loose bulb sockets??

[bigchillcar]

i have this recurring problem and am seeking sage advice..my driver's side turn signal light in particular always seems loose in the barrel of the socket so that it intermittently stops working..a real pain. what do you guys do to secure your bulbs? i'm using the correct one, but this sockets suck..
ryan

[Jeff Higgins]

Wrap foil around it.

[klaucke]

Possibly, build up the bulb with solder to make it a tighter fit. I was dealing with the same problem this weekend with my 74.

[RoninLB]

what I did

removed the whole gizmo paying attention to where the internal faston connectors attach. Then operated on the spring area of the housing so the spring regains its pressure.

I sliced the backside outside socket housing with a fine thin file to attach some small dia safety wire to reinforce it. Get in there and fake the job or you'll spend big bucks for a new one. I assume a used one is also worn. If you come up with a bright idea let me know.

The socket reinforces my prejudice again that porsche electrics suck. That socket is made to fall apart eventually. Also the Euro bulb is a sloppy fit by design.

And Ryan, do it on a day when you have time to be patient.

[bigchillcar]

it's true..the rear of the bulb housing is made of that tough paper and pops out easily..i secured my loose ones by reinforcing them with jb weld of all things, but it seems to hold. still doesn't solve the problem of the loose fit inside. i've tried bending the contact to put more pressure on the bul, but that alone hasn't solved it. i'll investigate these ideas, foil included.
ryan

[RoninLB]

Originally posted by bigchillcar
it's true..the rear of the bulb housing is made of that tough paper and pops out easily..i secured my loose ones by reinforcing them with jb weld of all things, but it seems to hold. still doesn't solve the problem of the loose fit inside.

when I did the job I had to reposition that "tough paper" to allow repositioning the spring up to the bulb.

[KCinBR]

Had the same problem....yep real pain. I used the solder method, just added a touch of solder to the contacts on the bottom of the bulb. Now this does not make the bulb fit tighter but it eliminates the problem of the lights working intermittently.

[Early_S_Man]

Ryan,

I would say this may take a multi-pronged approach to conquer the problem entirely! Patince will be necessary ... so don't get in a hurry!

1. Do what you can with the sockets, individually ...

2.Either get new bulb(s) or replace some with particularly loose fit, and work to 'rehab' ones with better fit and the potential to be 'helped' by selective application of additional solder at the contacts and also on the sides with small bumps at 0°, 120°, & 240° to improve the tightness of fit to each individual socket. The nice thing about solder is that it is very easy to file down with a triangle file! And, if you go too far, you can always build it up again and start the iterative process of fitting again.

[bigchillcar]

are you guys saying to 'build up' the solder contact, and warren to make solder points on the side of the bulb to try and keep it from wobbling in the barrel? i don't guess anyone has a pic of what's being described?
ryan

[bpatrick]

Ryan,

Please post back what method you used and if it worked. I'm having the exact same problem. Tried foil, but so far no luck...

Brian


(go hogs)

[jester911]

I have had the same problem with the same side light.

Last time it went out I used a big gob of dielectic grease on the sides and the end.

It has held about 3 weeks so far.