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headlights off, brake lights work....headlights on....no brake lights?

oldcancer

NAXJA Forum User
i have searched, went through 7 pages of results, didnt even find my issue.....
(yes i used advanced search/thread title only ect...)

now then, disclaimer out of the way and all......i found myself having to force my rear hatch open today (from the inside and all, as my key doesn't work in the lock cyl)......just to change my brake lights it would seem, as my dad told me they weren't working....

however, i was absolutely sure they worked no problem.....

well i was right.....sort of.....when i have the headlights and marker lights off, the brake lights work just fine, but if i turn the headlights or marker lights on, no more brake lights?

any ideas?

(pass side bulb is burned out though....would it be the same bulb as a 94? could that even be the whole problem right there?)

i have a 92....
 
Your symptom is caused by a bad ground. If you look at the brake lites, you will notice they are not as bright as they should be, because the open ground puts the filaments in series, with the ground being supplied through the filaments in the headlights. So until you turn on the lights, you have the brake light filament in series with the tail light filament, then the headlight filaments. When you turn on the headlights, 12 V is applied to the tail light filament, removing the series ground path. At this point you have 12 V on both sides of the brake light filament. As you found, the bad ground is usually corrosion in the tail light sockets. Make sure the tail light assemblies are not cracked and the socket seals are good, or the problem will come back.
 
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