jmn444 Posted May 15, 2010 Report Share Posted May 15, 2010 OK, my tails/brakes have always been on the dim side, so I bought some 3 bulb inserts for them (this is a '68 coupe btw) thinking it was probably just the old orig reflectors not doing much to help that single bulb... So I throw one side in, and wire it up temprorary style by just twisting the wires together to make sure it all works and I've got something weird happening: When the parking lights are on, and I hit the brakes, they do not get much brighter, it's clear the "bright" fillament is lighting up, but the overall brightness isn't changing much. I have the car on a charger to be sure it wasn't just a low battery, and same results. Before I put in the second side of 3 bulbs, I tested each bulb independently, and noted that as soon as I connected any of the 3 new brake/bright light bulb leads to the hot brake light lead in the car, the other side / single original bulb would dim considerably. Hopefully I've described this right, but does anybody have any ideas what could be happening? The brake lights are relatively fine w/o the running lights on, so it will be okay during the day, but I'd like to fix this before I get caught after sundown in it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgstang Posted May 19, 2010 Report Share Posted May 19, 2010 OK, my tails/brakes have always been on the dim side, so I bought some 3 bulb inserts for them (this is a '68 coupe btw) thinking it was probably just the old orig reflectors not doing much to help that single bulb... So I throw one side in, and wire it up temprorary style by just twisting the wires together to make sure it all works and I've got something weird happening: When the parking lights are on, and I hit the brakes, they do not get much brighter, it's clear the "bright" fillament is lighting up, but the overall brightness isn't changing much. I have the car on a charger to be sure it wasn't just a low battery, and same results. Before I put in the second side of 3 bulbs, I tested each bulb independently, and noted that as soon as I connected any of the 3 new brake/bright light bulb leads to the hot brake light lead in the car, the other side / single original bulb would dim considerably. Hopefully I've described this right, but does anybody have any ideas what could be happening? The brake lights are relatively fine w/o the running lights on, so it will be okay during the day, but I'd like to fix this before I get caught after sundown in it... Maybe your alternator or regulator are getting weak/bad connections... You can try asking at www.vintage-mustang.com you may have better luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Son of GT Posted May 19, 2010 Report Share Posted May 19, 2010 Odds are good that it's a bad ground. Check the ground points for corrosion and the ground wires for breakage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmn444 Posted May 19, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2010 I ran new grounds, and no improvement. I tried a few other things, and the running light feed has enough juice to power both running lights and brake lights, so I think I just have a power issue w/ the brake light wire/source. going to run a new power line and use a relay for brake lights till I can swap the turn signal assembly (signals never worked in the car) to see if that's the real issue since brake light power goes thru that switch too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StrayShadow Posted June 22, 2010 Report Share Posted June 22, 2010 Jason, have you found a solution for you dim brake problem? I had the same issue! The turn signals and the brake lights were dim. I replaced the Brake Pressure Switch and the Brake Extension Lead. New battery also. That fixed the problem. Let me know if that helps! 07SGT2591 Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmn444 Posted June 23, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2010 using a relay till I have time to swap out the turn signal assembly, I think that's where the problem is as the turn signals never worked either.... been a lil' busy trying to finish my jeep project up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.