Brake Lights Not Working

Hey guys! Got another question...let's see what you guys think...

Ok, driving to work a friend who was following me called me and told me that my right brake light was out (i have a '99 Chevy Silverado so there are separate lights for the turn signal and brake lights) which was weird because it was working fine last night. I went ahead and set up an appointment to take it to a shop but i'd really like to what the problem is before they start messing with stuff and doing something that isn't necessary and of course charging me for it. When i got to work i took one of my tools from the back seat and rigged the brake so it was engaged and i took a look. The left brake light was working fine but not only was the right brake light not working but the right side of the THIRD brake light wasn't working either. So we have a working left side...but not a working right side. Either this is a strange coincidence or there is a fuse or short somewhere. What do you guys think? What are all the possibilites? Are there any easy fixes without having to go to a shop? Has anyone seen this before? What's going on here!

In Christ Alone

Reply to
jesusfreak_ace
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Hey! Here's kinda an update. Once I got home I turned on my headlights and both taillights come on just fine but when i rigged the brake pedal again the right side won't light up as bright, it stays on just doesn't get brighter. Still does the thing where only the left half of the third brake light lights up. Someone please tell me what's going on!

In Christ Alone

Reply to
jesusfreak_ace

Sounds like a bad ground to me R.

Reply to
Reisingers

Two bad bulbs? Look for simple solutions first, a bulb that functions as a tail light and brake light has two filaments only one may be bad. . It could be more complicated but I would check the bulbs (with a continuity tester or new bulb) before I started looking for bad grounds or shorts.

Al

Reply to
ajtessier

Check the bulbs first, if not okay, replace. Bulbs okay then.....

There is a common ground for the rear lights that is underneath the rear drivers side bumper that services all the rear lights, since two of the lights are not working properly. Check continuity, remove the ground, clean it with a wire brush, reassemble with dielectric grease. Takes about 10 minutes, real easy to do. If fixed great. If not then....

Check the bulb sockets for the affected bulb, more than likely the dielectric grease has dried up preventing a good connection. Clean it out and check the continuity and voltage. The assembly could also be cracked. A new taillight assembly would then be in order but more than likely cleaning it out will probably solve the problem. Apply fresh dielectric grease and reassemble.

Should be an easy fix.

Steve

Reply to
Steve

Hey Guys! Thanks for all the help! If it happens again I'll be sure to try all those things out!

Turns out it was just a coincidence that both right side lights were out. I replaced the tail light and now it works fine and the third brake light was just loose. For some reason the wires weren't connecting properly so I adjusted them and wiggled them around and now it's working fine. Now I've got a new problem to deal with. Go figure! That's just my luck! (Oh well. It's still better than owning a Ford :P)

In Christ Alone

Reply to
jesusfreak_ace

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