brake light help

Pat Crellin · 07-14-2005, 05:52 AM

Just put in halogen tail lights & rear blinkers from Mid America.
Thought my lights could be brighter.
Both tail & brake lights worked when I installed last night. This morning tail lights work but brake lights don't , brake dash warning comes on. Blinkers work. I haven't moved the car since I installed.
Fuse OK, Old lights (incandesent) don't work either.
Help!
Thanks

Pat Crellin · 07-14-2005, 05:05 PM

So I cleaned the fuse terminals this morning and the lights worked. Drove the car today, now the brake lights work but the tail lights don't. Head lights, blinkers, parking lights work.

I don't think this is the problem with the tail lights since neither of them are working but they are loose in the sockets. Any suggestions on this? Someone said he used to have that problem in 356s and would put some grease in the socket.
thanks

Pat Crellin · 07-14-2005, 07:26 PM

nothin huh?

jester911 · jester911's Garage

You might try some dielectic sp? grease to make a better connection.

I had a taillight with a loose connection that I had to use some to make work all the time.

KCinBR · KCinBR's Garage

Had a similar problem with the bulbs seeming loose in the sockets, and the lights would work at times and at other times they would not.

After trying to clean the connections, I just put a little bit of solder on the end of the bulbs. They fit tighter and work all the time.
It's a very simple fix, no cost..............but it will only work until you have to change bulbs..

Hope this helps.......

(I'm an electrician, trouble shooting electrical is what I do)

Thanks.........KC
88 Carerra

Pat Crellin · 07-15-2005, 04:43 AM

Thanks, I've always had a problem with the loose blubs, now I know.

Follow up on the halogen blubs, the single filament blinkers work fine.

The dual filament halogen where crazy. Some time both brake & tail lights would work, sometimes just one or the other would work. Maybe the solder trick would fix that. I went back to the stock blubs & no problems.

The halogen blubs are much brighter. Would the higher wattage,(the're rated at 50 watts) cause any electrical problems?

I'm not an electrician and I should not play one on my car.

Thanks for the help.

SpeedracerIndy · 07-15-2005, 04:53 AM

I had the loose sockets on my car as well. instead of using the solder, I used a dremel tool to clean the contacts inside the socket, then used a small screw driver to pull the contacts out enough so that they push agains the bulb now. Not a problem since.