[urq] Tailight "Ground" Issues

[fdekat]

Hello All:

I have had almost continuous problems with rear lighting on my urq. Both
brake lights inoperative, so cruise control doesn't work.. Only one reverse
light, maybe only one turn signal..

It all comes down to the flakey connector, and the wiring setup.

-All the tailight wiring first goes to the left tailight assembly on one side
of the left light connector.  Wiring them goes to the right tailight from the
other side of the left light connector.

-If the connetor isn't installed on the left light assembly, then you don't
get a connection to the right assembly. The pins of left tailight holder
supply the continity between the two 'sides' of the left connector. So any
power that goes to the right connector has to go through (rather flakey)
contacts on the left side of the car TWICE to make it to the righ side light
assembly!  (Including the ground for the right side lights)

I got really tired of wiggling and cleaning and polishing the connector and
pins at the left connector.  I finally ended up hardwiring the wiring to the
light assebly, using long wires (so I could pull the light assembly out of
the car). I also added a ground to the body from that 'lug' on the light
assembly.

Since then, no more problems in the rear, and cruise *always* works! (Cruise
control won't engage if the brake lights are electically 'missing').

Regards,

=Frank=

> Message: 1
> Date: Tue, 5 Jun 2007 09:41:01 -0400
> From: "Louis-Alain Richard" <larichard at plguide.com>
> Subject: Re: [urq] Tail Light Issues

> To solve the problem, I dismantled the flat black connector, and I
> discovered that all the ground and 12+ contacts in it were indeed "burned",
> mainly because the wire end connector is made of plated copper, and the
bulb
> cluster spades are galvanized steel, or something like that. This caused
> corrosion, even without presence of water and two burned spots were visible
> on many connectors. Remember, 
> 
> The solution was to grind these hot spots with a file (or a Dremel) to
> change the contact point between the two connectors, and I gently bent the
> spades in a U form so the new contact point is between the two former
burned
> spots. 
> Louis-Alain



> Wot?  Adding/improving grounds can do nothing to help tail light issues?
> For doing nothing, it helped my car a lot.
> 
> I also "refreshed" the contacts in the flat connector. Mine showed some
> carbon buildup which was easily removed with some emory paper.