So my back left taillight got a bust in it and it doesn't work. The turn signal does, but the back-up light, brake, and taillight don't. I haven't checked the wiring from the start of the wiring harness back because that is a pain and I'm not sure where to check to.

But the back-up bulb is charred black and the socket for it has an iffy connection to ground, intermittent. Would that light not working stop the other lights?
As in, if I replace that one bad bulb could the others start working?

The taillight plastic has a hole in it from a rock and I assume some moisture got in and shorted it, but could it also be a short further up the line?

Another question: Where can I get a new wiring harness? Do I need to goto a junkyard/order it online?

Thanks in advance and sorry for all the questions!

Fix known problems first. Whatever you know is a problem, fix it. THEN see where you are.

Then clean up the grounds for the taillights. Behind the panel where the spare tire lives. There's a link in my sig (#1) to a thread with excellent pictures of all the ground locations.

Sig? Where do I find that/what is that. Lol, i'm new to forums
edit: SIGNATURE, it didn't load for some reason until i refreshed. my b

I fixed all the issues I found, and thought it was the wiring harness but it's still good. I checked all the fuses the day I got it and replaced all the bad ones, turns out though, that the left tail-lamp fuse wasn't seated properly so. That's what I get.

I replaced the bad bulb and made sure ALL fuses were seated correctly. Now I have running tail-lights, turn signals, and backup lights. I still lack the third brake light and brake lights in general, I'm not sure how much brighter they are supposed to be but I'm going to try and re-wire the third brake light then worry about them.

Are the lower two brake lights dependent on the third brake light? I don't see them being in series but if they are maybe that's my problem.

Third brake light isn't going to come on unless the regular brake lights do, so I'd look at that first. Maybe your brake light switch?

Once those are working, if the third eye doesn't work, check the wiring in the rubber tube connecting the hatch to the body. Those wires have been flexing for a lot of years, and they sometimes break in there.

So it keeps blowing fuses on the "Stop-Lamp" fuse (23 in the engine bay fuse box)
I know there's a short somewhere, but am not exactly sure where the wiring harnesses are run, and I don't wanna have to rip off *every* body panel inside. So do you know where the wiring harnesses for the rear brake-lights are run? And does it stay White/Tan the whole way?

Up the driver's side, along the rail next to the doors.

Here's a trick to save on fuses. Get a light socket with pigtails at the parts store. Put a bulb in it. Now crimp a couple of male .250 connectors to the pigtails, and plug those in where the fuse belongs. As long at the short exists, that bulb will be lit.

Once you think you have it fixed, put a fuse back in.

Thanks! I got it fixed! Hoping it was the only short, but the fuse is holding.