Noticed the other night (coming home in the rain after a wedding) that the right rear tail lights were out, again.
Didn't find the issue the first time, they just started working again while I was fiddling with it trying to find out what was wrong and nothing I did made the stop working.
This time what we found was the socket, that has the four metal tabs in it that the bulb plugs into and has the wiring plug plugged into the back of the socket (neat design, allows the socket to be replaced without having to cut/splice wires) was the problem.
Tried cleaning the metal tabs with scotch brite pad material first - didn't work.
Tried cleaning the metal tabs with a rolled up piece of sandpaper - didn't work.
Took a small bladed common screw driver and worked it into the socket in such a way that I tried to twist the blade to bend the tabs towards each other (to make better contact with the wires on the plug - that worked.
I could push the bulb into the socket, pull it out and repeat that over and over and the bulb would light up.
I've ordered a new socket, just in case.
Dorman lists 3 different replacements for that socket. Rock Auto lists 1. Ford lists one. If I'd written the number on the socket down when I had it out/off the plug it would have been handy (maybe) in ordering the replacement. I didn't even think to take a picture of it (the number I mean.)
I'm supposing just heat/metal fatigue over time since the bulb isn't regularly inserted/removed from the socket at a rate to induce extra wear.
Prior to bending the tabs a bit you could wiggle the plug around and the bulb would come on (sort of what happened to me the first time I had the problem) sometimes, but not others. After bending the tabs the plug stayed lit up even if twisted around a bit while in the socket or bumped against my hand, and would light up every time I inserted it back into the socket, not just randomly or if wiggled/twisted around.
Minor problem to have considering the electronics on this thing.
Didn't find the issue the first time, they just started working again while I was fiddling with it trying to find out what was wrong and nothing I did made the stop working.
This time what we found was the socket, that has the four metal tabs in it that the bulb plugs into and has the wiring plug plugged into the back of the socket (neat design, allows the socket to be replaced without having to cut/splice wires) was the problem.
Tried cleaning the metal tabs with scotch brite pad material first - didn't work.
Tried cleaning the metal tabs with a rolled up piece of sandpaper - didn't work.
Took a small bladed common screw driver and worked it into the socket in such a way that I tried to twist the blade to bend the tabs towards each other (to make better contact with the wires on the plug - that worked.
I could push the bulb into the socket, pull it out and repeat that over and over and the bulb would light up.
I've ordered a new socket, just in case.
Dorman lists 3 different replacements for that socket. Rock Auto lists 1. Ford lists one. If I'd written the number on the socket down when I had it out/off the plug it would have been handy (maybe) in ordering the replacement. I didn't even think to take a picture of it (the number I mean.)
I'm supposing just heat/metal fatigue over time since the bulb isn't regularly inserted/removed from the socket at a rate to induce extra wear.
Prior to bending the tabs a bit you could wiggle the plug around and the bulb would come on (sort of what happened to me the first time I had the problem) sometimes, but not others. After bending the tabs the plug stayed lit up even if twisted around a bit while in the socket or bumped against my hand, and would light up every time I inserted it back into the socket, not just randomly or if wiggled/twisted around.
Minor problem to have considering the electronics on this thing.
