replaced brake light fuse, worked for a short time....
replaced brake light fuse, worked for a short time....
trying to figure out what is causing my brake lights not to work, they worked for a short time after i replaced the fuse, then the same night the fuse is shot again? where do i look for a short? trunk? i did notice this one bulb keeps burning out every so often ( 3 to 6 months ) and replaced it with a fresh one. running lights are working as well as turn signals, thanks
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 2,974
From: Portland, Oregon
A fuse can blow due to a short, or if the system draws more amps than it is designed for.
I would start with the socket and wiring to the light bulb which you are replacing.
Are the bulb socket contacts clean and shiny?
Do you see any crud in the sockets between the center contacts and the outer shell of the socket?
I would start with the socket and wiring to the light bulb which you are replacing.
Are the bulb socket contacts clean and shiny?
Do you see any crud in the sockets between the center contacts and the outer shell of the socket?
A fuse can blow due to a short, or if the system draws more amps than it is designed for.
I would start with the socket and wiring to the light bulb which you are replacing.
Are the bulb socket contacts clean and shiny?
Do you see any crud in the sockets between the center contacts and the outer shell of the socket?
I would start with the socket and wiring to the light bulb which you are replacing.
Are the bulb socket contacts clean and shiny?
Do you see any crud in the sockets between the center contacts and the outer shell of the socket?
Sometimes a bulb can short internally and blow a fuse. In dual element bulbs, the metal arms that hold the filaments can warp from the heat and touch the other filament. Maybe that last bulb you replaced is the guilty culprit.
A lot of times this will happen to people that carry a lot of stuff in the trunk. The wire harness gets damaged. something slides and hits the harness.
I wish you luck. Intermittent stuff can be tough to find.
A lot of times this will happen to people that carry a lot of stuff in the trunk. The wire harness gets damaged. something slides and hits the harness.
I wish you luck. Intermittent stuff can be tough to find.
....
finally got around to fixing the brake light issue, took the rear lights apart and one was burnt out and there was a screw in hole where there was wires? 
i know i didn't put that there, that solves the mystery of why that bulb kept burning out. wire was exposed a tiny bit and of course i took that screw out and left it out, another bulb was broke underneath where the 2 **** are, one was blown out which i've never seen before. i also put dialectic grease in all of the sockets and wallah!!! everything works, car is 22 years and almost 9 months old. luckily it was a pretty straight forward 25 minute repair. 
i know i didn't put that there, that solves the mystery of why that bulb kept burning out. wire was exposed a tiny bit and of course i took that screw out and left it out, another bulb was broke underneath where the 2 **** are, one was blown out which i've never seen before. i also put dialectic grease in all of the sockets and wallah!!! everything works, car is 22 years and almost 9 months old. luckily it was a pretty straight forward 25 minute repair.
Junior Member
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 55
From: Long Beach, CA
Where did you end up finding that screw in the hole where the wires were exposed?
finally got around to fixing the brake light issue, took the rear lights apart and one was burnt out and there was a screw in hole where there was wires? i know i didn't put that there, that solves the mystery of why that bulb kept burning out. wire was exposed a tiny bit and of course i took that screw out and left it out, another bulb was broke underneath where the 2 **** are, one was blown out which i've never seen before. i also put dialectic grease in all of the sockets and wallah!!! everything works, car is 22 years and almost 9 months old. luckily it was a pretty straight forward 25 minute repair.
i know i didn't put that there, that solves the mystery of why that bulb kept burning out. wire was exposed a tiny bit and of course i took that screw out and left it out, another bulb was broke underneath where the 2 **** are, one was blown out which i've never seen before. i also put dialectic grease in all of the sockets and wallah!!! everything works, car is 22 years and almost 9 months old. luckily it was a pretty straight forward 25 minute repair.