Brake light ground issue

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straightlinespeed

Sometimes I pretend to be normal
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About twice a summer, I have a ground issue with my brake lights. I have to remove the tail lights on my 71 Scamp, twist the bulb socket in the housing and reinstall the light. This freshens up the metal and creates a good ground again and everything works great for awhile.

Just removing and tightening the bolts that hold the light to the bumper doesnt fix it. I have to twist the socket in the housing. I've thought about using dielectric grease on the bolts that hold the housing to the bumper, but its more the housing and socket contact. Since there is no ground wire and its using the body as the ground is there a good way to solve this issue permanently?
 
I installed some sockets with a ground pigtail. Grounded the wires in the trunk. Look around on the internet you can find something that that will work.
 
If the sockets are protruding from the back of your tail light housing, solder on a ground wire, and ground it to the body. Just find an indiscreet place to screw it on. I had to do this on my 67, and 69 B-Cudas front turn sig/park lights.
Some times you have to replace the brass contacts in the base of the socket, also. I have actually soldered on more solder to them.
Dave
 
If you can twist the bulb socket in its housing it is telling me it's too loose, may need to gently bend a few of the clips. And while you are in that area, check the bottom of the bulbs to make sure the solder points are not worn flat.
 
About twice a summer, I have a ground issue with my brake lights. I have to remove the tail lights on my 71 Scamp, twist the bulb socket in the housing and reinstall the light. This freshens up the metal and creates a good ground again and everything works great for awhile.

I bought 2 of the little wire kits to replace the contacts and wires coming out of the housing, spliced them in and grounded the housing and it seemed to permanently cure it.

A nice little rainy and beer afternoon working on the tail lights. :D
 
About twice a summer, I have a ground issue with my brake lights. I have to remove the tail lights on my 71 Scamp, twist the bulb socket in the housing and reinstall the light. This freshens up the metal and creates a good ground again and everything works great for awhile.

Just removing and tightening the bolts that hold the light to the bumper doesnt fix it. I have to twist the socket in the housing. I've thought about using dielectric grease on the bolts that hold the housing to the bumper, but its more the housing and socket contact. Since there is no ground wire and its using the body as the ground is there a good way to solve this issue permanently?

Besides replacing sockets I have found two ways to fix that friggin annoying issue.
1. drill the housing right where the socket metal meets the housing metal and put a small screw in the hole.
It will make the contact between the two metals.

2. I soldered a ground wire on the edge of my sockets with a ring terminal on the other end to one of the lens mounting screws between the lens and housing.
The lens screw will pinch the ring down on the housing metal, and if yours have the gaskets put the ring under the gasket.
Take the plastic off the terminal and solder it on the wire.

Both work perfect.
 
I have soldered a wire to the sockets in the past. Just need to clean off the plating on the housing.
 
They simply crimped the bulb socket into a pot metal housing. If its loose enough to turn, looses ground path, you're probably getting some moisture inside there too. Just not a good way to refit/tighten up their crimp. A screw though the crimp stops the socket from turning but screw would need to be very small. If metal rests against the bulbs glass globe it could crack again and again. Vibration is the cause.
Solder a ground wire to exterior of bulb socket. Silicone seal the socket to housing.
 
Soldering a wire will be perfect. I actually ran a ground wire to the rear of the car (just not that far) when I installed my new harness. It wasnt for that reason, but I'll do the soldering and run the ground up to that other one and go with that. Thanks for the suggestion!
 
Whatever works for you but...You only need a ring terminal to ground these sockets anywhere nearby. No need to run this ground wire all the way back to battery neg'. Consider how close the headlight and park/turn fixtures are to battery yet factory simply routed a minimal length of ground wire to a screw in the radiator support.
 
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