I bought my van about 6 months ago, and the brake lights were working fine until recently. The reverse lights were even lighting up when I braked, but I put red tape over them to fix that. Now, a few of the brake and running lights are out, and others are super dim. I’ve replaced all the bulbs (running, parking, reverse), but some still won’t light up. Should I be looking at the harness or ground in the sockets? Or could it be that some splicing came loose? It’s an '03 Express body with older Gladiator doors and brake lights. Any help would be awesome! Thanks!
Sounds frustrating! Have you checked the wiring for any damage? Sometimes it’s just a loose connection.
Merlin said:
Sounds frustrating! Have you checked the wiring for any damage? Sometimes it’s just a loose connection.
Good idea! I’ll check the wiring too. Just didn’t think of that, lol.
Could definitely be a ground issue. If the ground isn’t good, it can make lights act all weird.
Conn said:
Could definitely be a ground issue. If the ground isn’t good, it can make lights act all weird.
What do you mean by ground issue? Is that like a wiring problem?
Conn said:
Could definitely be a ground issue. If the ground isn’t good, it can make lights act all weird.
Yeah, exactly! If the ground connection is loose or corroded, it can mess with the lights. Just check where the wires connect to the body.
I had a similar issue with my truck. Turned out to be a bad harness. Might be worth checking that out.
Definitely check for any splices too. Sometimes they can get loose over time, especially on older vehicles.
Vincent said:
Definitely check for any splices too. Sometimes they can get loose over time, especially on older vehicles.
Yeah, I think I’ll take a look at those splices. Thanks for the tip!
Make sure to check the socket contacts too. If they’re dirty or corroded, they can cause dim lights.