Germancar90

Hey everyone, just to bring you up to speed I finally got my engine back together in my 86 carrera after a full top end job, and she is running perfectly, what a difference! I will be posting some pictures later. Anyway I am trying to get my rear deck light working and i am having a little trouble. I can't seem to get power to it. I havnt gone any further then the plug in the engine bay and still no juice to that. Is there any common problem with these? Or do you have any suggestions on were to look? Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks, Alex

ron mcatee

Have you rotated the cover so you see the glass covering the light bulb? If you didn't it won't come on. At least mine has to be rotated so the glass is visible.

Germancar90

Yea i did all that my problem isnt in the light itself the problem is that i cant get power to it. I took it all apart and put a test light on the positive wire and there was nothing.

old man neri

Did you turn your head lights on, I do believe that the key has to be to 'on' and the headlights on.

GothingNC

On the SC the left directional needs to be turned on.

Car does not need to be running.

John

dshepp806

+1.

Doyle

dshepp806

as mentioned, the door itself is a switch, of sorts. Closing mine cuts the lamp off.

Doyle

theiceman

can't comment .. don't have any of those high end options on my car :-)

911Dave

Mine doesn't work either. Door open, key on, headlights on, nothing.

Edgy01

These things can be very problematic because they're in a high heat and non-weatherproof environment. Put a multimeter to the ends where the bulb goes to ensure you have power in the first place,--the bulb could be bad.

The wiring harness that supports this light should be hot requiring you to rotate the housing cover of the light a bit to turn it on as well.

dshepp806

Crusty environment, for sure. Do clean/lube the pathway connection points. Trace the voltage at each section of contact....especially that rotating (switched) cover. Certainly was MY problem, in the end. Easy fix.....good bulb.

Will have to check the Bentley for this "headlamp-on" requirement.....although I do sense that WAS the case (at least parking lights and/or headlamps ON, first),..it's been a while,...will check this evening: this "nuance" and report back (as to '89).

Otherwise, she could be problematic upstream, towards the fusebox.

Best,

Doyle

Barry A. Waters

Assuming the bulb itself is good, DO clean up the mount/lamp assembly and bulb contacts FIRST because they all probably need it anyway, even if they're not the problem. That socket, with it's rotating contacts, is SPOOKY! Then see if you're getting power with the parking/running lights on (that's all my '86 needs).

If not, look closely at the lead wires coming to the socket. My '86 has two wires (+/GRND) that are contained in a black sheath. This sheathed wire lead comes out of the main body and travels the gap to the deck lid so it ALWAYS has to flex everytime the deck lid is opened/closed. Check for body/lid edges etc. rubbing on the sheath/wire combo along its entire route to the lamp assembly.

This rubbing created a short in my car that also took out the left side parking/running lights (same fuse circuit) whenever the short decided to occur. Replacing the section from the body rearward and carefully routing the new section solved my problem.

Good Luck!

Barry

Houpty GT

I fixed mine tonight. For the '81 the parking lights need to be turned on (no key necessary) and the cover needs to be open. I had to take the fixture out and I sprayed the rotating contact with contact cleaner and then coated several spots with dielectric grease to try and ward of corrosion. I expect this to last about a year till it is due again.