[Treadway597]

Originally Posted by GriffinPrice

Hello all,
The driver's side parking lights on my '84 Targa have not worked since I got it back in January. I bought some replacement bulbs (knowing that multiple lights being out was almost certainly not a "bulb problem" but hoping anyway) and of course the problem persists.

I am planning to take a multimeter to the car this week or next to try to diagnose the problem, but I'm a bit nervous about fiddling with the electrical system of a car that is new to me and whose previous owner seems to have been a lazy idiot. I would appreciate it if someone could chime in with ideas or suggestions.

Here's the information I have been working with:

• The fuses were old and corroded. I removed them and added new ones, but the contacts still aren't in great shape. Driver's and Passenger's parking light fuses appeared identically corroded, but only the driver's side is out.
• On the top side of the fuse panel, the passenger's side fuse had a wire connected to the fuse terminal. The driver's side fuse did not. From what I have read, they are electrically connected on the back side of the fuse panel. Is there any risk of this not working?
• There was a bundle of wires behind the tail light assembly when I pulled it out a little bit to check the connector into the back. I couldn't get a good look at it, but it looked like it was not done by a professional, so I'm suspicious of it.
• My best course for diagnosis is to just run along the circuit with a multimeter and try to identify where the opening is. I can do this by activating the circuit with the switch inside the cabin and then putting one probe on the circuit area I am interested in and the other probe on the frame. Is this correct? Worst case, I can run a ground wire out to where I am probing, but I'd prefer to avoid that if possible.
• Would one element being out cause the whole circuit not to work? As in, does one dead bulb screw everything up? I guess I'm asking if the lights are all in series, which would be ridiculous but that's how the PO of my old Sprite did the headlights.

Does anything big jump out to y'all? I've been noodling on this for a while, and the bundle behind the tail light assembly seems like the most likely area where something is bad, but I'm open to any smart ideas. I've exhaustively searched the forums and not found anything exactly like my issue that had a clear resolution.

If the right side works it’s not the switch. Look at the right side position of the brake light when it is on, then check that position on the left for a bulb and change it. I would start there.

DG Customer First