brake light is = to or > my blinker

[airkooledchris]

do the tail lights/blinkers get their grounding from the metal in the fenders?

when I hit my right blinker by itself it works fine, but if im pressing the brakes then the light on the dash just stays 'on' - it doesn't flash at all.

when I hit my left blinker it blinks double fast like one of the bulbs is out, but neither is out - the front and rear on the left side just blink twice as fast.

I dont have the problem with the brake light Vs the blinker on the left, just on the right.

is this all grounding problems?

I changed out the bulb housing on the left side as the plastic bits that hold the upper bulb on the rear drivers side blinker was busted and I couldn't find a place that just sold the plastic clips by themselves.

It also seems like sometimes the blinking light IS the brake light, but if I push the bulb in a bit harder, then the top bulb blinks as it should instead. (if had this on both sides, its inconsistant.)

I feel like I just need to run new wires from front to back and be done with it. Is that going to be the solution in the end?

thanks!

[glutamodo]

This is the 67 right? Yeah, grounds could be the problem. And yes the ground path is bulb to bulbholder, bulbholder to tail light housing, tail light housing to fender and fender to body. Usually poor connections are between the bulb and bulbholder or bulbholder to tail light housing. Make sure the bulb and the bulbholder contacts are shiny clean there! The way you say pushing the bulb in further makes a different makes me think you have some kind of bad connection there.

As for grounds, you might try leaving the lens off, then temporarily taking a wire grounded well elsewhere, like the engine case or such, and connecting the other end to the mounting screw for the bulbholder. Then try and see if your issues are any better.

There is a junction for the wiring underneath the tarboard firewall lining on each side of the engine, you might make sure those look like they are making good contact.

The side that flashes too fast - again check both front and rear bulbs, clean everything up.

-Andy

[Buck Naked]

x2 on everything glutamodo said also check to make sure the bulb sockets arent corroded if so use really fine sandpaper or steelwool to clean them and base of bulb. i did this in my `63 and stuff started workin again
_________________
Be unique, like everyone else.
'63 Beetle Ragtop

[airkooledchris]

I fingered as much - and thank you for the confirmation. I was glad that a total re-wire job wasn't needed.

A little cleaning up of contacts here and there and just getting everything nice and snug tight seems to have done the trick.

There so much rust in my rear fenders I was starting to wonder if I would have to run a ground wire to the lens housing from elsewhere just to get a proper connection. ;p

took a drive last night and all of the lights, turn signals and even wipers were working properly. the wipers seemed to have their own mind in terms of speed, sometimes slow sometimes fast, but they worked. sometimes they return to the original position - others you have to turn em off and on before they are at their proper resting place. NBD.