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C-1 Tail Lights

Bwmurph

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 24, 2003
Messages
395
Location
Conway, SC
Corvette
'59 Blk/Red, '12 Crystal Red GS
Hi All,

I just KNOW this question or topic has been covered before; I may have even contributed to the thread, but I can't find it now and am having a problem:

The left (driver) side tail / brake light is behaving erratically on my '59. Took it over to the inspection lanes to get it inspected/registered and it failed for a brake light not working. I quick ran over to a friend's repair shop to see if he had a bulb for me. Got there and we find that it works sometimes and doesn't work other times. I know the turn signal is tied into this problem some way or another, but I cant get it to work no matter how much I make sure the t/s lever is centered. My friend thinks it's probably a ground wire that connects to the bumper is the problem.

I take the car home, have my wife come out and fool with the t/s lever somemore and it works fine. I run it back over to inspection lanes and it passes with no problem.

Later that night I'm coming home in the dark (after leaving Barry K's house) and it's not working. Now, with headlights on, as soon as I hit the break the left side light goes completely out. With headlights off it seems to be OK, as long as the t/s lever is centered.

SO........ is this a ground wire problem or a t/s centering problem or some nasty combination of both ??

Any comments or ideas from people who have dealt with this problem would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Bernie O.
 
Hi!

Check to see if the cancellation mechanism is centering after usage. I took mine apart and cleaned and lubricated this area and the lights work correctly.

Ray
 
Thanks Ray; guess that's as good a place to start as any. How hard is that to take apart ?

Thanks,

Bernie O.
 
Hi! Bernie

Not a bad job, couple hours tops, just insure that you have a good steering wheel puller.

Ray
 
OK, I guess I'm going to have to take apart the cancelling mechanism. Really didn't want to do that but I've pretty much exhausted (I think) the rest of the possibilities: a) checked the ground wire to the bumper support - OK; b) took apart the whole tail light assembly and made sure that everything is clean, shiny, and tight - OK.

I'm not sure where the opther end of the ground wire or some of the other grounds are (other than the braided ground straps), so I guess I could trace all them down, but I'm really leaning toward the cancelling mechanism as beiong the problem.

Does anyone know of an article in ANY of the Corvette magazines and/or books that go over this procedure ?

As always, any and all comments are appreciated,

Thanks,

Bernie O.
 
There was something about it in one of the latest Driveline issues. I think it was the issue before the last one. It's a very simple procedure, though. I just winged it. There has been many comments on here in the past saying how to do it.
 

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