Taillight Troubleshooting
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,310
Likes: 1
Taillight Troubleshooting
Well, I have been ignoring a problem with my taillights for some time now ( 
), but I just put in my bubble lights (I know, many here dislike them, but I like the way they look and I think they are probably safer) and I've decided to try and solve my problems.
Symptoms:
- Parking lights work fine (actually, since I fiddled with a few things my driver's side is out, but I think I can remedy that easily enough).
- Brake lights work fine.
- Turn signals work fine if neither the brakes lights or parking lights are on.
- Turn signal on one side will cause the other side to blink lightly (but enough to confuse someone behind me) if either the brake lights or the parking lights are on.
I'm assuming that the parking light and the turn signal / brake light wires are "touching" somewhere along the line. I plan on working my way through the harness with my continuity tester and see what I can find, but I guess I was wondering if anyone had any good trouble shooting techiniques to pass along.
), but I just put in my bubble lights (I know, many here dislike them, but I like the way they look and I think they are probably safer) and I've decided to try and solve my problems.Symptoms:
- Parking lights work fine (actually, since I fiddled with a few things my driver's side is out, but I think I can remedy that easily enough).
- Brake lights work fine.
- Turn signals work fine if neither the brakes lights or parking lights are on.
- Turn signal on one side will cause the other side to blink lightly (but enough to confuse someone behind me) if either the brake lights or the parking lights are on.
I'm assuming that the parking light and the turn signal / brake light wires are "touching" somewhere along the line. I plan on working my way through the harness with my continuity tester and see what I can find, but I guess I was wondering if anyone had any good trouble shooting techiniques to pass along.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 1,188
Likes: 1
From: Saskatoon Saskatchewan Canada
Re: Taillight Troubleshooting (jerryp58)
Jerry58 I always preach check the easy stuff first. I had those exact symtoms on a porsche and what it was, was a bulb on close examination the one filament in a two filament bulb burnt off the one connection and fell onto the other filament making a connection thus when one circuit was powered it provided power to the other circuit. I thought I would never see that again in my lifetime. So save your self some time and make
a very close inspection of the bulb.
a very close inspection of the bulb.
Intermediate
Joined: Nov 1999
Posts: 31
Likes: 0
From: Norton ohio
Re: Taillight Troubleshooting (jerryp58)
jerryp58
I recently had some problem wth turn signal and breaklights and it was my turn signal switch. Maybe not your problem, but a place to look. GM dealer did have the switch for a 75.
John
I recently had some problem wth turn signal and breaklights and it was my turn signal switch. Maybe not your problem, but a place to look. GM dealer did have the switch for a 75.
John
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,310
Likes: 1
Re: Taillight Troubleshooting (paso)
Paso, I've recently replaced all of the bulbs and sanded the contacts in the socket and used dielectric (sp?) grease.
Kaddy, how would I test the switch? I hadn't really thought of that as the problem. I guess I could check the left & right wire as close to the switch as I can get and make sure only one has current at a time. Thanks, I'll try that first.
Anything else?
Kaddy, how would I test the switch? I hadn't really thought of that as the problem. I guess I could check the left & right wire as close to the switch as I can get and make sure only one has current at a time. Thanks, I'll try that first.
Anything else?
Advanced
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 84
Likes: 0
From: hanson ma
Re: Taillight Troubleshooting (jerryp58)
Make sure you have the correct bulbs installed. If you inserted a single filament bulb (1156) in a socket which requires a dual element (1157) it may back feed the other circuit.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,310
Likes: 1
Re: Taillight Troubleshooting (carlmb)
I've got 1157s in all four sockets.
I was a little disappointed in the sockets in the kit which I bought it from ZIP, but it was labeled "Eckler's" :crazy: . Anyway, the bulbs didn't really tighten firmly in place. I had to be careful because the bulbs could rotate so that the socket's contacts could be mismatched with the bulb's leads. But, I have checked them all carefully for that.
Jerry
I was a little disappointed in the sockets in the kit which I bought it from ZIP, but it was labeled "Eckler's" :crazy: . Anyway, the bulbs didn't really tighten firmly in place. I had to be careful because the bulbs could rotate so that the socket's contacts could be mismatched with the bulb's leads. But, I have checked them all carefully for that.
Jerry
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 752
Likes: 1
From: Springfield Oregon
Re: Taillight Troubleshooting (jerryp58)
If you have one of these on your steering column check for a good connection. I had fits with my rear lights until I realized this was the culprit. Good luck.
[Modified by ORVette, 11:17 PM 9/12/2001]
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 6,213
Likes: 1
From: South Alabama
Re: Taillight Troubleshooting (Alwyn678)
do u have any pics of the bubble tail lights?????
Al, I'm not sure if the bubble lenses work on the stock '74 rear end. If I remember right, the mounting assembly for your tail lamps is unique to that year and won't work with these lights.
Jerry, I've put these rear lights on every C3 I've ever owned and really like them, though many others don't. I do think they add a measure of safety over the stock wimpy lights as far as making the rear end much more visible to other autos behind you, especially in crappy weather.
When I put mine in I always start with brand new 1157 bulbs, new sockets and I don't use those crummy connectors that come with the kit. I splice in all the new wiring with crimp connectors. I've never had any problems with mine. Assuming that your original wiring and grounds were working properly it should be pretty easy to straighten out. There's not many things to check.
Good Luck
:cheers:
[Modified by Cajun75, 9:31 AM 9/13/2001]
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,310
Likes: 1
Re: Taillight Troubleshooting (Cajun75)
Alwyn678, I'm working on pics. I took some last night, but I haven't quite mastered the digital camera settings (auto/flash all you could see was the taillights, looked kind of cool; manual/no flash ended up blurry), but I'll post some soon.
Cajun75, I'm probably having network problems, but I didn't get the lenses in your pic (nevermind, got it now :cool: ). I think these lenses look especially nice on Red Corvettes, but I like them on mine too. I did use the sockets which came with the kit, but like I said above, I don't like them at all. "Assuming that your original wiring and grounds were working properly" -- that's the lazy/stupid thing I was referring to above. I had this problem before I put the new lenses in. Thanks to the comments so far, I've got a couple of things to try. Hopefully this won't become a nightmare.
Oh, am I the only one that had to cut a larger hole where the backup lights were? I really didn't like doing that.
Jerry
[Modified by jerryp58, 11:59 AM 9/13/2001]
Cajun75, I'm probably having network problems, but I didn't get the lenses in your pic (nevermind, got it now :cool: ). I think these lenses look especially nice on Red Corvettes, but I like them on mine too. I did use the sockets which came with the kit, but like I said above, I don't like them at all. "Assuming that your original wiring and grounds were working properly" -- that's the lazy/stupid thing I was referring to above. I had this problem before I put the new lenses in. Thanks to the comments so far, I've got a couple of things to try. Hopefully this won't become a nightmare.
Oh, am I the only one that had to cut a larger hole where the backup lights were? I really didn't like doing that.
Jerry
[Modified by jerryp58, 11:59 AM 9/13/2001]
