8 replies to this topic

[Heather&Henrietta]

Model: City E
Year: 1986
Description of problem:

Hey Guys & Gals


Been a while since I've posted properly, just not spending much time online on the laptop anymore. However I find myself in need of some ideas with a problem I have with Henny's tail lights!

I'm no expert on car leccy's so here the situation - break lights in working order, reverse lights are on static when I put my headlamps on, however I have no red tail lights at all.... Rear electrics haven't been touched or tampered with since last April before I went on the Riviera Run, I don't use the boot for anything, so haven't knocked anything. This problem has only appeared within this week, lights have all been correct up until now.

Faulty reverse switch? Wires wired incorrectly? Faulty wire? Wire tripping?

Can someone give some advice please????!! Thanks in advance!

[miniobsessed]

First thing I would check would be your 'earth' connection to all of your rear lights. Bad earth connections can cause some very interesting electrical symptoms.

On from that you'd really need to crank out the voltmeter and test your light connections to see if voltage is appearing where and when it shouldn't be and then find the source of it.

[crazycoleman118]

as above check all your earths, electricity finds the path of least resistance (a bit like water), so this maybe your reverse lights... might be worth taking the bulbs out aswell and cleaning all the faces inside the lamp with a bit of sandpaper/wet and dry

[Ethel]

What about number plate & dash illumination? (Shares the same circuit)

[MiNi_BoRe]

Just my 2 cence but....

I had a similar fault not so long ago where all my front lights were fine but rears all went nuts.... turned out that at some time when id had the fuel tank out id replaced it and placed it on top of the loom wires which originally ran down the side and around the tank, eventually after about 4 months driving with no problems the rim of the tank finally managed to cut through the wires under the tank... thus killin/confusing all my rear lights......Just a possibility if your tanks ever been out, worth a 30sec look to be sure anyway... just tug the wires if they go under the fuel tank, and if they dont move at all, then they'v prob been crushed by the tank and shorted, if the move freely or are routed correctly and are free to move then just ignore my comment and good luck lol.

[Heather&Henrietta]

Wow thanks for all the replies


Rear tails lights are now working, however reverse lights were actually showing even with the ignition on rather than having to flick the headlamps on! Dad found a perminant live to the reverse switch, although can't work out how it happened when the rear cables haven't been touched for work for best part of a year

However, we live off road and have a very bumpy and uneven gravel track to drive across to get to and from our house....Henny took a nasty knock to the front of the centre pipe on the exhaust a few weeks ago thanks to the extra mud along the track, wondering if the switch took a knock too...could this have affected things?

Edited by Heather&Henrietta, 07 March 2011 - 12:27 PM.

[Ethel]

Had a quick gander at a wiring diagram as I couldn't figure how an ignition feed could become a permanent live all on its own. The fog light & indicators still need the ignition on?

If the reverse lights are lit when it's not in reverse my guess would be the reverse switch is shorting into the selector so it's become an extra earth. You would need some volts to come the wrong way up the wire though; any of the rear lights or the fuel gauge might do.

Wondering if this relates to your self toasting ignition wire last year: how did you sort that in the end?

[Heather&Henrietta]

Hi Ethel

RE Ignition wire - I paid an auto electrician in the end to come and have a look at Henrietta. He found that the wiper rack was buckled and therefore the wires inside were mangled, causing the motor to short out, hence the overheating white ignition wire.


Not sure if her numberplate light is working our not, all dash lights are fine and normal. Henny's fog light isn't connected to a switch and hasn't been all the time I've had her, and ignition needs to be on for the indicators to work

[Ethel]

I think that's good - the reverse lights should come off the heated rear screen switch +ve, which in turn comes off the +ve side of the indicator flasher. The whole lot should need the ignition on.


The lack of tail lights could have been explained by a there being +ve volts on the earth side of the bulb (equal 'n opposite = no juice flowing), either poor earths or a short (soggy bulb holder?)