Brake light does not work

.DAVEY5014

MEMBER
1978 JEEP CJ5
88,000 MILES

All lights work when I picked it up two days later the left brake light went out.I replaced the bulb had the wife push pedal down thinking it would be good. Not, still no left brake light. Where do I go from here? I have saved for this vehicle for three years and spent my last dime to get it so taking it to the shop right now is kind of out of the question.
My fried who always helped with my auto repairs passed away two days ago so the vehicle just sits.

1 Reply

CJ MEDEVAC

MECHANIC
11,004 POSTS

Check the bulb and insure it is not 180 degrees from being installed correctly. Old sockets are sometimes worn or out of shape and the bulb may sort of fit either way. You can look at the pins on the bulb to see which one is the "High or Low" entering the socket tracks.

Insure the bulb fully twists into place in the socket once it is fully depressed in. Sometimes the two contacts in the bottom of the socket are kind of sticking up too high and the bulb cannot twist. Sometimes you can pull on the wires on the backside of the socket to pull the contacts inward while you install the bulb.

If it were working recently (and the other side works) we might rule out a wiring problem. Has the wiring been chopped on/ monkeyed with to install a trailer light pigtail? If any of the above is not working we might do some testing. Do you have a twelve volt test light or a voltmeter?

The Medic