My wife 2018 Forester goes thru taillights bulbs like candy. After disconnecting the the tailight how far does the next electrical harness go thru the body. Have started pulling interior panels yet. I am trying to do some research before attack this electrical issue. Open to any ideas.
Taillights
- Thread starter Kpilar
- Start date
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2024
- Messages
- 39
- Reaction score
- 16
I can only speak about my experience with my 2002 Outback, but I had trouble from corrosion because the taillights would fill up with water! I fixed this problem by drilling some drain holes in the back of the sealed unit and that allowed the water and condensation to drain away. The ground was rusty in the socket, so I cleaned it out with some sandpaper, and a steel bristle brush from my plumbing kit,and, so far, no more problems.
If you decide to try this approach, remember that the hole must be big enough to overcome the surface tension of the water, and, by drilling at the backside of the tailight assembly, the "repair" was not visible on the outside of the car.
Another idea is to replace the bulbs with an LED light that might have longer life.
If you decide to try this approach, remember that the hole must be big enough to overcome the surface tension of the water, and, by drilling at the backside of the tailight assembly, the "repair" was not visible on the outside of the car.
Another idea is to replace the bulbs with an LED light that might have longer life.
Thanks for your responses. I tried Delectric grease some time ago this did not resolve the issue. LED bulbs also did not fix it. I think there is a short in the harness. Looks like I will be removing interior panels. I'l will post if I am able to fix this.
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2024
- Messages
- 39
- Reaction score
- 16
Maybe it is a ground issue? Do the LED lights actually burn out? Or do they just not light up? Have you tested the spent bulbs to make sure they are burnt up and don't work anymore?
Or...Maybe it is a fuse issue? Did you test the bulbs after removing them? A bad ground in the rear wiring might be causing an intermittent problem. I like Tipjar's suggestion of dielectric grease! WD-40 will drive out moisture, but it won't last very long. A short can be either a break in the wires where the circuit is not completed, or a dead short to ground can cause a failed circuit to leak electricity from the battery. My intuition suggests that an actual short is unlikely.
Or...Maybe it is a fuse issue? Did you test the bulbs after removing them? A bad ground in the rear wiring might be causing an intermittent problem. I like Tipjar's suggestion of dielectric grease! WD-40 will drive out moisture, but it won't last very long. A short can be either a break in the wires where the circuit is not completed, or a dead short to ground can cause a failed circuit to leak electricity from the battery. My intuition suggests that an actual short is unlikely.
Thanks Mark, I did try the dielectricc grease. My father had a 1980 MGB, Lucas Electronics, I chased grounds one summer to clean up and used plenty of dielectri grease to make sure everthing electrical worked. I did try putting the bulbs in another light socket, they were definetly burnt out. As stated in an earlier post when I get around to looking for the problem I will share my experience.