oxfordbp

Why don't my back up lights work?

Cristoff

That's not alot of information to go on....

Is there some background info that you can provide?

Deviousfred

Could be a lot of things.

Blow fuse, Back up light switch, light bulbs, or any of the wiring between them. I would recommend you troubleshoot and chase down the problem instead of the ever so popular "replace parts at random and hope you get lucky" technique.

oxfordbp

Not the fuse. Wiring seems good. All Parts are "there". New bulbs.
How would I trouble shoot the wiring?

Deviousfred

In short and without really looking at a diagram or knowing wire colors;

- First step would be to check the fuse that supplies power to that circuit. I'm fairly certain it should be there with the ignition switch in the "on" position. Troubleshooting involves much more than simply pulling the fuse and making sure it is not blown. You have to make sure there is electricity running through it. If there is not, then you want to backtrack to your ignition switch which should supply the fuse box with "ignition" power. If this were the case though, you would have more things malfunctioning that function when the ignition is in the "on" position. To check for this you will need ether a multimeter, volt meter. or circuit test light. If these is electricity on both side of the fuse;

- Next step would be check for power at the backup light switch. Again, make sure the key is in the on position as this is when power will be supplied to the circuit. I can't tell you exactly what wire this will be but I'm sure google can help you find a wiring diagram for your car. If there is no power being supplied, then the problem lies between the fuse output side and backup light switch. If power is present;

- Now you must check to make sure the backup light switch is functioning. For this you will need to put your car in reverse (key on, engine off.) Make sure you block the tires so you don't get rolled over. With the car in reverse, electricity should now be flowing out of the backup light switch on a wire other than the one that brought it here. If no other wire has power, then it looks like it might be the backup light switch. To make sure, if these is any adjustment on the switch, give it a try and see if this will fix the problem. If power is coming out of the switch when in reverse;

- Remove the backup light lens and remove the light bulbs. Using your circuit tester, check to make sure the electricity is making its way to the sockets (key on, engine off.) If there is no power present, then your problem lies in the wiring between the backup light switch and the sockets. Often times, when the socket goes bad, it will not have power. Check the wire behind the socket, if it DOES have the power, but the socket pigtail DOESN'T, then its a bad socket. If power is present, then the problem will be the bulbs or something associated with them such as bad contact between the socket and the bulb, inccorectly installed bulb, or bad bulb.

When I say problem in the wiring, this could be a bad connection between two plugs, a broken wire (broken wires often happen inside of the insulation so it is not visible.)

I hope this helps. Get yourself the wiring diagram for this circuit if you can it will make it much easier.

My money is on the backup light switch.

Good luck!

Fred