how to i replace the rear tailight, laugh all you want but the car is new to me and i need to replace the far left taillight


another thing is, my 86 has the outside middle brake light, but it doesnt work, i checked the bulbs, they are fine, i checked the wiring and it seems fine also, any suggestions?

thanks for your help

 

I used to have an '86 and the prob I had with the third brake light not working was how it was grounded to the rear hatch. Right inside the enclosure there are two grounds that go through the glass and they eventually work loose and the light bulb bar isn't grounded anymore.
I think, if I remember correctly, that I went inside and epoxied them back on. It is annoying and a pain in the butt to do but it does work. If you buy yourself a test light it will help you in diagnosing probs like these, if you know how to use one. Hope this helps!
Sorry, but I never had to replace the rear t/light. If you want good suggestions on how to do it, you need to specify whether it's the t/light assembly or just the bulb.

 

thanks man, ill check that out, its just the bulb, i dont know how to get access to it though, seems over-complicated

 

the main taillight on the back if you take off the back molding pieces you will find plastic screws you can undo by hand that hold it on.

 

thanks, i couldnt figure it out.

 

they are black as well and you cant miss em, there is one behind the side panel as well i think there are 5 of them all together.

and you are welcome. first time i had to do it i couldnt figure it out either, i was 16 and i pulled the outter lens cover off it was hilarious.

 

There should be a spade connector on each end of the hatch struts. There will be a wire for each end, one on the hatch itself and another on the body close to where the struts are mounted. If these aren't connected, your third brake light won't work.

If by far left taillight, you mean the driver side "sidemarker" on the taillight (you'll notice Firebirds have a seperate sidemarker on the quarter panel; Camaros have it built-in to the taillight), you remove the plastic trim that covers the latch mechanism at the back of the trunk well. There are 3 or 4 big plastic bolts that hold it in, and possibly two phillips-head screws on top if you have a hatch motor. You should see big black plastic wingnuts that hold the taillight assembly in once you move that plastic piece out of the way. You will only see four of them, as the fifth one is towards the corner of the car behind the locking compartment. Removing that whole locking compartment is time-consuming, and you should be able to feel around in there to find the fifth wingnut.

Once you have the taillight out, the sidemarker light uses a standard 194 bulb.

 

The center (third) brake light operates off a seperate circuit of the brake switch. If it doesn't work, you might need to change the brake switch or check the wiring to it. Also, the wires that CaysE has mentioned going to the hatch struts have nothing to do with the brake light. They are for the rear defroster grid in the hatch glass. Here is a schematic of the third brake light and the hatch contact that is mentioned in it. If the contact is not connected or working right that brake light won't work.

 

part 2

 

It appears we are both half right, Trickster.

The passenger side strut is the ground for BOTH the defroster and third brake light.

The driver side strut does not directly connect to the third brake light however. There are two female spade connectors where the strut meets the hatch. One for the defroster and the other for the third brake light.

 

Here is the driver's side strut. There are two leads (positive) running along the outer edge of the hatch glass. You can see where the leads stop at the third brake light at the bottom of this picture. With the hatch closed and brakes applied, you can test the circuit with a voltmeter right where those two leads stop under the brake light. If you're getting power but no light, the problem is somewhere within the brake light housing. If you're not getting any power, make sure all of the connectors below are properly seated. If you're still looking good at this point, remove the plastic trim piece on the underside of the hatch and inspect the wire going to the driver's side strut as well as the contactors. Beyond this, refer to Trickster's diagrams.



And here is the passenger side.

 

on the driver side part of the hatch, its not connected to the strut, allthough there is a terminal there, should it be hooked up? would that cause just the defroster not to work or the brake light also

 

also, i dont have a voltmeter, is there a rigged up way i can check to see if there is voltage? and i took the plastic panel off allready on the hatch, all wiring seems okay to go, the connection piece on the hatch that makes a contact to the connection by the hatch motor is on a bit of an angle, it MIGHT not be making contact with the connector by the hatch motor. but other than that all wiring on the hatch seems OKAY excecpt for on the drivers side where its not attached to the strut like i mentioned in the previous post

 

The driverside terminal on the strut would only affect the defroster grid. You can use any automotive lightbulb and some wire to test if there's current just before the third brake light. You can also try this on the contacts on the car. Just make sure the brakes are applied.

 

Seems trickster and casey are talking about 2 different style third brake lights . Another thing you can check is for continuity in "wires" on your hatch glass. Probably less likely the problem then the other suggestions, but still a possibility.

Also I think you should invest in a digital volt meter. It's the best tool to have in your tool box when figuring out electrical gremlins. They can be had for as low as $5 from harbor freight. I bought mine at sears hardware for $20 and it proved to be very usefull.

 

86 f-bodies only had one style 3rd brake light: externally mounted on the hatch. I'm pretty sure Trickster knows this.

 

The style that I have seen and was referring to was the third brake light mounted in the spoiler like it is on the 89 models.

 

LOL... well your wiring diagrams still apply, if that makes you feel better.