[argos]

Hi All,

One of the 4 small bulbs on my third tail light on the trunk lid of my cabriolet has burnt out. I am just wondering if anyone has changed one before? I got the new bulb and am mainly just wondering how to pull the light appart to get at the bulbs? Do I have to take off the foam under it of the other side of the lid and unscrew it? or is there a way to access it via the lense?



Thanks!

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[flash]

gotta pull the foam

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[rxter]

Go slow when you pull the foam. If you are careful you can do it without much damage. It pulls off more easily than you'd think at first.

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[tamathumper]

I think you can start at the "bottom" of the foam, and just pull it up a little bit to get to the fasteners. I took the whole piece out, starting from the "top", only to find that I probably should have tried it the other way first!

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[astroede]

Yeah, I just pushed as little foam aside as possible, using the smallest socket I could find (socket mounts to a screwdriver-type handle). I've had mine off many times. Good luck with the bulbs. The pcb connectors on these things are very tiny and they corrode; I rarely have all the bulbs working at once (currently counting 3 last look). The 3rd brake light is actually a GM C4 Corvette part if I'm not mistaken; they occasionally come up new-in-bag on Ebay for about $150 or so. Don't bother with the used ones; been there, done that, too much corrosion as seals go bad on the old car. Many have converted them to LEDs. I'm still weighing the best choice. Mine is actually two light bars cobbled together since half of my sockets were toast. Good luck!

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[tamathumper]

I just resuscitated one socket with dielectric grease, but I'm seriously considering either converting to LEDs or just disconnecting the thing. Having only some of the bulbs working just looks like crap.

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[mbardeen]

If I recall correctly from another thread, the third brake light and cruise control are intimately related. LEDs and/or disconnecting the light entirely could disable your cruise control. Something to think about if you decide to go that route.



Edit: This thread..

http://www.968forums.com/topic/7947-cruise-control/

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[tamathumper]

From that thread it seems a short would be deleterious, but disconnecting it entirely still seems to be an option.

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[mbardeen]

Ah yes, I see.



I read brake lights as "third brake lights". Reading around on other sites, it seems changing the main brake lights to LEDs would be a problem -- low resistance is interpreted as "burnt out". I don't know if the third brake light works the same fashion. Probably something you'd need to check with the wiring diagram or by testing..

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[flash]

mine is disconnected, and has been for years. in fact, the entire assembly is in the attic, the holes welded up, and the deck lid finished.



brake lights and cruise control work fine

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[tamathumper]

[quote name='flash' timestamp='1340335055' post='128409']

mine is disconnected, and has been for years. in fact, the entire assembly is in the attic, the holes welded up, and the deck lid finished.



brake lights and cruise control work fine

[/quote]

That's awesome! And does the car look better without it?

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[flash]

i think so. it makes the rear of the car look a lot wider.

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[oppositelock]

Factory left the foam unglued where you need to pull it out to change the bulbs. There are two semi-circular cut outs in the deck lid bracing so you can get a socket on the two fasteners. Pull out the foam where the cut outs are and unscrew the two fasteners. The best solution is what flash did, get rid of the ugly and unreliable pos.

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[tamathumper]

Traveling this week, but if I were home I'd pop that thing off and body-plug the holes just to see what it would look like.



Paint is probably pretty munged under it though?

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[argos]

Thanks for all of the info guys, I'll take it appart tonight. Wish me luck that the corrosion isn't too bad!

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[flash]

lol - yeah - you'll definitely see a pattern. they aren't small holes either. repaint will be required.



i'll see if i have a shot though and put it up, but you can basically look at any ROW car. they don't have the 3rd light

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[argos]

Does anybody know of a drop in LED system for it? I could use a resistor to step down the voltage and use a standard LED but I am worried about the lensing on the LED creating a point on the brake lights....

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[flash]

there have been people who have messed with this, with varying levels of success, and failures, including some issues with cruise control. do a search here and you'll find more about it.

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