1963-65 Riviera Bulbs

[Jolly_John]

Sorry, Gang...but I do not have an owner's manual here at this time. Could someone post the following 1963-65 Riviera light bulb numbers:

-Tail light/Turn signal/Brake light

-License plate light

-Interior dome light (the ones with the round lenses on the side of the

console and interior sail panels)

Thanks much for the help. John

Edited December 16, 2011 by Jolly_John (see edit history)

[Bleach]

From '64 FSM

Tail light/Turn signal/Brake light - 1157

License plate light - 1155

Interior dome light (the ones with the round lenses on the side of the

console and interior sail panels) - 90

[Jolly_John]

Great help, Bleach! Thank you for taking the time to respond. Best, John

[Bleach]

Anytime! Hope it works for you.

[RivNut]

Here's a source for any year, make, model. I picked '1964 Riviera because it was between '63 and '65.

http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProducts/AutomotiveLighting/LampReplacementGuide/AutoLRG-Results.htm

Ed

[Bleach]

This is all I got from the link.

Server Error in '/Sylvania' Application.<hr color="silver" size="1" width="100%">

Object reference not set to an instance of an object.

Description: An unhandled exception occurred during the execution of the current web request. Please review the stack trace for more information about the error and where it originated in the code.

Exception Details: System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.

Source Error:

<table bgcolor="#ffffcc" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td> <code> An unhandled exception was generated during the execution of the current web request. Information regarding the origin and location of the exception can be identified using the exception stack trace below.</code> </td> </tr> </tbody></table>

Stack Trace:

<table bgcolor="#ffffcc" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td> <code>

[NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.] Sylvania.Templates.Detail.AutoReplacement_Results.Page_Load(Object sender, EventArgs e) System.Web.UI.Control.OnLoad(EventArgs e) +67 System.Web.UI.Control.LoadRecursive() +35 System.Web.UI.Page.ProcessRequestMain() +750 </pre></code> </td> </tr> </tbody></table>

<hr color="silver" size="1" width="100%"> Version Information: Microsoft .NET Framework Version:1.1.4322.2490; ASP.NET Version:1.1.4322.2470

[Guest Rob J]

Yep, dead link.

[RivNut]

Then type www.sylvania.com in your browser and follow the prompts.

Consumer products,

Automotive lighting

Then the info about your car.

[Guest Rob J]

Thanks for the link, useful info.

[Jolly_John]

Wow, a very helpful site...something to stick in "Favorites". Ed, thanks for sharing that. John

Edited December 16, 2011 by Jolly_John (see edit history)

[Bleach]

Thanks Rivnut, for the clarification and navigation tip.

[patrickaturner]

Hi @RivNut. A question for you: For some reason my tail lights and brake lights have stopped working. The rear turn signals still work though. When I pull the bulbs and touch a voltage sensor to the contact in the socket, I have power. But with the bulbs inserted they don't light up. The. bulbs are brand new 1157's.

 

Do the sockets have to be in the tail light housing for the tail/brake lights to work?
Is 1157 the correct tail light bulb for a 1964 Riviera?

 

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

Edited July 28, 2023 by patrickaturner (see edit history)

[BulldogDriver]

I recently had the same issue with my 63 tail lights. The socket grounds the lamps through the tail light housing which is after 60 plus years isn’t a good solution. Get sockets that have a ground wire attached and put that to a known good ground that is not the tail light housing.

 

If by chance you are using led lamps, I also had a problem with the lamp’s base not being the same diameter as the original ones. I went and got different lamps and mad sure they seat in the socket with good contact with the wire tabs.

 

Ray

[patrickaturner]

Thanks for you help, @BulldogDriver. Where did you purchase your sockets that have a ground wire?

[BulldogDriver]

I actually added a ground wire to the original socket but if your not up to doing that this should work

 

https://www.wiringdepot.com/store/p/506-JT-T-2593F-3-Wire-Universal-Double-Contact-Park-Stop-Tail-Turn-Prong-Type-Light-Socket-Pigtail-w/-Butt-Terminated-Wires-1-Pc.aspx

 

Ray

[Hazdaz]

The grounding is almost always the first thing to look into in cases like this. 

[patrickaturner]

4 hours ago, BulldogDriver said:

I actually added a ground wire to the original socket but if your not up to doing that this should work

Ray, did you just solder a ground wire to the original socket?

[RivNut]

Check to see if the turn signals/brake lights work only when the tilt wheel is in a certain position.  The sheathe around the cable that runs from the lever under the wheel to the switch low on the column can beak. When that happens, all sorts of weird configuration of lamps on and off can occur.  The bulbs have two filaments in each bulb;  one for the turn signal/brake light, and a separate one for the tail lights.  Separate wires from the fuse block as well.  Could the same filament have burned out in each bulb?  There’s a single wire for both taillights. Could it have gotten pinched/broken?  Has the rear harness to the rear lamps become partially disconnected from the flat wire running to that harness? Those two connect on the floor under the rear seat. All sorts of scenarios. If the brake lights/ turn signals work, I’d rule out a ground problem.  If the socket is not grounded, nothing will work.  A ground problem usually show up on one side only, not both.  Could the bulbs have burned out the same filament in each bulb simultaneously? Who knows what goes on in an electrical circuit from 60 years of corrosion! Good luck.

Ed

[BulldogDriver]

Yes I did soldered to the socket. Not easy and I wouldn’t suggest doing it unless you’ve got a good soldering iron. 
 

What Ed said is correct as I was having a ground issue on one side but did both.

 

Ray

[patrickaturner]

@BulldogDriver and @RivNut, thank you for your help. I have tail light power to the socket when the the headlights are on, so there must be a grounding issue or an issue with the bulbs or sockets. The bulbs fit a little loosely in the socket, so I think I'll start by trying to crimp them a little to see if I can get the bulb to fit more tightly. Stay tuned for an update.

Edited July 28, 2023 by patrickaturner (see edit history)

[RivNut]

11 minutes ago, patrickaturner said:

@BulldogDriver and @RivNut, thank you for your help. I have tail light power to the socket when the the headlights are on, so there must be a grounding issue or an issue with the bulbs or sockets. The bulbs fit a little loosely in the socket, so I think I'll start by trying to crimp them a little to see if I can get the bulb to fit more tightly. Stay tuned for an update.

I have no resources now ( it’s 1800 hrs here in Ireland) but I have to ask. Are you sure you have the correct bulbs? Another thing to check is the condition of the boots around the socket. Are they nimble enough to allow the spring within the socket to push the contacts up against the base of the bulb?  Some time ago I found a YouTube video on repairing the front turn signals on a 65 Riviera. In that video, the author explains how to rebuild the boots with the base so that the wires make contact with the bulbs.  You may have pressed new bulbs into the sockets and compressed the springs. The old boot is too stiff to allow the springs to push the contact against the bulb.  You should be able to remove the bulb and use a very small awl to move the contacts within the socket. Worth a shot. 

[1965rivgs]

8 hours ago, patrickaturner said:

Ray, did you just solder a ground wire to the original socket?

  If you have turn signals then you must have good grounds at those sockets.

Tom Mooney

[EmTee]

I have fixed loose-fitting 1157s by adding a bit of solder to the contacts on the bulb.  That usually means the spring contacts in the socket are getting tired, or may be gummed-up with old grease or some other foreign material.

[60FlatTop]

Here is my homemade ground testing tool.

 

There is about 30' of wire there to reach the rear of the car.

 

The big clamp goes on the battery ground terminal. Use the alligator clip on the electrical device housing or ground wire if it has one. This will bypass all the body ground joints.

 I have a ground soldered to my bulb sockets and tied back to a good body ground terminal.

 

[patrickaturner]

A quick update for everyone: I determined two things that were keeping the tail/brake lights from illuminating:

 

1. The metal inserts in the sockets weren't holding the bulbs securely so I removed them and crimped them slightly. That created a much more solid connection with the bulb.

2. I figured out that the turn signals will work with the sockets not inserted in the tail light housing, but the tail/brake lights will not. Once the bulbs were firmly held into the sockets (see #1 above), when I inserted the sockets into the housing, both the brake and tail light functioned normally.

 

This all started when I began an attempt to install an LED conversion kit from Dapper Lighting (https://www.dapperlighting.com/products/1963-1964-buick-riviera-sequential-led-tail-lights). Now that I know for sure I have fully functional stock tail lights, I might return to the process of attempting to install this kit.