Tail Light Question
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 19,659
Likes: 34
From: Lenoir City Tennessee
Ci 6, 8 & 10 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15
Tail Light Question
I have a new harness installed for the rear lights. I am having a problem with my passengers side rear light. I have brake lights but it is the lower filament that comes on. When I turn the lights on, the lower filament comes on, but if I put the brakes on, I have no lights on the passengers side.
I have taken the bulb out and it only goes back in one way so that is correct. The bulb works correctly in the passengers side. I have put a hand held jumper to the lamp housing and still have the same results. Anyone have any ideas as to what may be going on here.
Thanks for any help.
I have taken the bulb out and it only goes back in one way so that is correct. The bulb works correctly in the passengers side. I have put a hand held jumper to the lamp housing and still have the same results. Anyone have any ideas as to what may be going on here.
Thanks for any help.
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 10,362
Likes: 5
From: San Diego - Deep Within The State of CONFUSION!
Originally Posted by Eddie 70
I have a new harness installed for the rear lights. I am having a problem with my passengers side rear light. I have brake lights but it is the lower filament that comes on. When I turn the lights on, the lower filament comes on, but if I put the brakes on, I have no lights on the passengers side.
I have taken the bulb out and it only goes back in one way so that is correct. The bulb works correctly in the passengers side. I have put a hand held jumper to the lamp housing and still have the same results. Anyone have any ideas as to what may be going on here.
Thanks for any help.
I have taken the bulb out and it only goes back in one way so that is correct. The bulb works correctly in the passengers side. I have put a hand held jumper to the lamp housing and still have the same results. Anyone have any ideas as to what may be going on here.
Thanks for any help.
OK let's get some terminology straight so we aren't guessing. You have RUNNING LIGHTS as well as BRAKE LIGHTS in those bulbs. By 'lower filament' we don't know if you are talking about the running lights because they are dimmer than brake lights, or if you are talking about the filament that is underneath the one on top.
Help us out with proper descriptions!
Next, I would check the source - where that harness plugs into the car's harness. Is all OK there? I have to assume that there's only one way for the harness to plug into the light socket, right? So that would lead me to believe that the problem is upstream if it's connected properly downstream.
Hope this make some sense, and helps too
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 19,659
Likes: 34
From: Lenoir City Tennessee
Ci 6, 8 & 10 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15
You are right Paul. By lower filament I meant parking light filament. Lower filament was the only thing I could get to pop into my peabrain last night. I am pretty sure I have everything connected correctly at the light. I ran into a friend who has a 74, his same light on the passengers side exhibits the same symptoms. This is what made me post, hoping someone else had came across the same thing. I will double check everything this evenging and make sure I have the lights connected correctly.
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 988
Likes: 1
From: Dyersburg TN
I'd bet money this will turn out to be a ground issue , I had similar issues , checked the main grnd , on frame rail-close to radio ant , then I'd check all the grnd's on the housings (daisy chain style grnd -runs in a line from main grnd on frame) , then when that doesn't help - buy new housings 
I wish I had done that to begin with 
I wish I had done that to begin with
Racer
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 431
Likes: 0
From: Oita, Japan
It sounds like the Running Light is grounding through the Brake light. When you are not Braking, the wire going to the Brake light gets connected to ground -- it doesn't just float. When you hit your brakes, the voltage on the brake wire is the same as the running light wire so the light goes off. I'd suspect something with the socket or how the bulb fits into that particular socket but I'm not quite sure exactly what.
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 19,659
Likes: 34
From: Lenoir City Tennessee
Ci 6, 8 & 10 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15
Thanks for all the tips. I will check it all out in a little while and post back what I find. Hopefully this will be a pretty easy fix. I just haven't put much time into it yet.
I do have all of the grounds connected in the daisy chain.
I do have all of the grounds connected in the daisy chain.
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 19,659
Likes: 34
From: Lenoir City Tennessee
Ci 6, 8 & 10 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15
Turns out the bulb was turned too far in the socket. I did not think this was possible. I took the lens off and was dinking with the bulb while the lights were on and brake pedal depressed, giving me nothing at the time. The brake light came on when I started to turn the bulb. I started the car up and drove it down the street with the parking lights on, and hit the brakes several times and everything worked correctly. I don't really think it will stay correct but I am going to try it like this before I cough up the $50 for a new taillight housing.
Sorry it could not have been a real smoking gun to add some meat to this post.
Sorry it could not have been a real smoking gun to add some meat to this post.
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Race Director
Joined: Feb 2005
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Originally Posted by Eddie 70
Turns out the bulb was turned too far in the socket. I did not think this was possible. I took the lens off and was dinking with the bulb while the lights were on and brake pedal depressed, giving me nothing at the time. The brake light came on when I started to turn the bulb. I started the car up and drove it down the street with the parking lights on, and hit the brakes several times and everything worked correctly. I don't really think it will stay correct but I am going to try it like this before I cough up the $50 for a new taillight housing.
Sorry it could not have been a real smoking gun to add some meat to this post.
Sorry it could not have been a real smoking gun to add some meat to this post.