FREAKINHEAT

Why would the inner brake light work when the brake pedal is pressed but not light when not pressed. Lights are on of course. Dual filament bulb isn't the issue because I've changed them out. Is it the socket itself that needs to be replaced? Drivers side is the issue.

Hold On

because its only supposed to light when pressed??? maybe?

FLYVMO

For a USA car ('87-up), all three bulbs (lower) should be lit when parking or low beams are on. The inner light is a 1157 bulb so it is lit dim with lights on and bright when brake is applied (stupid..)
On ROW cars ('87-up) only the two outer bulbs should be lit when parking/low beam is on. The inner light only comes on with brake pedal pressed (smart).

You probably have a bad socket or a bad connection in area. Loosen the hourglass looking nut behind the tool cover and remove that tail light cluster. Check for corrosion in the socket and/or broken wire. Or a broken filament in the 1157 type bulb

Cheers!
Carl

mdkelly1

+1 Check the tailight harness socket (clean the pins and pin sockets with CRC or DeOxit) and the bulb socket (clean the bulb socket as you did the harness socket). Then try it and see what happens.

Your symptom is different but some steps in this thread may help find the problem: http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforum...long-post.html

FREAKINHEAT

It's clean inside the socket. Looks new actually. I already replaced the passenger side socket with the napa Nissan quest part, so I guess I'll do the drivers side as well. Hopefully this makes it work. Thanks for the help!

Wisconsin Joe

You might check to see if you've got power going into the socket, and a good ground going out.

FREAKINHEAT

Oh there is power. It lights when the brake is applied, but when no brake, no light at all??

FLYVMO

The 1157 bulb has two contacts on the bulb, one for each filament (tail light, brake light). The tail light socket should have 2 contacts as well. Sounds like either one of the contacts in the socket does not have power or one of the filaments in the bulb is broken. Did you try a different bulb? Also check both socket contacts with a voltmeter (with lights on) to see if you have power at the sockets (one should have power).

If there is no power at either socket contact with the lights on (brake not pressed) then it sounds like it is a wiring problem somewhere between tail light assembly and forward. I'm sure Alan would have much more precise and elegant troubleshooting advice but the volt meter should tell you a lot.

Cheers!
Carl

FREAKINHEAT

New bulb didn't produce a different result.

Voltmeter isn't my friend, so......

Hopefully changing the socket out will work.

Wisconsin Joe

As was pointed out above, there's 2 power wires going into the socket. One for the brake, one for the tail light.
You are getting power to the brake light contact, but not the tail light contact.
Figuring out if there's power going into the socket for the taillight would confirm or eliminate the socket as the problem.

Just throwing parts at a problem and hoping isn't a really good diagnostic strategy, although I've been guilty of it in the past (gets expensive fast for engine management issues).

Why isn't the VM your friend? They are pretty easy to use. These cars have so many electrical issues that a good basic understanding of electrical principles and diagnostics (not necessarily electronics, but it helps too) is high on the "need to know" list.

The "New Visitor" sticky has a link to a nice "how to" site (post 23):

http://www.doctronics.co.uk/meter.htm

Alan

They are two completely different circuits. The fact that the brake light works tells you the ground to that bulb holder is OK (they share a common ground). So either the socket has an issue (usually corrosion on the contact in bottom of the socket) or a wire is broken or a connector pin to the loom isn't making good connection.

If the bulb socket looks clean - I'd be cleaning the loom connector next (the plug/socket from the loom to the cluster).

Alan

dr bob

I would carefully check the ground on the socket itself, continuity to chassis ground, with the bulb removed.