The taillights on my son's 244 are in terrible shape. Moisture kills a lot of bulbs. Today he stopped by and once again I found bad bulbs.

The two taillight bulbs on the passenger's side fail to work with new bulbs. The brake light on that side works fine as does the turn signal. The driver's side work OK but there doesn't seem to be power in the connector to the taillight assembly on the passenger's side.

There is only one fuse for both the left and the right taillight, isn't that correct?

Hints on how to chase this please?

Thanks, Randy

Back probe the taillight plug with a test to see if there is power there. If you have power then clean the contacts on the circuit board with a pencil eraser.Also clean the contacts on the bulb holders. Also look to see if the plug on the harness for that side has any burn marks on it.

Back probing with a test light I determined there was no power on two of the leads to the passenger's "fixture". The turn signal works and the brake light works but the two tail light leads are dead.

Volvodad pointed out that there are two fuses, but both of them are supplying power... somewhere after exiting the fusebox something must be wrong because there is no voltage at the connector.

Thanks for your response.

Randy

Trace the wires passenger side back to the drivers side and see if you have a break leaving the drivers side plug.

Since the two sides are supplied by two different fuses I don't think the passenger's side would come off of the driver's side connector.

Randy

Hi Randy,

Tail lights are in sedans are a challenge to 240 owners. Here's a map on a 91* that should help you see what else is on those two fuses, and find the right pins on the bulb out sensor to backprobe, in case that baby got fried by some mishap. There's also a connector down by your left toe, but seems unlikely to me as a place for trouble in both circuits at once.





*trying to recall offhand when the wire colors changed...
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Art Benstein near Baltimore

Why are a wise man and a wise guy opposites?

If I have this correct.. Drivers side stayed red passenger side went from Brown to Brown/white

http://cleanflametrap.com/tony/tail_light_color_code_v0.htm
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'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwrd, two motorcycles, '85 Pickup: The '89 Volvo is the newest vehicle I own. it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me http://home.lyse.net/brox/TonyPage4.html http://cleanflametrap.com/tony/

My 83 has separate fuses for the left(#15) and right(#16) side parking and tail lights. The left side one also serves the licence lights. The fuse for the right side also serves the instrument lights. Your later model could be different, but there should be a guide on the inside of your fusebox cover to ID the fuses and their circuits.

Always worthwhile to inspect and twist those old fuses in their holders.

Also, the bulb failure sensor is part of the tail light circuit, so there's another (faint) possibility.


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Bob: Son's XC70, daughter's 940, my 81 and 83 240's, 89 745 (V8) and S90. Also '77 MGB and some old motorcycles

Thanks for the clarification on the fuses. The diagram does indicate that 15 and 16 are for left and right. I have power leaving the fuse box but nothing on the two supply wires on the connector.

The car is gone now but your suggestion that the bulb out sensor might be at fault holds water. What else could be in the circuit between the fusebox and the connector? I will dig one up and have it ready to put in when he swings by next time.

Thanks for your response.

Randy