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HELP!!! tail light replacement question, newbie!


biged6464

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hi all, i searched for a quick answer with no luck. I have an '02 Ranger XLT extended cab stepside and my factory tails have only 2 bulbs in each. I need/want to replace them with some smoked/alteeza tails. i've had great luck on ebay in the past but it appears all '02 tails for sale have THREE bulb sockets each, not 2! am i missing some late model run change or XLT variance? my reverse bulb is on top and my tail/turn signal is on the bottom, that's it, not a third bulb at all. where should i be looking for a proper fit?

Thanks,
Ed
 


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93-99 had 3 bulb setups
00+ have the 2 bulb setup
ull be fine with those 3 socket lights, most of them run the 3rd bulb to a reflector in case u fit em on a 2 bulb truck, ull leave the reflector as is. its normal thet the color setup may vary, i.e. oem has the backup light on top, most aftermarkets have it on the bottom or in the middle.
just check that the extra socket has a cover on it so it wont catch dirt and water
to be sure they wont catch water or dirt add an extra layer of silicone on the gasket, all around the light.
some aftermarket tails tend to leak water and ruin the interior finish

by the way welcome to TRS
 
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biged6464

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wow, great info! thanks for the quick reply. I learned the hard way about asian made aftermarket lenses. I got a great pair of blacked out headlamp/blacked out corners on ebay and the fit/finish was/is awesome but the corners which house the side marker bulb tend to let in condensation in heavy rain, etc. oh well, not quite an OEM fit to say the least. so, the aftermarket tails will vary as to the placement of the reverse light, tail/turn?? odd, do they all seem to have 3 bulb sockets to appeal to all year Rangers?? The blacked out headlamps/corners i got did indeed have a sticker sealing off the housing to keep out dust during shipping, etc. so if my tails I get have that just leave one of the stickers on?? here's a link to the tails I'm interested in. please give feedback and thanks!!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350314944142&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK:MEWAX:IT

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350314944142&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK:MEWAX:IT
 

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some aftermarkets that ive seen have a diff light layout, yours ahve it with the back light on top, thats cool.
as for the sticker yeah leave it in place and silicone the hell of it lol.
as u can see, the big red lens is for your turn/stop
the small one in the middle is there for the reflector and has a socket in case the truck has a 3 bulb setup u would put the turn bulb there.


just put the back light on white lens, turn/stop on big red lens and silicone all around and the little dust cover on the small lens:icon_thumby:
 

biged6464

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thanks again! i actually put the same set of lights up there twice. i like the look of the black lens but would the black lens w/ a factory smoked treatment be too much, as far as lack of visibilty and issues w/ the LAW?? so i'd just leave the small middle socket alone huh, odd?!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350314944142&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK:MEWAX:IT

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350316825643&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK:MEWAX:IT

also the first one which is just a black housing w/ a clear cover has the reverse on top like the stock lens whereas the smoked has the reverse in the middle, when i replaced the bulbs on the factory lenses i remeber one of the 2 bulbs has a shorter length of wire attached to it, so maybe to play it safe with both the law and the compatibility i should get the black w/ the clear cover w/ the reverse on top like stock?? input is greatly appreciated!!
 

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i like both, but chrome lights wont do for me, even with smoked lens
i would deff go with the clear lens ones.
i swapped my 99 ones-3bulb for 01-05 ones-2 bulb and the wiring did ok to fit the reverse from the bottom to the top.

keep in mind that with chrome ones the unused socket has a bigger lens, so it would look lame without a bulb.
i would go with the black housing ones:icon_thumby:
 

biged6464

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both of the links to ebay i included were tails w/ black housings except for the red for the tail light and the clear/chrome socket for the reverse. i too like the black housing and won't get chrome or clear housings. my question was the clear plastic on the black or the smoked plastic on the black tails, which is better. the 3 or 2 bulb issue is still the big concern. i am calling them (aeon) tomorrow, they have a phone number which is rare for an ebay seller, lets see how helpful they are...
 

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ohh smoked would look really cool
its not too dark so cops would pullover u for it i think.
trust me on the bulb thing its fine:icon_thumby:
 

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