Guest WHite 1991 Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 I just purchased a 1991 and the third brake light is out, I did not get an owners manuel, but there are no screws to take off the lense, how do I get to the bulb to replace it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89TC-16V Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 open the tonneau cover and it goes in throguh the bottom im pretty sure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest My TC Toy Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 Before you remove the light, (although you probably will have to) check power going to the light at the wiring connection in the top storage well.To remove the light, there are two philips head screws accessible below (above) the rubber gasket of the tonneau cover. You will have to remove the light, clean and solder the two rivets attaching the wiring to the two strips the bulbs are attached to, you will also probably have to clean all the contacts the 10 bulbs attach to. This is the nornal repair procedure. It will become clear as you go on.Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WHite 1991 Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 thanks for that info that is what I thought, now another stupid question, the Hardtop has to be removed to get the tonneau cover right?1991 TC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89TC-16V Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 yes remove the hartop otherwise i highly doubt that the tonneau cover will ever lift Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WHite 1991 Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 Thank you for the information, I am sure I will have more questions as I dig into this car, it has been neglegted from the previous owner and I am going to get it back in shape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LouZ Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 Whoa.!!! Carefully work a small screwdriver between the chrome housing and the red lens. Pop out the lens. there are 4 little snap-lips on the lens, 2 on top & 2 on the bottom. Cold & age causes them to be brittle. Be very careful. Doing it on a Sunny day with the car parked so that light is well warmed by the sun will not hurt at all. Check all bulbs and thier respective connections & sockets. When these cars set still for any period of time those sockets like to loose contact with the finewire contacts on the bulbs. With the lens off you can also check for current. It should be a full 12v. Good Luck, Lou Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
car_chick Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Also, for some reason the bulbs are wired in series so if one goes out, none of them work. The bulbs are cheap so while you have it apart, go ahead and replace all of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest My TC Toy Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 In fact, they are wired in parallel, one side positive and one side negative (ground). If they have all gone out it is probably due to a bad or broken wire connection to the bars that hold the lights, or faulty body wiring.None the less it is probably a good idea to replace all the bulbs, since you have gone to so much trouble to take it apart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mtworkshop Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Funniest thing - If one bulb goes out - The Auto Pilot goes on strike!Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
car_chick Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 TC Toy, the one I had on my parts car had one bad bulb. Once the bulb was replaced (no other work performed) the unit functioned fine. Removing one bulb caused the entire unit not to function.Is it possible that once again, depending upon the year, things may have been done differently, as is the case with so many other things about these cars? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LouZ Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 Hi Steph & Mike, Sometimes these TCs can act strange electrically. They remind me of Lucas Electrical systems. When a system uses dissimilar metals and relys on rivets to maintain electrical and mechanical connections, over time there can be nothing but strange connection occurances. All the bulbs in those brake lights should be wired in parallel. When they do not function that way, the obvious is a poor connection in the design current flow, and current is backing up and travelling in a different path. Naturally creating a different result. Same thing with that Cruise Control Mike. IIn these conditions the first place I would look is those Fuseable Links. In my limitted TC experience, all 3 times that I had an unusual read on an electrical circuit. I found a bad link, and the current flow was following an unintended path. 2x that also resulted in only 10.5V. 1x I had a full 12V. As hard as it may be to find an unexplainable water leak, it is harder to find the path of stray or unengineered electrical current flow. Just another of those "Things" Lou Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mtworkshop Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 The book says to check the brake light first.Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwinCamFan Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 Limited TC experience eh Lou? Sure...Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LouZ Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 See Mike, I never would have figured that. Another one of those things, This old Engineer brain is thinking, and I can't imagine a reasonable "Why" the third lite should make a difference. I could understand if NO brake lights worked. ~ But ~ ?? ~ Another one of those "Things". Thanks, Lou Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
car_chick Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 The same reason that sometimes putting on my left turn signal made my radio cut out in my LeBaron. Voodoo Electrix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LouZ Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Hey Steph, Now that would really cause me to check those links. There were lots of places where our TCs were lacking in Practical engineering. It seems to me many of our electrical problems are due to High resistance in some circuits. Electricity being what it is, like water will find it's easiest path, be it right or wrong, and when resistance starts causing that incorrect path, it never wants to revert back. Lou Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
car_chick Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 Well, the problem went away by itself.... go figure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest larryF Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 I had the same intermittent problem. I drilled out the rivets holding the wires to the bars, and replace them with 1/2'x7/64 machine screws. the light fixture can be popped out by carefully prying it up in the two notches in the bottom of the frame. there was corrosion where the rivets met the aluminum power bars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now