Ever since I've had this car the tail lights have been acting weirdly. With the housing on the right side sometimes the bulbs are equally bright, sometimes the bulb on the right is more dim (not a broken filament). With the housing on the left side, the left bulb sometimes glows extremely bright, and the bulb on the right isn't on, but sometimes the bulbs are of equal (not as intense) brightness. I tried checking the ground screw that's connected to the trunk latch system on the chassis and sanded it down and the area it sat on, and that didn't solve it. I was jiggling the wires for the left bulb in the left housing, and it changes the way the tail lights are lighting up, even effecting the housing on the right side. I tried to turn on the hazards, which usually gives the illusion of "wig-wags", but this time I noticed the green arrow on the right lights up first, then the left arrow lights up (within a fraction of a second), and then they just froze. The right turn signal functions properly, while the left one froze. I've tried looking it up, but to no avail.
Malfunctioning Tail Lights & Rear Turn Signals (1972)
- Thread starter N_S_Eller
- Start date
92 Sunbird LE
Well-known member
Check the front bulbs and sockets, also check the battery ground to frame/body. ( clean and tight )
Last , it maybe wiring inside the car.............( under the carpet / sill plates )
Doug in P.R.
Last , it maybe wiring inside the car.............( under the carpet / sill plates )
Doug in P.R.
The signals/parking lights up front are functioning without a problem (except for when the hazards were frozen and also whenever the left signal was frozen). I'm not so sure about the brightness factor because the previous owner changed the bulbs. The bulb for the right signal (from inside the car) is opaque, while the left signal's is transparent. I'm not sure what you mean by checking the front sockets. Could you please explain? Also, could you give me a general area of where the battery ground to the frame/body is?
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it sounds like a grounding problem and I would recheck the ground wire in the back coming from the sockets. In addition remove the bulbs and make sure the contacts inside the socket are not distorted preventing a solid conection. Trace the negative cable from the battery to probably the engine to make sure it's clean.
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cammerjeff
Well-known member
I agree, I would start off by actually running a ground wire to the individual tail light sockets, the style socket used on these GM cars actually uses the tail light assembly as a ground (thru the mounting bolts) one of the tabs on the sockets is supposed to act as a ground to the bulb thru the tail light mounting bolts. Not a great design when new, and after 40 years corrosion and bent tabs can cause further problems. If the added ground wire solves the issue I would make additional straps for each socket. I know not stock but they have worked well for me in the past.
I have been busy with things life has been throwing at me. I still have the car, I just have not been able to check this forum for a while. I got this problem fixed by scraping the contacts in the sockets, and the hot ground wire was a bad connection to the socket, but we got that sorted out. The lights have been working like a dream!