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Dunno if the BFWR checks for bulb-out on backup lights. Could look it up later - like 5 hours form now. If BFWR (bulb failure warning relay) is bad (internally) on that circuit, it would kill both backup lights but you'd get no backup light voltage back there. Current for BFWR stuff goes from switch to BFWR, then to the lights over separate wires for each of the two lights.
Apparently you're getting voltage to one of the contacts but the ground contact is not grounding. Right? Assuming NO other lights should be on when you're testing, if one contact is 12V then that's the 12V + location for the backup lights. I'd look for a break in the ground piece. Small crack or tear.
You should be able to verify which of those two contact strips is ground by testing for continuity to a known ground. With all lights off of course. If neither shows up as being connected to ground then that's your problem.
You're thinking, how could this happen on both sides of car??? I think it doesn't have to. I recall when working on our one sedan, one rear light was dead. When I fixed it on one side, the other came to life. Could have been the backups. Dunno why. If it was wired in series, that would make sense, but I'm sure this stuff is wired in parallel. Or separately, each independently fed by the BFWR.
Anyway, I'd try hard-wire a ground wire to a backup bulb. See if that does it. Then see if you can get the contact strip ground to work. Or at least see where it failed so you know what's up.
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Sven: '89 245, IPD sways, electric rad. fan conversion, 28+ mpg - auto tranny. 850 mi/week commute. '89 245 #2 (wifemobile). '90 244 (spare, runs).
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