Tail light ain't working.

[spize909]

I'm putting the plastics back on my wife's 04 after straighening a few things out and hopefully getting the carb dialed in and I checked the lights and at first the headlights weren't working then they were kind of intermittent. I'm pretty sure I didn't have the plug in quite all the way and they seem fine now.

So here's the problem. The headlights work, the brake lights work, the whip light plug has power but...............the tail light does not work and the brake lights only work when the key is not on the headlight position. As soon as I switch it all the way over the brake lights go off.

Seems if I have power at the whip and the brake lights work the tail lights should work......

I'm figuring maybe it's in the splice at the whip wiring........but do not understand why the brake light does not come on at all times.

[dtfm33]

Check your ground wire.

[spize909]

why would the whip light that is spliced into the tail light wiring have power and not the tail light that is 3" away?
I will check it all but at this point it just doesn't make sense.
Musta happened when I wrecked.........

[spize909]

"why would the whip light that is spliced into the tail light wiring have power and not the tail light that is 3" away"?

I'll tell you why dummy......cuz the ground wire was bad where it attached to the tail light socket itself, that's why!

Little bit of solder and it's good as not so new!

[dtfm33]

The reason the lights worked individually, was because each circuit is grounding through the other wire. When you have power to both, neither light works.

Dan