Rear light out

I was told today that my passengers side rear light was barely showing.

I checked it and it was very dim, and when the brake was depressed it went off.

The lens looks very damp on the inside so I am guessing it is full of water due to all the rain we have had.

I won't have time to check it out until Friday as on thursday I will be going to work in the dark and coming home in the dark.

So, could just rain in there give the symptoms I have described?

I can't think of anything else except perhaps a dodgy earth, but as it looks like there is definitely moisture in there, I assume it is just a short circuit caused by the wetness.



dog-man

dog-man said:

I was told today that my passengers side rear light was barely showing.

I checked it and it was very dim, and when the brake was depressed it went off.

The lens looks very damp on the inside so I am guessing it is full of water due to all the rain we have had.

I won't have time to check it out until Friday as on thursday I will be going to work in the dark and coming home in the dark.

So, could just rain in there give the symptoms I have described?

I can't think of anything else except perhaps a dodgy earth, but as it looks like there is definitely moisture in there, I assume it is just a short circuit caused by the wetness.



dog-man

Click to expand...

Hiya fellow dog

The light going off points to a dodgy earth. It's only working when it can earth through the brake light. Turn the brake light on and it's lost it's earth path.
However if there is that much moisture inside the fitting it'll be worth checking and cleaning the bulb connectors inside the fitting.

Yep, defo bad (corroded) earth.

Seems to be a lot of dogs about this evening!




dog-man

dog-man said:

Seems to be a lot of dogs about this evening!

Click to expand...

OI !
Enough of that

leave my missus out of this.

If you had a decent torch you could fix it or find the fault right now . http://www.amazon.co.uk/Maglite-ST2...418A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354140320&sr=8-1 I have the 2AA one .

You will need to remove the lens . You can bring it into the light to work on it or see if its okay . You will probably find the contacts on the bulb holder are corroded and broken . For a quick fix ,you could clean/scrape whats left of the contact and pack it with tinfoil or a half spring from a biro (you will have to use your imagination ,too late ) .

It could also be something completely different . You do say your driving to and from work in the dark , you should fix it asap .

If you don't have the right torx driver ,you can remove the screws using allen keys .

Looks like I will be finishing work a couple of hours earlier today, so will look at it when I get home.

I am off after today for 4 days to will have plenty of time to sort this.



dog-man

I always carry a torch in the car but at this time of year on a cold night the batteries go flat as the cold takes it out on the batteries, so the torch i carry is a wind up one, you can not beat them.

teddywood1 said:

I always carry a torch in the car but at this time of year on a cold night the batteries go flat as the cold takes it out on the batteries, so the torch i carry is a wind up one, you can not beat them.

Click to expand...

Yea, I got a shake-to-charge torch as a freebie a couple of years ago. I sneered and laughed at it and chucked it in the boot. But that's the one that's always worked when I've needed it. I suppose if I drove a Series it would be constantly fully charged.

The light cluster had loads of water inside it.
Not too sure how it got in as there doesn't seem to be any obvious route.
I will put some sealant around the lens just in case.

The bulb holder was corroded to hell, so I have ordered a new one from my local Ford dealer as the holder is a ford part?????

I pick it up later today, cost £7.92.



dog-man

dog-man said:

The light cluster had loads of water inside it.
Not too sure how it got in as there doesn't seem to be any obvious route.
I will put some sealant around the lens just in case.

The bulb holder was corroded to hell, so I have ordered a new one from my local Ford dealer as the holder is a ford part?????

I pick it up later today, cost £7.92.

Click to expand...

If that's the connector and the two bulb holders , I would really appreciate the part number .

The local stealers can only get me the whole unit for megamoney and the motor factors sent me to the breakers .

I think you may be confused with what exact bit I had to replace.

It is this:

XS41 13k370 CD
Rear Stop/Brake Bulb Socket.
It's a Ford part.

Dunt look like anything on my motor .

Thanx anyway . My bodge job repairs on my rear lights have lasted years .

My Landy is a 2006 TD4.



dog-man