Tan goop used inside the tail light bulb sockets.

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Apr 25, 2026 | 08:13 PM
  #1  
Tan goop used inside the tail light bulb sockets. Can you still get more?
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Apr 25, 2026 | 10:56 PM
  #2  
Re: Tan goop used inside the tail light bulb sockets.
Don't know if it's tan, but they sell bulb grease at O'Reilly. Saw it there yesterday at the checkout counter.
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Apr 26, 2026 | 05:54 PM
  #3  
Re: Tan goop used inside the tail light bulb sockets.
Quote: Don't know if it's tan, but they sell bulb grease at O'Reilly. Saw it there yesterday at the checkout counter.
Thanks. I did a search and I think the goop was this stuff. However, it doesn’t tell you the color of the grease on the container.


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Apr 29, 2026 | 09:04 AM
  #4  
Re: Tan goop used inside the tail light bulb sockets.
Why are you hung up on the color? It's likely just a dielectric grease. Maybe it turned tan over the last 40 years?
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Apr 29, 2026 | 05:53 PM
  #5  
Re: Tan goop used inside the tail light bulb sockets.
I’m hung up on it because it seems to be pretty good stuff (lasted for over 25 years) and I want to be original. This is the History/Originality forum, I believe.

I don’t think it turned color over time. I think it was a tan/light brown color from the beginning. I’ve looked at tail light harnesses on eBay, even the ones at the junkyard, and all the connectors on those have that same tan grease inside of them. This grease was used by other automakers as well. I’m trying to find out what they originally used.
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Apr 30, 2026 | 06:37 AM
  #6  
Re: Tan goop used inside the tail light bulb sockets.
Quote: I’m hung up on it because it seems to be pretty good stuff (lasted for over 25 years) and I want to be original. This is the History/Originality forum, I believe.

I don’t think it turned color over time. I think it was a tan/light brown color from the beginning. I’ve looked at tail light harnesses on eBay, even the ones at the junkyard, and all the connectors on those have that same tan grease inside of them. This grease was used by other automakers as well. I’m trying to find out what they originally used.
I'm replacing my 39 year old bulbs with LED since my tail lights are out and that original grease is till grease. Whatever GM used would survive orbital re-entry. It's still soft and mailable to the point where it's actually usable.
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