[chevy_guy69]

hi, i need some help with wiring my tail lights. i've looked through alot of threads and i can not find an answer. this is my problem, my tail lights, turns signals and back up lights are very dim with turn signal on or 4-way on. my brake lights work but are dim as well. so this is what i found out..... if i touch the metal clips on the light bulb socket to a ground the light becomes bright. what is supposed to ground these? or do i have an incorrect harness? this is a fresh build so i dont know if the harness is correct. thanks for any help.

[freezined]

http://search.yahoo.com/r/_ylt=A0oGd...fr=yfp-t-900-s

There should be a ground wire coming off the harness that grounds to the trunk latch support, where the wire comes off for the license plate light.

[chevy_guy69]

there is a ground and it is connected, if it isnt connected the lights will not work. so are the metal clips on the bulb socket just there to hold the socket into the housing?

[Hotch]

"Coming off" not disconnected. The ground is likely loose or corroded and creating resistance. Check with an ohm meter.

[freezined]

Interesting, you're right that's it's a bad ground, on a 69 the metal clips are just for retention to the plastic housing. If you run a wire from the metal clip to the grounding point does it help? 1st thoughts are weak ground, did they use a star washer or clean paint under ground? Sounds like a bad ground wire or something funky in the harness. Can you check the resistance between the metal clip and the ground wire?

[Everett#2390]

The sockets clip into the bezel and bezel is fastened to the tail panel with palnuts, a stamped sheet metal nut. This is the ground path.
You may need to run a separate ground wire from either the bezel, pick a screw/nut on the bezel itself, or just might need a path from a palnut to the trunk ground connection.

[chevy_guy69]

everett, that is what i was thinking but how does it ground through the plastic? is there some sort of metal strip im missing?

[chevy_guy69]

anyone have any more info on this ?

[Everett#2390]

OE sockets are metal and fit into the metal part of the bezel.
Aftermarket sockets are plastic with two metal tabs supposedlty touching the metal bezel. The tabs are galvanized and sometimes do not make good contact, hence, the separate ground wire.

[freezined]

69 OEM tail light housings are plastic, there's not a metal strip on the 69's, I believe the 67 and 68 tail light housings are metal. As Everett suggested you could run a wire from the socket to mounting post for a good ground

[Vega$69]

This is the way they are wired. As all grounds go to a common point and all of your lights are dim this issue is probably with the with a bad ground.

Take the wires loose. clean the contact rings and remove the paint to bare metal where the ground wires attach. A drop of motor oil and re-attach the wires nice and tight.

If you still have issues check the engine to body ground straps.

[BPOS]

Originally Posted by Everett#2390

OE sockets are metal and fit into the metal part of the bezel.
Aftermarket sockets are plastic with two metal tabs supposedlty touching the metal bezel. The tabs are galvanized and sometimes do not make good contact, hence, the separate ground wire.

Everett thinks that the 1st gen Camaro began and ended in 1968!

[Vega$69]

Originally Posted by BPOS

Everett thinks that the 1st gen Camaro began and ended in 1968!

Haha. The 68 was the testing bed that helped them get 69s perfect.

[chevy_guy69]

thanks everyone for the advice. ive tried and tried everything except running a seperate ground from each bulb socket to trunk ground. i think i may buy a new light harness. can someone tell me if a 69 camaro harness has the input wires and a ground wire to each bulb?

[69-Pace]

Have you checked the obvious such as wrong bulbs? Is the tail light housing tight against the body for good ground path? If you ground the light by hand does it brighten up?