Rear lights out

[DeeTees]

Tail lights are not working.
Fuse okay, bulbs okay and known to be okay.

First it was on one side only, then the other side stopped working a month or so later.
What would you do? Splice into another source?
or where would you start to find the fault?

 

[makeitfit]

Is it all the tail lights? Could be a bad earth possibly.

 

[rossco]

If you splice in how do you know that it will work

Do a test on the line to see if power is going through it and use an alternative earth.

If you have power at the bulb end on the tester then its the earth or fitting faulty

 

[Toolbox]

Something simple to check and a common problem is the little side lugs in the bulb holders that make the earth contact with the bulb body they may only require bending out a little.

 

[DeeTees]

I have just checked the lugs and they're okay.
It's cold dark and windy out there now, I'll give it a go in the morning with other tests.

 

[DeeTees]

I had a lot better look today.
On the LS (the scene of the first blow out), a bit of a clean and a going over got it working fine.

On the RS, scene of the most recent blow out,
the Earth is working but the Live is not working.

Other lights in that unit are working grand, the reverse and the indicator.

There are 2 wires running into the tail light bulb holder, a yellowish/greenish one and a Black one.
Couldn't check anymore after that, available time ran out.
Which one of them is the live?
I guess I have to follow the live wire as much as access allows.

 

[rossco]

Rule of thumb the black should be earth and the other live.

 

[Terranosaurus]

Do you have a tow bar and electrics? Was if fitted with scotch locks? Either way check the point where it patches in, also worth checking your tow electrics to see if powers getting to them.

 

[Toolbox]

Rewired my trailer light socket today after having a few probs showing a bad earth, found there is an 8 way connector joining the rear light clusters harness to the car behind the left rear light, although mine had horrible scotch locks in the wiring, the car 8 way connector was the problem, after struggling to part it found it was heavily corroded and green inside. Chopped it out and all the scotch locks for the trailer electrics re-joined everything with heat shrink joiners and added another earth wire for good measure as the car lighting earth wire is very small.
Also noted that there is only one feed to the 2 rear sidelights & 2 number plate lights, the 2 trailer socket sidelight wires were also joined in to this one small wire.
I think I will run another feed to the back and pop a relay in for the trailer side lights in the near future.

DeeTees,
If your T2 has the same wiring as mine then as I have said above there is only one feed to the side lights and number plate lights. Are your number plate lights working? If you don’t have any power to the sidelight and the other light is working then there must be a problem where the live wire splits in the harness behind the bumper, if your number plate lights aren’t working as well then it must be a problem further to the left.
Incidentally the sidelight live wire on mine is red with a stripe either a black stripe or a blue one cant remember of hand, all the greeny coloured wires were the indicator wires. Black is the earth.

 

[elty001]

rear lights out

i had a problem with the n/s light unit.it was cracked and over time had started to fill with water.bought a second hand light unit off of e-bay but it still was intermittant.i ended up re-joining the wires where they came out of the body and down to the bumper.was quite a long winded job as i had to take out the rear interior panel to access the wiring loom.i also changed the towbar electrics while i was in that area and never had a problem with them again.they tend to catch all the crud from the road as there is no cover over the back of the light unit.

 

[DeeTees]

If your T2 has the same wiring as mine then as I have said above there is only one feed to the side lights and number plate lights. Are your number plate lights working? If you don’t have any power to the sidelight and the other light is working then there must be a problem where the live wire splits in the harness behind the bumper, if your number plate lights aren’t working as well then it must be a problem further to the left.
Incidentally the sidelight live wire on mine is red with a stripe either a black stripe or a blue one cant remember of hand, all the greeny coloured wires were the indicator wires. Black is the earth.

Good info, thanks.
All other lights are working at the rear, including the plate lights. Only the one tail light not working. So I´ll check where the live wire splits into the harness, as the earth wire is okay.