Alright, I think I'm going to put voltage backwards at the main connector by the driver door and see what lights up. The reverse lights worked when I left Arizona but now they seem not to work, along with everything else.

Worst case as I said I can ensure ground, and run the positive from the brake and the positive from the running lights so I have *those* (brake+running)

 

HeyYou is right about turn signal lights going through multifunction switch but taillights not going through. According to your schematic, the turn signal / stop lamps are actually the same filament in a 2 filament bulb like my '89. The 2nd filament is the taillamp which runs from common wiring as the side marker lamps (& license plate light), all shown as blk wire with yel stripe on your schematic & not coming from the multi-switch (on mine they're from the headlight switch).

I looked at my factory shop manual schematics, mine's an '89, but the entire rear light wiring comes from an 8-pin connector labeled: "top left instrument panel, above parking brake." I hope this helps. If you do wire it yourself & if you have a CHMSL (3rd brake light), it might not work as usual. Mine was aftermarket & contains a logic chip in a small black box. I think it's an "AND" gate, because without it if you just wired it to the stop lights, it would flash with either turn signal (unintentional "OR" gate). Both sides have to be hot ("AND") for the 3rd brake light to come on..

GL

 

The wiring schematic you show doesn't appear correct. I'm looking up online schematics '97 - '98 (I haven't found '99 yet) & there is wiring for a high mount stop lamp. Also, the L & R side marker lights are not separate as shown in your schematic. On my '89 they are, but on yours they appear as integral to the rear wrap-around lights (Chrysler saves a couple bulbs).

{just found replacement lens assemblies & yes the side marker lamps are integral to the wrap around lens, but remain separate bulbs (& wires). So the schematics I looked at should show extra side lights. Look at the rear pics. As I'm sure you know, those metal rings around the bulb sockets should be the ground to the body: https://www.carparts.com/details/tail-light/replacement/set-11-5347-01}

Also, have you checked if you have a license light? Should be same circuit as running lights, curious if that's got any power.

It's important that you get the correct wiring schematic. Without it you're just playing around in the dark (no pun intended). According to what I found, the difference in just 1 yr from '96 - '97 goes from a simple stop light switch to one with wires from PCM & ABS controller. I found schematics for just the stop light circuits. There is 1 for '95-96 & 1 for '97-98. So something must have changed for '99. I'll keep looking for your '99.

 

I'm having no luck finding a schematic for a '99 dodge van. The closest thing I found for taillights was a '98-'00 Cab & Chassis. 2 fuses, 1 hot w/ ign (turn signals), the other hot all times (brakes & emerg flashers). Trouble is they skip the '99 fuse, showing "b' for '97-'98 & "4" for 2000 (20 A). As far as multi switch wire colors, the left rear brake/turn is dark green w/ red stripe, Right rear is brown with red stripe. No color change indicated all the way back to the lights, but again this is a cab & chassis schematic. The running lights are the now familiar black w/ yellow stripe.

The only thing I see common to all brake/turn signal & running lights is the ground. On my van the light mount to the body is the ground. If you have actual ground wires, there may be an open circuit.

Hope anything helped.

 

Buy a service manual for your van. Should be able to find 'em on Ebay, in electronic format. (PDF) Usually around 30 bucks or so. Publisher is Bishko..... The Haynes or Chiltons simply are not specific enough.

 

Yes, I wonder if the connector they are referring to is the connector to the multifunction switch? I am about to start tearing into it

 

So I tore into the connector that's fastened inside the dash that goes into the main harness, looking at the top row, starting from the left most pin,

1. White/brown
2. Pink
3. Red/white
4. Black/blue
5. White/green
6. Brown/blue
7. Light green/yellow
8. Orange/white/sil
9. Black
10. Nc
11. Black/red
12. Nc
13. Dark green/white
14. Nc
15. Brown/white
16. Brown
17. Nc

The center row I did not document as they is specifically for the ignition switch,

The bottom row that connects to the multifunction switch, starting from the left as pin 1,

1. Pink
2. Nc
3. Red/blue
4. Blue
5. Brown/white
6. Brown/red
7. Dark green/orange
8. Pink (double)
9. Pink
10. Light green/white
11. Red/orange
12. Purple/white
13. Light green (large)

From the multifunction switch, as it connects to the harness, first is the Dodge harness, then the color after "to" is the color from the multifunction switch

This is so you can know what colors go to what in the harness without taking your dash apart, the connector on thr top (thinner, smaller pins) seems to be geared towards the signals and brake lights, the connector on the bottom seems to be for headlights and windshield wipers

Top connector:

1. White/brown to brown
2. Pink to orange
3. Red/white to red
4. Black/blue to black
5. White/green to grey
6. Brown/blue brown/white
7. Light green/yellow to turquoise(?)
8. Orange/white/sil to orange/black
9. Black to black/white
10. Nc
11. Black/red to grey/black
12. Nc
13. Dark green/white to green/white
14. Nc to orange
15. Brown/white to white
16. Brown to brown
17. Nc


Bottom connector:

1. Pink to pink
2. Nc
3. Red/blue to red
4. Blue blue
5. Brown/white to brown/white
6. Brown/red to black/white
7. Dark green/orange to dark green
8. Pink (double) to pink
9. Pink to orange
10. Light green/white to light turquoise (?)
11. Red/orange to yellow
12. Purple/white to purple
13. Light green (large) to turquoise (I'm starting to think turquoise is light green according to the replacement multifunction switch)

Now to study the harness diagram above. I wish to put +12 into the various wires and see if the lights light up

 

Revelation.

I put power to the appropriate wires at the days and nothing in the back, then put power to the running lights at the headlight switch and only the front lit up (as it did before.)

So I began testing the wires AFTER the connector by the front driver door, and THEY HAVE POWER

But when I probe the harness under the van but at the rear before the trailer wiring splices, it has NOTHING

So the problem is AFTER the main connector by the door that connects the main harness to the rear lights and fuel tank, but BEFORE the rear of the harness (that also excludes the individual bulb harnesses)

I am going to borrow an endoscope and look at the tank, is there a ****ing connector above the fuel tank? Gonna find out I guess! The fuel tank is *full* (32 gallons) so I don't want to drop it

The alternative, I run 3 wires and bypass the middle of the rear lights harness, green and orange, brown and red, and black and yellow, I believe the ground is fine but I'll check that next to see if the lights light up by introducing +12 to the underside of the rear of the rear lighting harness

 

This probably has nothing to do with it

 

This was the problem

Road dents. Gonna cut and bypass those wires I also need some bulbs