When we were leaving to go camping this weekend, we noticed our left brake light wasn t working. The turn signal works (it s apparently the same bulb).
So, we stopped and bought another bulb, but it still isn t working. Does anyone have any suggestions on what could be wrong?
Zooey[&:]
Zooeydid you check all the wire connections to make sure they where really tight????
did your camper have brakes while you where stopping????
ZooeyYes, we checked all the wires to make sure they were tight.
No, we didn t have a brake light on the left side....
Zooey[&:]
Zooey[font=" comic sans ms" ]This just happened to us! (Same side even ...) Our problem was corrosion in the connector on the TV. It would work a little bit after we cleaned it, but it didn t last long. We ended up replacing the connector.
Good luck ~ [/font]
ZooeyI have to scratch the connector clean of corrosion a couple of times.
ZooeyThis is getting really weird! Someone told me my left brake light was out on my PU this weekend too! I checked the bulb and it s fine!!! Now off to clean the connections!
ZooeyThat is weird!! I m glad that I m not the only one... We will try cleaning the connectors.
Thanks for your help...[:)]
Zooey[&:]
Zooey
QuoteORIGINAL: Zooey
That is weird!! I m glad that I m not the only one... We will try cleaning the connectors.
After you clean them put some dielectric grease in them. Then you won t have the same problem again.
ZooeyDoes the excess dielectric grease conduct electricity good enough to short out the contacts in the connectors? The last time I used it, my charge line ended up shorting through the brake wiring and really caused a nightmare!
ZooeyAccording to Merriam-Webster s definition for dielectric it will not conduct electricity.
ZooeyGary; dielectric grease is used to insulate the connectors as well as lubricate and block moisture. Most are a silicone base grease that acys as an insulator as well as a water repellant.
If you got a short either it wasn t true dielectric grease or there were other things wrong.
Everything electrical I can t coat with RTV, shrink wrap, or mount internally where the weather can t get at it gets a full dose of DIgrease twice a year; spring and fall.
ZooeyI actually wondered this too, at first. Then I made a pile of it on a board, and tested the conductivity by just sticking the + and - directly into the pile. " 0" , none, nada! It works!
ZooeyThanks for the info! Maybe there was moisture in the connector before I applied the grease that caused the short! I blamed the grease, guess I can go back to using it! Just wondering though, if it doesn t conduct electricity, why is it good to use on terminals that are supposed to conduct electricity? Does it get scraped off when joining the connectors and reapplied when disconnecting?
I ve been just scrapping the connectors every once in a while, usually when there s a problem!
ZooeyGood question, I don t know the answer. But all I know is a couple years ago, I had a problem with my old truck, the controller thought there was always a trailer hooked up. I cleaned it, used the grease and never had a problem. It seals the contacts so the corrision just doesn t happen. But it s also non conductive. I think it s the same as vasoline too, take a lump and try the conductivity test on it. It s petro based, but a jelly. It s not conductive, but doesn t dry out...... Things that make you go hummmmm.
ZooeyGary like I said most dielectric greases are silicone based. In case of a short or high amperage draw without proper fuse protection, heat is formed. Petroleum based greases are not what you want around overheated connectors and wires.
ZooeyThis might sound a bit silly, but did you get the right bulb?
I had that problem once and got the wrong bulb.
If you remove the red lense and look on the black plastic, you may see TWO different bulb numbers to use. If you don t use the right one, it won t do what you think it should. [:)] One I believe just has a brake light filament while the other has a turn signal and brake light filament.
Hope this might help.