Tail light problems
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 40
Likes: 1
From: Wading River New York
Tail light problems
Just picked up my '65 convertible. The car is not equipped with backup lights - two red taillights on each side. The two inboard taillights are not working, nor are the outer brake lights. Turn signals and running lights work fine on the outer taillights and in front. Power to the connector for the taillight harness causes everything to light, so the problem is either under the dash or in the steering column (tele).
Do the inboard lights serve only as taillights, coming on only when headlights are turned on? I see they have a single filament. I saw someone in another thread with some taillight wiring problems. Could it be a problem in the directional switch? Pulled the steering wheel off and found several wires leading to the signal switch bare. Fixed them all, put it back together and I still have the same problem. Any ideas? Thanks, Charlie
Do the inboard lights serve only as taillights, coming on only when headlights are turned on? I see they have a single filament. I saw someone in another thread with some taillight wiring problems. Could it be a problem in the directional switch? Pulled the steering wheel off and found several wires leading to the signal switch bare. Fixed them all, put it back together and I still have the same problem. Any ideas? Thanks, Charlie
Race Director
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 11,039
Likes: 2,592
From: Del Boca Vista FL
Just picked up my '65 convertible. The car is not equipped with backup lights - two red taillights on each side. The two inboard taillights are not working, nor are the outer brake lights. Turn signals and running lights work fine on the outer taillights and in front. Power to the connector for the taillight harness causes everything to light, so the problem is either under the dash or in the steering column (tele).
Do the inboard lights serve only as taillights, coming on only when headlights are turned on? I see they have a single filament. I saw someone in another thread with some taillight wiring problems. Could it be a problem in the directional switch? Pulled the steering wheel off and found several wires leading to the signal switch bare. Fixed them all, put it back together and I still have the same problem. Any ideas? Thanks, Charlie
Do the inboard lights serve only as taillights, coming on only when headlights are turned on? I see they have a single filament. I saw someone in another thread with some taillight wiring problems. Could it be a problem in the directional switch? Pulled the steering wheel off and found several wires leading to the signal switch bare. Fixed them all, put it back together and I still have the same problem. Any ideas? Thanks, Charlie
If your outer brake lights are not working then you have a problem there.
You state you have outer tail lamps and turn signals. The brake light is the same filament as the turn signal so your problem is not in the tail lamp socket. It is somewhere else, could be the brake light switch. When the turn signals are working I don't suspect the turn signal switch as the primary culprit.
Rich
Former Vendor
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 766
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From: Charlotte North Carolina 704-394-5150
Charlie,
BADBIRDCAGE is correct. Your turn signal switch is not the problem. Either you have a bad or mis-adjusted brake light switch or a problem in your fuse panel for your brake light circuit. Power should be going to the two wire connector for the brake light switch at all times. If it is, you can jump teh terminals and your brake lights should light up. Also when you remove the inner tail light bulbs, how many terminals are in the connector that is installed into your taillight housing. If you see one terminal, you have reverse lights, two terminals makes them the same as the outers, that work correctly ( except for your brake lights). Also, sometimes the terminal connectors that are installed into the tailinght housings were forced into it incorrectly. Remove the outer lenses and pull the bulbs and compare them to the inner connectors. Each side should be installed in the same "clocked" position. I have seen this being a problem on many of my customers cars over the years. Good luck. "DUB"
BADBIRDCAGE is correct. Your turn signal switch is not the problem. Either you have a bad or mis-adjusted brake light switch or a problem in your fuse panel for your brake light circuit. Power should be going to the two wire connector for the brake light switch at all times. If it is, you can jump teh terminals and your brake lights should light up. Also when you remove the inner tail light bulbs, how many terminals are in the connector that is installed into your taillight housing. If you see one terminal, you have reverse lights, two terminals makes them the same as the outers, that work correctly ( except for your brake lights). Also, sometimes the terminal connectors that are installed into the tailinght housings were forced into it incorrectly. Remove the outer lenses and pull the bulbs and compare them to the inner connectors. Each side should be installed in the same "clocked" position. I have seen this being a problem on many of my customers cars over the years. Good luck. "DUB"
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 40
Likes: 1
From: Wading River New York
Thanks DUB. I have removed all of the lenses and bulbs. Can you describe what you mean by "clocked" position? The inner sockets are definitely single filament, so perhaps it originally was equipped with backup lights. However, there is no backup light switch or wiring that I can see. The outers are 1157's.
Race Director
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 11,039
Likes: 2,592
From: Del Boca Vista FL
The 1157's would be correct. Since you have single filament bulbs on the inner locations you can't put the two filament bulbs into them.
You can purchase the inners for a four tail lamp/brake/turn signal setup and install them. Then you can tap into the wires on the outer tail lamps for power.
You can't install just the four lamp harness connectors and use a two filament bulb because the alignment pins on the single and two filament bulbs are different and won't interchange. Ask me how I know.
I kept the two filament connectors from my original harness and was going to do the switch but it would require filing one of the alignment pins off the two filament bulb and, in addition, the alignment of the connector does not match the contact points on the bulb.
That is why I wired my inside lamps for the stop/turn signal filament.
Rich
You can purchase the inners for a four tail lamp/brake/turn signal setup and install them. Then you can tap into the wires on the outer tail lamps for power.
You can't install just the four lamp harness connectors and use a two filament bulb because the alignment pins on the single and two filament bulbs are different and won't interchange. Ask me how I know.
I kept the two filament connectors from my original harness and was going to do the switch but it would require filing one of the alignment pins off the two filament bulb and, in addition, the alignment of the connector does not match the contact points on the bulb.
That is why I wired my inside lamps for the stop/turn signal filament.
Rich
