Dim taillights and brake lights
Thread Starter
3rd Gear
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
From: Chardon Ohio
Dim taillights and brake lights
I've got a '95 Corvette base model automatic
So I've been looking online for hours trying to figure out what's happening with my vette. The best way I can describe it is, when I hit the brakes they are almost impossible to see in daylight. At night, when I have the headlights on, if I step on the brakes it dims the rear lights to almost off then they slowly get a little brighter but still very dim. It almost seems like a short or a bad ground. Are there any other people with this issue that can shed some light? Maybe a common location for bad wiring?
When I pulled the tail light housings out there was a wire that appeared to be a ground clipped to the inside driver tail light. it was just hanging in the bumper. where does this one hook up to? could it be my issue? I tried to trace the source of where it unhooked from but can't for the life of me find it.
Any help with this would be greatly appreciated
It's making me pull out hair I don't have 
thank you!
So I've been looking online for hours trying to figure out what's happening with my vette. The best way I can describe it is, when I hit the brakes they are almost impossible to see in daylight. At night, when I have the headlights on, if I step on the brakes it dims the rear lights to almost off then they slowly get a little brighter but still very dim. It almost seems like a short or a bad ground. Are there any other people with this issue that can shed some light? Maybe a common location for bad wiring?
When I pulled the tail light housings out there was a wire that appeared to be a ground clipped to the inside driver tail light. it was just hanging in the bumper. where does this one hook up to? could it be my issue? I tried to trace the source of where it unhooked from but can't for the life of me find it.
Any help with this would be greatly appreciated
It's making me pull out hair I don't have thank you!
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 2,897
Likes: 592
From: New Port Richey FL
I've got a '95 Corvette base model automatic
So I've been looking online for hours trying to figure out what's happening with my vette. The best way I can describe it is, when I hit the brakes they are almost impossible to see in daylight. At night, when I have the headlights on, if I step on the brakes it dims the rear lights to almost off then they slowly get a little brighter but still very dim. It almost seems like a short or a bad ground. Are there any other people with this issue that can shed some light? Maybe a common location for bad wiring?
When I pulled the tail light housings out there was a wire that appeared to be a ground clipped to the inside driver tail light. it was just hanging in the bumper. where does this one hook up to? could it be my issue? I tried to trace the source of where it unhooked from but can't for the life of me find it.
Any help with this would be greatly appreciated It's making me pull out hair I don't have thank you!
So I've been looking online for hours trying to figure out what's happening with my vette. The best way I can describe it is, when I hit the brakes they are almost impossible to see in daylight. At night, when I have the headlights on, if I step on the brakes it dims the rear lights to almost off then they slowly get a little brighter but still very dim. It almost seems like a short or a bad ground. Are there any other people with this issue that can shed some light? Maybe a common location for bad wiring?
When I pulled the tail light housings out there was a wire that appeared to be a ground clipped to the inside driver tail light. it was just hanging in the bumper. where does this one hook up to? could it be my issue? I tried to trace the source of where it unhooked from but can't for the life of me find it.
Any help with this would be greatly appreciated
It's making me pull out hair I don't have thank you!what color is it? if its black its a ground per my shop manual and in a conv. it goes to ground G-401 in cargo box behind the drivers seat, as for the mystery wire hold it taught and swing the end and odds are you should find its mate. or you could take a test light find a good ground probe the mystery wire step on the brakes turn on a directional and if the test light goes bright its a ground and you can find its mate or make you own ground spot. but I am more of a purist and I would recommend finding the factory one or the other half of the wire, and do your self a favor NO scotch locks (or what I like to call BOTCH locks) no butt connectors buy some solder and shrink tube do it rite.
you may need to open the harness near were the wire would intersect with the harness to find the other half.
Last edited by s carter; Aug 28, 2014 at 07:59 PM.
Thread Starter
3rd Gear
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
From: Chardon Ohio
I can visibly see where the wire attaches to the ground near the power antenna. it's a black wire with a white stripe that runs from that ground to the driver inner tail light housing where it appears to use the tail light housing as a point to hold itself up then continues about another foot before it was broken off. If that is indeed a ground wire then that could very well be my tail light issue. depending what that ground is for that is.
Thread Starter
3rd Gear
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
From: Chardon Ohio
I do have a matching wire (black w/ white stripe) coming off the harness for the ABS unit in the compartment behind the seat. is this the wire that grounds to the ground I mentioned before?
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 2,897
Likes: 592
From: New Port Richey FL
I can visibly see where the wire attaches to the ground near the power antenna. it's a black wire with a white stripe that runs from that ground to the driver inner tail light housing where it appears to use the tail light housing as a point to hold itself up then continues about another foot before it was broken off. If that is indeed a ground wire then that could very well be my tail light issue. depending what that ground is for that is.
I would say it is a ground, the next question, is the free end that you can see is it hooked to the light it self (a light looking for a ground) or is it a ground looking for a light? (hooked to a chasse ground) I think your at the point were you need to make your self a alternate ground, with a test light and complete a circuit, if the light gets bright with testing your brakes and directional is a light looking for a ground and you need to replace or repair the ground to body.
and I would say yes even though my book is for a 93 that's what it shows.
Last edited by s carter; Aug 28, 2014 at 09:28 PM.
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 144
Likes: 0
From: NW Arkansas - usually winter in FL
Agree that you are experiencing a grounding issue. What is happening it that when applying the brakes, there is more current being applied to the rear lighting that the existing ground path can handle. Since your running lamps are dim as well is another indicator of a ground problem - you have excessive resistance in the ground path - might be up front too - under the hood.
