Brake light issue
Brake light issue I'm having a weird issue with my Driver side brake light. I have done a search and can't seem to find what I'm looking for. I'll try to describe what is going on the best I can.
-During the day if I press the brakes, the driver side dim filament lights up while the passenger side bright fillament lights up.
-If the headlights are on, the dim filament on both lights illuminate (parking lights) until I hit the brake. Once I press the brake, the passenger side bright filament illuminates like it should while both the drivers side filaments go out. There is no light coming from the drivers side with the headlights on and the brake pedal pushed in.
-I tried switching the bulbs and it does the same thing. One thing I did notice was when I pulled the passenger side bulb out, the driver side quit warking altogether whether the headlights were on or not. No brake light, no parking light. Nothing.
Does anyone know where to start looking to find the issue. I originally thought a switch or something, but it threw me off when nothing worked on the driver side when I pull the bulb on the passenger side.
I have tried new bulbs, I've looked at all the wiring going across the rear and they all appear to be fine. I checked the ground back there and it is tight. I even loosened it and retightened the nut just to make sure. All of the other rear lights seem to be working normally. Turn signals work. Hazards work.
If it matters, this is on a '97 Camaro which has the amber turn signals.
Thanks in advance.
-During the day if I press the brakes, the driver side dim filament lights up while the passenger side bright fillament lights up.
-If the headlights are on, the dim filament on both lights illuminate (parking lights) until I hit the brake. Once I press the brake, the passenger side bright filament illuminates like it should while both the drivers side filaments go out. There is no light coming from the drivers side with the headlights on and the brake pedal pushed in.
-I tried switching the bulbs and it does the same thing. One thing I did notice was when I pulled the passenger side bulb out, the driver side quit warking altogether whether the headlights were on or not. No brake light, no parking light. Nothing.
Does anyone know where to start looking to find the issue. I originally thought a switch or something, but it threw me off when nothing worked on the driver side when I pull the bulb on the passenger side.
I have tried new bulbs, I've looked at all the wiring going across the rear and they all appear to be fine. I checked the ground back there and it is tight. I even loosened it and retightened the nut just to make sure. All of the other rear lights seem to be working normally. Turn signals work. Hazards work.
If it matters, this is on a '97 Camaro which has the amber turn signals.
Thanks in advance.
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 11,328
Likes: 346
From: Jacksonville, FL (originally from Toronto Canada)
I'd recheck the grounds. The symptoms you describe are classic symptoms of tail lights with a bad ground. Without a good ground, the power goes to ground through the other filament on the bulbs causing the dim illumination. When the other filament is on (running lights on), the brake circuit can't ground through the other filament because of the power there so the bulbs go off.
Use a multimeter to test for ground from the socket. If it's not there then you can determine whether it's a damaged socket, damaged ground wire, or bad ground connection.
Use a multimeter to test for ground from the socket. If it's not there then you can determine whether it's a damaged socket, damaged ground wire, or bad ground connection.
