1957 taillight not working | Ford Thunderbird forum club group 1955-2005 models

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1957 taillight not working

  • Thread starter Thread starter dfetzel
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dfetzel

dfetzel

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Left taillight does not work. Bulb is good; left turn signal+brake lights work, but no light on with HL switch on. other lights work

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Your ground is good. For what ever reason you are not getting power to the park light terminal, solder mass on bulb base. Start at terminal in socket looking for voltage to ground. Follow that wire by color of insulation back to its source. Find someone who has electrical experience to help you.
 
dfetzel said:
Left taillight does not work. Bulb is good; left turn signal+brake lights work, but no light on with HL switch on. other lights work
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As suggested the first place it to assure you see ~12V at the button in the base of the socket. If no power, work backwards to you find the break in the wire.

But - Electrical problems can be frustrating. Here are the two most frustrating I've encountered:
It is possible it is a bad ground. If the brake and signal work with the headlights off, but behave differently with the running lights on it is likely a bad ground. The brake/signal filament has "found" a ground by backfeeding through the other filament in that left bulb then through the running lights on other lamps that are off. This changes when the running lights are powered and that turn signal will not blink or all will blink at a different rate.

Just because a old bulb looks "good" may not indicate it is. Best method is to check for continuity through both filaments if you have a multi-meter. If you don't have a multi-meter swap the bulb locations with another bulb that is working. Sometimes there is a microscopic break inside the bulb and every so often the solder nib on the base of the bulb has been deformed/melted slightly by heat and isn't making contact to the power supply in the base of the socket. Swapping with another bulb will find these issues.
 
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