help with 71 cutlass tail lights

[gunmetal71]

Well 2 out of 4 tail lights were working-as i removed the lenses i wiggled a 3rd bulb and seem it worked too,looks like the housing is loose.i removed the whole bumper and the 2 backup lights,license plate light,and of course the taillight housings.i bought 4 new housings along with new light bulbs,i seen that u must cut the existing wires and re-attach the new ones,so i did.turned on the lights via the headlight switch and they didnt come on.i tested each new housing (w/new bulbs) by touching the wires to the battery-they all worked,i even switched the wires (because both new housing wires are black) and they still worked.My tail light wires are (1) green and (1) black.i read here that they are daisy chained? so does that mean if one set of wires dont work htey all dont work? and what are my green and black wire mean? green=hot and black=ground? or is the black the turn signal wire? can anyone give me any info on why they wouldnt work after i attached the new housings if they worked before i cut them?

[svnt442]

The housings are grounded through the outer ring, not the wires. The 2 wires power the 2 filaments for the brake and parking lights. If you tough the 2 wires to a battery the bulb will light, but that's not the correct way to wire it. If you are trying to check them without the bumper on they won't light up unless you ground the housing.

[gunmetal71]

Originally Posted by svnt442

The housings are grounded through the outer ring, not the wires. The 2 wires power the 2 filaments for the brake and parking lights. If you tough the 2 wires to a battery the bulb will light, but that's not the correct way to wire it. If you are trying to check them without the bumper on they won't light up unless you ground the housing.

ok so i actually have to re-install the entire housing back into the shell to ground the lights? and does it matter which wire i attach the new housing to-given that the new housing wires are both black.....and the stock wires coming from the trunk are (1)green and (1) black.

[oldsonharmont]

if the bumper is off then you need to run a jumper ground wire from the bumper to the body or chassis (just temporary to test it)

[gunmetal71]

cool- so now i understand the grounding- my only question i have left is-does it matter which wire i tie into given both of my new wires are black-but the stocks are (1)green and (1)black ? thanks for the info fellas- much love

[oldsonharmont]

if you have a 12v test light, probe the wires in the harness and have someone operate the brakes and turn signals to see which is which. then connect the new socket accordingly.
(btw, do the wires on the new sockets match the colors in the harness?)

[gunmetal71]

i do have a test light and will test-but no the new wires are both black -

[texasred]

The brake/turn signal is a brighter filament than the parking lights filament.

I'd ground the housing, put power to each wire and see which filament is brighter. Then you can use the test light to see which car wire goes to who.

C.J.

[gunmetal71]

Hey Fellas,
well i fixed my problem with my tail lights not working-as you know my last question was about the wiring and which do i connect.without using a test light (i do have one) i looked at the original housings.as u know the light bulbs have two notches on them-one lower than the other-and obviously they only go in one way.when looking at the original housing-on the side of the slot that goes lower-the black wire(actually it was brown) was on the left side and the green wire was on the right side-i checked all of the housings to make sure it was consistant-it was.so i put a place of tape on the wire that was to be black-left the green wire alone-on the new housings.hooked everything back up- and wala...it worked !
cheers

[Allan R]

Good to hear that it's fixed. Now you can cruise without fear of the law stopping you for a fixit order.

[gunmetal71]

Yes Sir ! thats a big relief !

[svnt442]

Gunmetal what part of town are you?

[gunmetal71]

all of san jose-lol- well originally from the east side- by independence high-moved by east hills- now im in sunnyvale-but trying to buy a place out by blossom hill/snell .....what about you ?

[svnt442]

South end near Capitol and Monterey

[gunmetal71]

cool right around the corner from where i work ! hopefully we will bump into each other crusin

[svnt442]

Well not at the moment. My brake booster has a vacuum leak the size of the grand canyon right now. I also have an axle to swap in so I can have the right one in there again.
Fun, fun, fun.......