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Mon Aug 25, 2008 7:34 pm

I removed the taillights on my 61 to paint them and when i put them back on the brake lights wouldn't work and now the tail lights won't work at all. My question is should this bar:

Be touching the two bars on the bulb:

Mon Aug 25, 2008 8:06 pm

no, not even a little bit.

Mon Aug 25, 2008 8:08 pm

Ok Thanks! I guess its why the tape is there or was there. What is the purpose of that bar? to push the bulb in?

Mon Aug 25, 2008 8:22 pm

That is supposed to be touching the bulb holder where your arrows indicated...it's the ground. It's not supposed to touch the bulb directly.

Did you try switching the wires on the bulb holder?

Mon Aug 25, 2008 8:30 pm

KILLERWATT wrote: That is supposed to be touching the bulb holder where your arrows indicated...it's the ground. It's not supposed to touch the bulb directly.

It should NOT touch where the arrows indicated. It should be touching the shiny silver housing somewhere close to that small hole at the top. That bulb socket fits into the reflector housing, but it's not a real tight fit. That metal bar that is connected to the taillight mount, then applies pressure to the bulb socket. This pressure keeps the socket in the reflector housing, and creates the ground.

Mon Aug 25, 2008 8:39 pm

My error. I do rember the loose fit you speak of and the balancing act I did to get them together.

Now you have me wondering if mine are touching the wrong part of the housing. :wink:

Mon Aug 25, 2008 8:43 pm

KILLERWATT wrote:
Now you have me wondering if mine are touching the wrong part of the housing. :wink:

As long as they are working, I wouldn't touch them. Those things can be a real pain to get grounded. Everything wants to shift as soon as you try to mount them. I hope to I never have to take my passenger side snowflake off, it took forever to get it to work right. :lol:

Mon Aug 25, 2008 8:44 pm

If it was touching the connection, you'd have smelt the burning wires and popped the fuse to the brake lights...

Mon Aug 25, 2008 8:44 pm

I taped the part where i put the arrows in the second picture, changed the fuse and now they work perfectly! I guess the tape fell when i opened them and when i put them back on I'm sure they touched that bar when i tested them before I screwed them on :? and I shorted em out