GEN 1 3rd brake light repair

[Dane]

There are a lot of cheap recon/ amazon options for less than 100 but do to plug in the same and I've heard mixed reviews from most of them. The stock part is about 90/ and for less than 200 you could have a stock set up with better cargo/ break lights - the other updated one from above has LED's, stock part, but not sure why more people haven't just updated ? Rock auto is cheaper than the Tasca below

https://www.tascaparts.com/oem-parts/ford-high-mount-lamp-al3z13a613g/?c=Zz1lbGVjdHJpY2FsJnM9aGlnaC1tb3VudGVkLXN0b3AtbGFtcCZpPU1BMDk5NTU1JnI9MSZhPWZvcmQmbz1mLTE1MCZ5PTIwMTAmdD1zdnQtcmFwdG9yJmU9Ni0ybC12OC1nYXM=

I have the Recon one. So far it has worked fine. Couple things though, the instructions are worthless. Throw them away, they are flat out wrong, missing a wire, etc. I used a voltmeter to figure it all out. You do have to cut and splice - no plug and play. The fit seems weird, but I siliconed it all, and it seems fine. It's a very different looking light though. It's far from stock. I'm sure some like it, and some might not, but it doesn't have those three lights - it has a different almost icon type thing, then a different brake light, and LED cargo lights.

 

[W84]

Appreciate it - pretty much what I read about the wiring. I ended up going with a stock 3rd from rock auto & and got LED bulbs.. couldn't be happier for the money

 

[SVTRaptorGT500]

Hi,
W84 can you post the link to the parts? I am also in the same boat with this sinking light.

TIA!

 

[SVTRaptorGT500]

I have the Recon one. So far it has worked fine. Couple things though, the instructions are worthless. Throw them away, they are flat out wrong, missing a wire, etc. I used a voltmeter to figure it all out. You do have to cut and splice - no plug and play. The fit seems weird, but I siliconed it all, and it seems fine. It's a very different looking light though. It's far from stock. I'm sure some like it, and some might not, but it doesn't have those three lights - it has a different almost icon type thing, then a different brake light, and LED cargo lights.

I am also looking at the recon 3rd brake light. I purchased a new factory 3rd brake like for 350 ... And about a yr later one of my LEDs is out. No way I'm paying another 350. I see a recon light for 116. But I don't know how to wire it. Can you post your method? Thanks!

 

[The Car Stereo Company]

@Dane

 

[EricM]

I am also looking at the recon 3rd brake light. I purchased a new factory 3rd brake like for 350 ... And about a yr later one of my LEDs is out. No way I'm paying another 350. I see a recon light for 116. But I don't know how to wire it. Can you post your method? Thanks!

He said he used a volt meter. That means you go one by one and figure out what each wire on the stock harness does using a meter. Have someone hit the brakes on and off and find the wire where the voltage is going from 0 to 12V and back to 0. Repeat for all wires until you know what they all do. Then figure out all the wiring on the new one, possibly using a separate 12v source to power it if needed.

 

[Jhollowell]

i just replaced my recon with a GJ but i did make note of the factory wires.

Factory Harness
Black - Cargo
Red - Brake
Yellow - Ground

Hopefully the Recon tells you what wires go where. i had 3 sticking out of mine, red, black and white but don't know which is which. trial and error will probably get it.

 

[Dane]

He said he used a volt meter. That means you go one by one and figure out what each wire on the stock harness does using a meter. Have someone hit the brakes on and off and find the wire where the voltage is going from 0 to 12V and back to 0. Repeat for all wires until you know what they all do. Then figure out all the wiring on the new one, possibly using a separate 12v source to power it if needed.

^ This. It isn't bad, there are only a few wires. At the time Recon had totally incorrect instructions - which is worse than no instructions. Maybe they have corrected that by now, but I don't trust them. Multi-meter only takes a couple minutes. Test light would work too.

 

[Dane]

i just replaced my recon with a GJ but i did make note of the factory wires.

Factory Harness
Black - Cargo
Red - Brake
Yellow - Ground

Hopefully the Recon tells you what wires go where. i had 3 sticking out of mine, red, black and white but don't know which is which. trial and error will probably get it.

So there should be one more for running lights. Process of elimination works here though! I'm a super big fan of the black wire being a hot wire... Go go engineers!

 

[Jhollowell]

Yes there is a 4th wire but i couldn’t remember the color or what it was for. It wasn’t hooked up to anything when i pulled the recon and it’s not hooked up now. I was too lazy to pull the light and check the color but having 3 out of the 4 makes process of elimination easy.