Taillight Problem

[Fritz]

Ok, I'm not an electrical whiz so I need help.

Car is a 73. Been apart for paint and put back together. All the lights were working fine and recently the tail lights abd brake lights stopped working on both sides.

I've replaced the fuse (doubt it was the problem since the tun signals work).

Checked light housing plugs and ground (again the turn signals are working).

Checked bulbs, they look fine.

Any ideas on what to check next?

[nhromyak]

My 73.5 many years ago, had a tailight corrosion problem. I would say it's still the ground. Do you have an additional ground wire on the tailight housings?

If I hit my tail end just above the lights on this car, just right (like Fonzi), with the lights on, they would work for a couple of days.

Check for a other corrosion spots inside the ground where the bulbs go in, also check the contacts for the positive side too.

There is some grease that can be used after you get it working so it won't corrode so much in the future.

Good luck.

[Fritz]

Ground is fine....turn signals are good and bright

[Todd Simpson]

Pull the multi pin plug off and check for voltage there, at least you'll be able to narrow down if the problem is within the housing or earlier in the circuit. The tabs that contact the bulbs also corrode and lose their spring, you may need to bend them closer to the bulb for good contact.

My housings are rotted as well and I needed to add an external ground wire for my brakes lights to work. I had turns and tail lights but brakes only on one side-not quite the same problem as you....but a ground can be good enough for one circuit but not both. Keep us posted, it's a common problem.

[kach22i]

Originally posted by Todsimpson
The tabs that contact the bulbs also corrode and lose their spring, you may need to bend them closer to the bulb for good contact.

This is my problem, the spring has no bounce............there is very little corrision though.

Best way to fix it, is to replace it, right?

Will an over the counter part do?

I can't find it on Pelican.

[Fritz]

My problem is not the socket or the plug. It happened to both sides at the same time.

Anyone know the wiring outputs for the lightswitch? I want to check the power coming out of there.

[jpnovak]

You can get color wiring diagrams from the Pelican Home page.

Have you checked to make sure that the switch on teh pedal cluster is adjusted properly and is clean?

Does the running light as part of the dual filament side of the brakes work?

Pull the bulb and work backwards checking for 12V at the bulb contact, then inside the housing, 6 pin connector on engine fire wall, etc. Work your way back until you find hte problem. I think its the brake switch.

[Todd Simpson]

I think the tabs are an integral part of the housing, so they can't be replaced. Pull the bulb out, then reach down into the socket with a hooked tool and pull them closer.

My housings are a mess and I know I should just buy a replacement set but they are expensive new or used and so heavy...may have to go with R style lights or the fiberglass housings I've seen people working on.

[a-dougk1]

I had the same problem with my taillights intermittently working, then not working. I fixed the problem by removing all of the bulbs from the taillight fixture, and taking a dental pick and scraping out the corrosion that had built up on the inside of the catch where the bumps on the bulbs were seated. This is the primary ground connection for the bulbs. No problems since then.

I got a bunch of dental picks from my dentist by asking. He usually has lots of worn out instruments that just get thrown away, so he was happy to give them to me for free. Originally I needed them to clean out the gunk from cracks in my house trim while using paint remover to remove multiple layers of paint.

Doug