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77 bay, no brake lights
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allanmcclard
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 02, 2023 2:36 pm    Post subject: 77 bay, no brake lights Reply with quote

Hello everyone please help! I have been battling with my bus, so I have no brake lights when my headlights are on, they work fine when headlights are off. Everything I've read here says its a grounding issue, I've tried to check and recheck the grounds at the tail light housing and even ran new grounds from the housing but still no brake lights, I've checked main grounds to the frame and cleaned everything still nothing. I even went as far as replacing the headlight switch but still nothing. I'm seriously lost on what to do, I've just realized I cant drive my bus at night time. Please help, any advice on what to try now, I just don't get it?
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busdaddy
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 02, 2023 3:19 pm    Post subject: Re: 77 bay, no brake lights Reply with quote

Have you physically removed each bulb and cleaned it's shell and contacts, and thoroughly shined up all of the socket it goes in as well?
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 03, 2023 2:44 pm    Post subject: Re: 77 bay, no brake lights Reply with quote

busdaddy wrote:
Have you physically removed each bulb and cleaned it's shell and contacts, and thoroughly shined up all of the socket it goes in as well?

and if you haven't, get ready for a lesson in how fragile the 40y/o plastic is. make sure you have a dual filament bulb in that spot Wink
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75 Westy FI noob
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 05, 2023 2:07 pm    Post subject: Re: 77 bay, no brake lights Reply with quote

i've got no brake lights at all.
in fact, only one tail light is working on the drivers side.

I'm assuming it's best to remove the lens from the outside.
Hopefully the whole assembly will come out.. and then go at it that way.
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busdaddy
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 05, 2023 3:05 pm    Post subject: Re: 77 bay, no brake lights Reply with quote

Lens comes off to get at the bulbs, but there's 6 nuts on the back/inside if you want to get the unit out to look at the wires, start lubing them up now with PB blaster because they sometimes break off.
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75 Westy FI noob
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 06, 2023 7:33 am    Post subject: Re: 77 bay, no brake lights Reply with quote

6 ! Shocked

ack !! Laughing
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75 Westy FI noob
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 06, 2023 8:05 am    Post subject: Re: 77 bay, no brake lights Reply with quote

On the brake light switches.. on the MC .. there are 3 prongs.

one of my connectors was bad, so now i have three wires w spade terminals ..
theres Black, Red, Black/Red wires... the good connector is sealed and I cant see which wires go where.

if looking at the 3 tab brake switch as a capital U ... which wires go to each tab? Left, Center, Right .. ? Thanks in advance.
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kreemoweet
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 06, 2023 8:53 am    Post subject: Re: 77 bay, no brake lights Reply with quote

75 Westy FI noob wrote:
if looking at the 3 tab brake switch as a capital U ... which wires go to each tab?


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PostPosted: Tue Jun 06, 2023 9:03 am    Post subject: Re: 77 bay, no brake lights Reply with quote

81 = Black/Red
81a = Red
82a = Black
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75 Westy FI noob
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 06, 2023 9:14 am    Post subject: Re: 77 bay, no brake lights Reply with quote

Thanks gentlemen...

Are those stamped onto the switch itself ? My eyes ain't what they used to be.
I've seen those numbers, but didn't know how to apply the info to the switch.
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75 Westy FI noob
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 06, 2023 4:35 pm    Post subject: Re: 77 bay, no brake lights Reply with quote

busdaddy wrote:
Have you physically removed each bulb and cleaned it's shell and contacts, and thoroughly shined up all of the socket it goes in as well?


Gonna tale some doing to get them out. Haha

May need to replace the assembly, those look pretty bad.
I hope that dust isn’t radioactive.

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busdaddy
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 06, 2023 5:18 pm    Post subject: Re: 77 bay, no brake lights Reply with quote

Don't be shocked if that lamp housing crumbles in the process, looks pretty used up from here.
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75 Westy FI noob
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 06, 2023 5:55 pm    Post subject: Re: 77 bay, no brake lights Reply with quote

tried to remove entire housing.. but the bolt is spinning.

discovered / removed the light plate completely by accident. Smile)

One is really bad but might be useable.

Gonna call vw shop before i put much time in these.
Pretty used up indeed.

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75 Westy FI noob
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 06, 2023 8:02 pm    Post subject: Re: 77 bay, no brake lights Reply with quote

Juuust maybe …
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75 Westy FI noob
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 07, 2023 12:26 pm    Post subject: Re: 77 bay, no brake lights Reply with quote

VW shop says he cant get these ...
if anyone has some let me know. (1975 Bus).

I'll try to refurb these meanwhile.

Interesting that there's a ground on these plates. wonder what the strips themselves ground to..?
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busdaddy
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 07, 2023 1:29 pm    Post subject: Re: 77 bay, no brake lights Reply with quote

He's full of it, almost every parts supplier has tail lights, most offer the choice of Chinese for ~$50 or "German quality" for ~$100.

The rusty strip of metal is the bulb holder, the tabs on the plastic things touch the contacts on the ends of the bulbs. You can try soaking it in phosphoric acid, evaporust or even coca cola. If you can get it clean and the plastic doesn't crumble it should work aside from needing to be kept greasy so it doesn't rust again.
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75 Westy FI noob
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2023 6:54 am    Post subject: Re: 77 bay, no brake lights Reply with quote

you're right. i found some on BusDepot and they're on the way.

i'm nearly done with all the mechanicals.

i hope there's a bondo thread on here because body work will be next.
water coming in from corner of the big window. and same w the rear hatch.
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allanmcclard
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2023 9:03 am    Post subject: Re: 77 bay, no brake lights Reply with quote

So the brake light housings are brand new on my bus, I have tried different bulbs, pulled them out several times, even pulled the brake light housings out to see if I can see any wiring problems but don't seem to see any problems, I had to walk away from the bus for a little while because its been driving me absolutely crazy trying to figure out his problem. I haven't been driving it mostly because its getting hot here in Vegas but i have to get this issue solved. do you still think I would need to clean the bulb sockets with them being brand new light housings?
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busdaddy
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2023 9:42 am    Post subject: Re: 77 bay, no brake lights Reply with quote

You never know, stranger things have happened, I'm guessing you've already confirmed the black/red wire makes power when the key is on and the brakes are depressed?
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Please don't PM technical questions, ask your problem in public so everyone can play along. If you think it's too stupid post it here
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Shonandb
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2023 9:46 am    Post subject: Re: 77 bay, no brake lights Reply with quote

allanmcclard wrote:
So the brake light housings are brand new on my bus, I have tried different bulbs, pulled them out several times, even pulled the brake light housings out to see if I can see any wiring problems but don't seem to see any problems, I had to walk away from the bus for a little while because its been driving me absolutely crazy trying to figure out his problem. I haven't been driving it mostly because its getting hot here in Vegas but i have to get this issue solved. do you still think I would need to clean the bulb sockets with them being brand new light housings?


Do your front running lights work? How about your headlights?

I bought new rear housings from CIP1 back in 2017 and installed them but my lights didn't work initially. The housing were low quality and I needed to go through the entire system with a test light and multimeter from the fuse box to headlight switch all the way back to the tail light wiring and found I had power to the tail lights but the light sockets were off 5 degrees and the light bulb contacts weren't touching.

I took apart the old tail light metal ground backing and managed to salvage the light sockets, cleaned them up and installed in the new housing and everything worked.

Have you confirmed where you are getting power to? If you are getting power to the rear then it must be an issue with the sockets not lining up.
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Last edited by Shonandb on Thu Jun 08, 2023 10:50 am; edited 1 time in total
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