Installed a new radio about a month ago. Since installing the after market radio, I've lost my parking lights and dash board lights. So I can't legally drive the truck at night. I thought it was the adapter I got from Wal-mart, so I replaced it. Still no lights. Today, I hardwired everything using splices and still no parking/dashboard lights.

Anyone have an idea of why this 1996 truck has no parking/dash lights now?

I've taken the two wires that control these lights and given them direct power from the yellow (battery wire) and they light up. Also tried giving them power from the accessory wire (red wire), and they light up only when the key is on. But they stay on ALL the time the truck is running, with or without headlights on.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

well youve already narrowed it down then.

the lights arent bad, its somewhere in the radio or in the connector

 

Did you cut any wires with a set of metal diagonal cutters?

 

Have you checked your parking light fuse yet?
I blew my fuse when replacing my stereo by accidently shorting one of the park light or dimmer wires of the stereo harness to ground. In hindsight, I should have unhooked the battery before doing the job.
Check your fuse.

 

+1

If you cut more than one wire at a time you can short it out and blow the fuse. Check the fuse panel by the driver's door down by the door speaker.

 

When I started cutting wires, the battery was disconnected. Regardless, I used an ADAPTER plug first, so there wasn't any wire cutting and the problem was there then too.

 

first look on the package for the connector that you got from walmart some tims it shows what each wire is that was tied to the radio. some time the parking lights are tied into it so the radio will auto dim when lights are turned on. If ther is not a wiring diagram then you may want to disconnect the radio and the check all the wires going to the connector to see which ones are hot when the light are supposed to be on and off. because you may havea hot wire for the driving lightstiedinto it as a groung and not even know it.

Had this issue once with a mini van. Every thing work fine when it was daylight and light were turned on it would blowtheparking light fuse. If this helps great and refer to a manual for wiring diagrams

 

+1 on checking fuses. Just remember, there are multiple fuses for the parking lights (both in the interior fuse box and the underhood box). At Circuit city, we refuse to use walmart adapters because I have seen numerous harnesses with teh wiring pins in the incorrect places. Chances are you blew one of the fuses. Althought it is always possible that if the dimmer/illumination pin was incorrect, it could have back-fed into the switch and burned out the switch.

 

Did you ever find this problem, I am having a similiar problem.

 

I would first check the fuse, I had this problem one time when I was driving downt eh road at night talking on my CB and something tripped it and my lights, radio, CB, and cig. lighter went out....turns out it was just a blown fuse.