Left 'brake' light out, but....

hspotman · 12-26-2012, 11:16 AM

Hi, first time poster here. On Christmas Eve, my friend was following me in his truck and told me my left brake light was out. Simple enough, right? Just replace the lamp...? On Christmas, I checked it out for myself...neither brake light was lighting up, so now I thought I needed to change both lamps. Today, the 26th, I pulled the tail covers off to check the lamps. None were burnt out. I pulled each lamp and interchanged them...sill wouldn't work. I then checked the fuse for it, and it was fine. After I reassembled everything, it went back to having on the left brake lamp out, the right was working again. I am baffled...and I don't want to pay a shop to fix something that might be simple...or it might not? Even if I got pulled over and got a 'fix-it' ticket, I don't know how to fix it, and the cost of having a shop do it would be as much as the ticket itself probably

. So I was hoping I could find a solution online. Thankyou in advance for any help you can give me.

hspotman · 12-26-2012, 01:16 PM

Okay, just pulled both shields off again and pushed on brakes. Right one works, left one doesn't. However, the left lamp works when I turn my lights on, the same lamp illuminated on the right brake. So now I feel it is an electrical issue, that I know NOTHING ABOUT, and will most likely have to pay an arm and a leg to have fixed!

Chris D. · 12-26-2012, 01:22 PM

Aftermarket taillights?

Any trailer hitch wiring?

LED bulbs?

Year of truck?

Any mods that mite have lead to this?

Any corrosion on the plug that goes to the taillights?

hspotman · 12-26-2012, 01:31 PM

No trailer hitch lights, 99 toyota tacoma-2 whl drive(...4 cylnd i think).
This is the first time I've removed the shield to repair anything there, so there is alot of dirt. I am at the beach every day, so could be some rust issues, even though I didn't see any.

TeamSleepRacing · 12-26-2012, 02:11 PM

Sounds like your sockets are weathered to sh!t. Check out the contact points make sure they are able to conduct electricity.

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hspotman · 12-26-2012, 02:22 PM

[quote=TeamSleepRacing;1875493]Sounds like your sockets are weathered to sh!t. Check out the contact points make sure they are able to conduct electricity.

If my sockets are weathered, why would the same lantern still work when I turn on my lights? It is only when I press my brakes, that the lantern doesn't illuminate.

TeamSleepRacing · 12-26-2012, 02:49 PM

There are 2 circuits going to one bulb, maybe only ones getting power? ;P especially living near the beach. Mass hummidity eats connections up like candy.

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TeamSleepRacing · 12-26-2012, 02:54 PM

Or it Could be a Gremlin, just dont feed it after midnight and see if that helps!

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hspotman · 12-26-2012, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TeamSleepRacing

There are 2 circuits going to one bulb, maybe only ones getting power? ;P especially living near the beach. Mass hummidity eats connections up like candy.

Those two wires/circuits are both very dusty and tangled. I wouldn't know how to go about determining where the connection to it is, or how to even fix it.

TeamSleepRacing · 12-26-2012, 03:51 PM

Well just pull the bulb out and locate the prongs, i think its 2 bumps on the bottom like a tiny set of breasts

these are the two circuits where contact is.. Questionable? .. And the whole diameter of the bulb is the ground for both of em. Get a lil flat head and scrape the socket itself (where the "breasts" will sit). Dont be affraid to scratch the metal, in fact scratch the PISS out of it! I would take pics and show you but im at the bar lol.

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