My tail lights are going to give me a ticket

I searched around and couldn't find a tail light phantom thread.

So, My handy dandy brake lamp light came on in my car. It's my left brake light on the trunk lid. Here's what it does.

Without headlights on: Lights up when I hit the brake but not as bright as all the others.

With headlights on: Stays lit until I hit the brake and then it goes out.

While in reverse: The reverse light is on while the brake is disengaged and when the brake is pressed the reverse light goes out and the brake light comes on(still not as bright as the others).

I put in a new bulb and that didn't seem to do it. I guess I could check a fuse, I'll do that tomorrow morning, but idk if a fuse being blown would even allow it lighting up. I don't know what else to think of this.

check the ground for the brake circut for that bulb. Its trying to ground through the lightbulbs.

This sounds exactly like what happened with my neighbor's Kia. I put one of the bulbs in backwards. I didn't know that was even possible.

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Originally Posted by Charlie

This sounds exactly like what happened with my neighbor's Kia. I put one of the bulbs in backwards. I didn't know that was even possible.

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That's along the lines I was just thinking, sounds like the wrong bulb in that or one of the other tailights possibly.

1) Check for correct bulbs/bulb placement.
2) Check that the plug for those lights is tight/secure.
3) Check grounds.

I was looking at my lights earlier and think I spotted the problem. The grounds that go from the reverse and brake light bulb are not grounded. They were just taped off. I took that tape off to find the two wires joined together with a crimp sleeve and about an eighth of an inch of wires sticking out the other side.(I so wish I had a camera) I decided I'd try and ground them(I didn't take too much time because I had to go to the bank) so I taped a wire to the two joined wires and attempted to find something in the trunk that was bare metal. Found some nub thing that I thought was bare(It probably wasn't), and tried it out and it's still a no-go.

Btw, whilst digging in my trunk(Keke) I found that the light will only go in one way, and I made sure the plugs were tight.

So, try and run the wire to a good ground, temporarily, and see if it's fixed. I dont know where its suposed to be grounded, though..

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Originally Posted by Ayeobe

So, try and run the wire to a good ground, temporarily, and see if it's fixed. I dont know where its suposed to be grounded, though..

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I'll be trying again tomorrow. There's a huge storm in Oklahoma atm.

Damn, i wish it was storming here. its been hot as hell (100+F) for the whole week...

Let us know how it goes tomorow, then.

Another thing: How would this get you a ticket?

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Originally Posted by Charlie

Another thing: How would this get you a ticket?

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Cop rides behind me at night. Pulls me over for faulty tail lights. Explaining how they can make someone crash in to me and it's unsafe.

I finagled with my tail lights at school, grounding them on different things. Still couldn't get them to work properly. I'm gonna try to take some pics tonight of my problem, maybe I can get some more thoughts a brewing that way.

take a wire brush or something and take one of the four nuts on the taillight corner and get it to bare metal thats where my amp for my subs is grounded works perfect for me anyways idk of anything else except under that latch is prolly some bare metal

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Originally Posted by stevo89

take a wire brush or something and take one of the four nuts on the taillight corner and get it to bare metal thats where my amp for my subs is grounded works perfect for me anyways idk of anything else except under that latch is prolly some bare metal

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I tried that too. I'm on my way to Pull A Part to get a seatbelt latch and a corner light anyways, I'm going to see if I can't just pick up a new tail light housing and fix it that way. If not, I took pictures yesterday and when my friend's mom gets her ass off the media computer I'll upload them.

So I just went to Pull A Part and got a new housing. It works. I'd like to thank everyone for their help in this. :P