Rear Side Markers

[Shields]

Hello Everyone,

The stepside box I picked up for my truck has the rear marker lights in the fender. I bought new side markers and new sockets to go with it.

I’ve spliced the side marker power into the marker light wire (yellow-18) on the factory harness but my issue is that it does not run as a running light like the front side markers do - it’s dark while every other light on the truck is lit. It is flashing like a signal light is supposed to, but when I turn off the signal lever it doesn’t stay lit. Am I missing something? I believe the original harness runs a separate running light power wire and so now I’m hooped, unless I run wires from the rear marker lights all the way up to the front and splice them into the front marker lights.

The wiring harness is original to the cab, and the cab came off a 1983 military longbed fleet side truck.

 

[Shields]

Or is it that the side marker light was never supposed to run as a running light? According to this diagram for 73-76 stepside models it only appears to be hooked up to the signal power…and not any running light power. Or is it vice versa? Am I reading this right?

 

[83Stepper]

Or is it that the side marker light was never supposed to run as a running light? According to this diagram for 73-76 stepside models it only appears to be hooked up to the signal power…and not any running light power. Or is it vice versa? Am I reading this right?

Should be connected to the brown wire as a running light. The yellow is one of the signal/brake wires. Green is backup, black is ground and whatever remaining wire is the other side signal/brake wire.

Brown connects to the side marker on the fleetside beds and license plate light, same as it should be for the markers on any stepside bed.

 

[Shields]

Thank you - my understanding is that it is not a signal light, it is only a running light then.

 

[83Stepper]

Thank you - my understanding is that it is not a signal light, it is only a running light then.

Yup, purely a running light as wired oem. Sure you can wire it as a signal, but would have to set it up like how the front signals are wired so that the side markers turn off when the front signals turn on. Not sure if that's something you'd want to get in to or not.

 

[Shields]

Thank you for clearing this up, I just swapped the power feed to the brown wire and it’s all finished up now. Much appreciated!