. Now that I'm retired, I use ALLDATA automotive repair software. I'm glad that I could help you with your lighting problem.

doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue
 
donniec said:
OK so here is what i found. I took off the other tail light to do a comparison. right side and left side tail light are the same readings. The right side brake light reading from the 4 contacts are 9.6 K ohms, 9.6 K ohms, open, open. The left side is 9.6 K ohms on all 4 contacts. I switched the sockets but made no difference. all readings taken with battery disconnected. Your thoughts?
Click to expand...
Sounds like a REM failure.
 
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