my rear brake lights......the passenger side is ALOT brighter than the driver side.....

many people actually thought that the bulb was blown in the driver side but looking at it closely shows that the light comes on but very faintly


oh yeah, i checked to make sure i have the correct bulb, I do


what can be wrong???

 

Often just looking at a light bulb will not reveal a fault, so while it visually looks good, electrically, it may not be.

Try swapping the bulb with the bulb on the other side. Now, does the problem move? If so, you've found the problem (a bad bulb). If not, then the problem is probably with the wiring (poor/dirty connection, etc.).

EDIT:
I re-read your post. I thought that you just looked at the bulb with it out of the socket. Since it does come on, only very dimly, try swapping it anyway. It's still possible (filament is not making proper contact with its support[s] or not making good electrical contact in the socket) that something is wrong with the bulb. Swapping bulbs would elimate the bulb as being bad. If the problem stays, then I'd check the socket (clean, nothing preventing a good contact with the bulb, etc.) and then the wiring.

What does the bulb look like with just the brakes on?

What does the bulb look like with just the parking lights on?

What does the bulb look like with both the brakes and parking lights on?

[This message has been edited by Stuart Moss (edited June 16, 2001).]