Right Side Brake Lights stopped Working

[70sixpkrt]

I recently had my car in the body shop, for the last 4 months, due to some idiot damaging it. Long story. I had to get the whole car painted. The body shop took off the rear tail light housing, bumper, etc. I picked the car up today and drove it home and now the brake lights on the right side don't work. The left side works and the tail lights on both sides work. It's just the right brake lights. Is there a ground wire on the right side? And where would it be?

[birdsandbees]

Steering wheel wasn't off was it, as brake lights go through the signal light switch...

Hopefully its just not getting a ground to the housing. Put a jumper wire on it to check...

[70sixpkrt]

Steering wheel was never off. How would I put a jumper wire on it? I hate electrical problems.

[Nacho-RT74]

I guess if you don't have brakes you don't have blinkers either on that side

With a ground problem you would have problems with parking lights too. Dimming or whatever. So it seems you have some wire problem between body harness and tail light itself.

The high intensity filament on rear is feeded by dark green wire and brown wire. One to left the other one to right. Can't recall the color for the right side at this moment. Just need to check if that wire is getting power. If you get, then problem is on tailight or wiring. If you don't, problem comes from cab ( either harness or turning signal )

You can also jump out the wire to check if bulbs work and discard bulbs and socket ( or tail light wire and plug ) The trunk light gets a constant 12v source from batt so with a jumper wire from trunk light source you could try to feed the wire of tail light ( dark green or brown whichever is that side ) and check if it lights on

[birdsandbees]

Steering wheel was never off. How would I put a jumper wire on it? I hate electrical problems.

Just simply a wire from the light housing to the car body. Sometimes the housing to body sealing foam isolates it from grounding properly.

[70sixpkrt]

Steering wheel was never off. How would I put a jumper wire on it? I hate electrical problems.

Just simply a wire from the light housing to the car body. Sometimes the housing to body sealing foam isolates it from grounding properly.

I will do that today. It's hard to apply the brake lights when nobody is home and your by yourself.

[70sixpkrt]

Parking lights work on both sides, trunk light works, blinkers work on both side, license plate works, reverse light works. Brake light only works on left side. Funny thing is I keep getting dead battery and it's a new battery. What would cause the dead battery. Brand new. I drove it home about 30 miles, amp gauge was good. Pulled the battery cables off for over night. This morning dead battery. Is this coincidence or part of the right brake light not working?

[ph23vo]

turn on/off  4 way flasher switch a few times.. then ck bulbs ...then add a temp ground... one of these will do it

[70sixpkrt]

Well I went under the dash to look at the turn signal connectors. I noticed that the Pink wire going to the brake switch was not fully connected. I connected it and it looks like my right brake light is working now. Now to deal with the dead battery issue. My Volt meter broke last year so I guess I have to get a new one. I'm wondering if my Alternator took a dump.

[Nacho-RT74]

Pink wire feeds just hazzards. It comes from flasher. There is no sense on that. Maybe jiggling with the plug helped, but definitely was not the pink wire.

[70sixpkrt]

Pink wire feeds just hazzards. It comes from flasher. There is no sense on that. Maybe jiggling with the plug helped, but definitely was not the pink wire.

Pink wire on the brake switch at the pedal was almost disconnected.

[Nacho-RT74]

Sorry. 2 am here and missed it was related to the brake pedal switch LOL. Well, anyway doesn't make sense either. The same wire feeds both sides. That wire becomes on white up to TS and TS splits it out internally ( while in rest position ) to both rear sides throught dark green and brown wires, one to each side. If white wire gets the power up to TS and TS is good, both should be working. There is no way the pink-white wires line is able to source just one side just because the pink wire at brake pedal switch was allmost disconected. It could get hot by the poor conection or even get dimmed lights trying to feed 4 bulbs, but that's diff. Except maybe if there is another failure associated to the problem and both at the same time, like poor ground at that side.

[Nacho-RT74]

By the way, since you already told blinkers works ( just read that ) for both sides it means wiring, bulb and sockets and even ground are fine on both sides. Blinkers and brakes shares same system. No doubts Turning switch went bad. Mostly sure the cancelling cam section, which is nowdays serviceable.

You can try a jumper wire at TS plug down the column between white, dark green and brown wires and give brakes. If brake lights light on that will confirm the TS damage.

[70sixpkrt]

Thanks. I'll start looking for a new turn signal switch just in case it goes out again.