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#1
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68 GTO Tail/Brake/Flasher Lights Issues
Driver's side tail lights and flashers work just fine. Passenger side tail lights and flashers have the following problem:
Passenger and driver Lenses removed, parking lights in the on position: (passenger side) Left side bulb only illuminates the stoplight/flasher element(Bottom element), right side illuminates the correct tail light element(upper element) (Driver's side, both left and right bulbs illuminate the correct tail lamp upper elements.) When hazard flasher is turned on, driver's side illuminates correctly, tail elements stay illuminated and stop/hazard elements flash on and off correctly. Passenger side, left side bulb has stop/hazard constantly illuminated (bottom element) and the tail light element flashes on and off. Right side bulb has tail element (top element) constantly illuminated and stop/hazard element (bottom element) flashes on and off correctly. The passenger side, left side bulb tail light element flashes on and off alternately with the right side bulb stop/hazard element (bottom element) The assemblies were pulled and cleaned and the wires are inserted into the sockets correctly. The connection points inside the sockets have good spring tension and were cleaned. The wires are NOT reversed. All wiring connections have been checked and are tight and connected properly. The bulbs are all new. I am tempted to replace both tail light assemblies and the trunk wiring harness, but I am not sure that will correct the problem. I am stumped as to why the passenger side left hand bulb is illuminating essentially opposite of the way it should be working. I first assumed that the wiring was somehow crossed, but it is not. Is it it a bad (51 year old) tail light assembly? Any help and/or suggestions will be greatly appreciated. |
#2
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Two Possibles
You've verified wiring is correct. Orientation of contacts in the sockets is correct. That leaves two things possible. Bulbs not grounded or defect bulbs.
When bulb bases aren't grounded good in the socket or socket/tail lamp assembly not grounded good, you get feed-back problems. Power goes in one element/filament and back out the other because of their shared ground leg inside the bulb. I ohm test new bulbs just like new glass fuses. Defect fuse rate is crazy. looks good but the lead strip inside doesn't make contact with the end cap. Same thing happens with bulbs. It's usually the ground leg not making contact with the base. Wiggle bulbs, swap them around, and see if you get different results with your testing. Working with tired sockets, where the bulb base isn't snug enuff, I have put a drop of solder on the side of the base to snug them up. Both sides if you have to and file to fit. Clay |
#3
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To Quick Silver: Thank you for your reply
Old bulbs were working fine until recently. Went through the sockets and cleaned them and ensured wires were not crossed. Same result. Wrong element lighting up. Stop hazard lighting up when parking lights turned (Bottom element) on and tail lamp element flashing on an off in signal or when hazard turned on (top element) Changed to new bulbs and same result. Changed back to old bulbs and same result. Change to second set of new bulbs and same result. Wires are not crossed, but wrong element is lighting up when lights turned on or hazard is turned on. Both elements are lighting, but just the opposite of the way they should be. I think the assembly is just not working right anymore. Any other suggestions? Thank you |
#4
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Okay, had no luck with the original tail light assemblies, so I bought a pair of new ones from AMES.
They are slightly different from the originals. They were initially wired INCORRECTLY. Both the right and left assemblies had the wires crossed inside the "Three-Prong" connector. The wrong element of the two element bulb was lighting up. For example, the "STOP/TURN SIGNAL element was lighting up when the parking/headlight switch was turned on. The tail lamp element was illuminating when the flasher was turned on. I had to remove the female connectors from the three prong connector and switch them from side to side. Once that was accomplished, the correct bulb elements now light up when the corresponding switch is turned to the on position. Have not checked them for fit into the bumper since the bumper is out being restored. Will report back after I get the bumper back on the car. |
#5
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Bad Taillight Assemblies
Just came to the conclusion that the new taillight assemblies are not worth the money.
Besides the fact that they come wired incorrectly, the places where the screws go into to hold the lenses in pop out just as soon as the screws are put in. The result is that the lenses CANNOT be attached. Cannot use the assemblies without the lenses being able to be attached. I am not sure why APE sells this product with two such major flaws. |
#6
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Are you sure brand new housings are both wired wrong? I would think that Ames has sold many pairs of these. And the 1157 bulbs are something that needs a ground.
If the ground is missing or weak the power goes back in thru the bulb on the other filament to try and "seek" a ground. There are flat metal ground straps on those housings which, when installed into the bumper make contact to that by overlapping tabs to the chrome and then on to the bumper brackets which are bolted to the frame. Up inside the engine compartment there should be a copper ground strap from the Right front inner wheel-housing to the top of the frame. When testing '68 tail lamps you need a ground wire on those housings to simulate the pathway thru your rear bumper to the frame.
__________________
Peter Serio Owner, Precision Pontiac |
#7
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Quote:
The grounds were all in place and that was not the problem. |
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