[C2] Tail lights and brake lights not working
10-09-2016, 02:36 PM
#2
Team Owner
10-09-2016, 03:09 PM
#3
Le Mans Master
Member Since: Apr 2006
Location: Oklahoma City Oklahoma
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Do you have rear turn signals ? If nothing is happening at all back there I would check that rear lamp ground circuit. The ground is behind the instrument cluster but you can easily fashion a redundant ground to one of the rear lamp bezel studs for testing. If the taillamps do work I would start hunting at the turn signal switch, your turn signals and stoplamps operate through that often overlooked switch.
Ray
Ray
10-09-2016, 07:29 PM
#4
Team Owner
Before you keep changing parts, run a couple of checks.
Do the turn signals work in the rear?
Measure on both sides of the tail lamp fuse. Do you have 12v on both sides? Measure on the clips that hold the fuse and not the fuse cap. Make sure your meter negative is on a known good ground.
Answer those two questions and we can narrow down the area pretty quickly.
The tail lamps and brake lights share no common wiring except the ground, but you could have two different problems. Since you didn't say, I'm assuming your front park lights work?
Do the turn signals work in the rear?
Measure on both sides of the tail lamp fuse. Do you have 12v on both sides? Measure on the clips that hold the fuse and not the fuse cap. Make sure your meter negative is on a known good ground.
Answer those two questions and we can narrow down the area pretty quickly.
The tail lamps and brake lights share no common wiring except the ground, but you could have two different problems. Since you didn't say, I'm assuming your front park lights work?
10-10-2016, 07:55 AM
#5
Before you keep changing parts, run a couple of checks.
Do the turn signals work in the rear?
Measure on both sides of the tail lamp fuse. Do you have 12v on both sides? Measure on the clips that hold the fuse and not the fuse cap. Make sure your meter negative is on a known good ground.
Answer those two questions and we can narrow down the area pretty quickly.
The tail lamps and brake lights share no common wiring except the ground, but you could have two different problems. Since you didn't say, I'm assuming your front park lights work?
Do the turn signals work in the rear?
Measure on both sides of the tail lamp fuse. Do you have 12v on both sides? Measure on the clips that hold the fuse and not the fuse cap. Make sure your meter negative is on a known good ground.
Answer those two questions and we can narrow down the area pretty quickly.
The tail lamps and brake lights share no common wiring except the ground, but you could have two different problems. Since you didn't say, I'm assuming your front park lights work?
10-10-2016, 04:17 PM
#6
Team Owner
10-10-2016, 04:56 PM
#7
10-10-2016, 07:24 PM
#8
Team Owner
10-13-2016, 08:47 PM
#9
Team Owner
In case anyone searches with the same problem, it turned out to be the firewall contacts. When you measured voltage on the fuse it would read 12v unless you pressed the brake pedal or turned on the lights, then the interior lights, brake lights, tail lights would all go out. Wiggling the fuse box or firewall connector made it come back. We pulled the connectors and cleaned out the green corrosion and everything worked. Even the power antenna.
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funit1 (10-14-2016)