Rear Lights

[Jim M.]

I have a 65 small block and just had the rear end re built. The day after my back lights do not work.
My front lights go on my signal lights work and the rear lights work only when I put on the breaks. Can any one help.

Greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[Grant M.]

Re: Rear Lights

Jim,

Problems I've had with rear lights on my 65 were mostly to do with the black ground wires being properly attached to the light housing (and making electrical contact), but if your brake lights work, then the grounds must be okay. Given your comment about rear end rebuilding, and assuming that someone else removed and reinstalled the rear end, I think I'd be tracing the rear light wiring harness to look for evidence of a wire break somewhere, affecting the tail light circuit.

Good luck!

grant

[John H.]

Re: Rear Lights

The taillights (rear running lights) and license light all get their power from one single 18-ga. brown wire in the rear harness; that wire is fed directly from its own terminal on the headlight switch, and is totally independent from any other circuit in the car. That brown wire in the rear harness (under the car) may have been nicked, pinched or cut when the rear end was removed/re-installed. Check for power at the 20-ga. brown wire terminal at the headlight switch first, then at the brown wire in the body harness connector above the driver's side kickpad, then you'll have to look for a damage point under the rear of the car if the previous checks were OK.