Passenger brake light out

[77fiatowner]

Thoughts, replaced the light, still nothing. Any way to replace the housing unit or socket without spending the 300 bucks or so for a new housing unit. Also if the wiring is bad, would replacing the housing unit do anything? Thoughts if anyone has a housing unit for the tail lights on a 77 fiat for sale?

Ed

[rlux4]

Step one would be to make sure the socket and contact point are good and clean. An emery board works good for this. Then, with a 12V test light, check to see if power is getting to the light. If power is getting to the socket and it's still not lighting, put a jumper wire firmly on the body of the socket and to ground. If that lights it up, find the ground and clean it up too.
Ron

[77fiatowner]

Ron, if the jumper wire doesnt light it up, am I then sol?

[rlux4]

You're testing to see if the socket is getting a good ground with the jumper wire. If you're getting the power to the brake light socket and the base of the bulb is touching the contact point then all you'd need is ground to get it to light up. With the brakes on, test for power at the contact point by touching it with a 12V test light. If the socket or contact point have corrosion that could be the problem.
Ron

[124JOE]

theres a ground hub under one of fenders,they go bad too.
with power off clean the socket with an pencil eraser if its too crusty cut small long strips
of a fine sandpaper fold over the eraser and jive it a lite sanding,then polish with eraser.

ive been using a dieleitric grease.a little dab will do one bulb.
use a small wire brush on the hub

[Budduncan]

If you haven't solved this yet, and the advice so far is excellent, be advised that both brake lights at the rear are fed by the same Red wire that comes from the main wiring bundle. I am troubleshooting a nasty to find short with my instrument lights that seems to be where the license plate light wiring comes from the truck through the body to the plate lights. I should get that taken care of this weekend, but the same red wire that comes from your left rear brake light travels through a bundle and reappears at the right light. Probably the ground is bad, but all the lights in that cluster are grounded at the same point. If you have an open red wire between the lights, it is relatively easy to run another, but rather than putting inside the welded panel by the trunk latch, you can run outside the panel, in the trunk and protect it with some wire wrap. I am still new to the forum but really impressed with the knowledge that is available here. I am very glad I found this site.
Cheers,
Bud in Seattle