Odd....Driver's side front marker light

[He11bent]

Havent seen this one on here before...nor have I had this problem on any car before. The driver's side front marker light was out so I popped it out and replaced it. No Joy. Swapped with the bulb on the other side to be sure and the socket is dead.

As far as reliabilty goes you dont usually hear about marker light wiring going out. Before I start chasing wires i thought i would ask if anyone has seen or had this before. Thanks!

[ChrisBlair]

The reason it's reliable is because it's simple. Check the wiring on the other side of the "dead" socket, where the socket connects to the wring. I'd be surprised to find a 'dead' socket, rather I'd expect a bad connection to the socket.

[christianchevell]

is your car used? someone could have cross wired it to make the halos stay on and the fogs work with the lights..... its what I did to my car as the feedback has the effect to keep the halos on with the drls, and first I used a ez tap and the thing shorted so I had to strip some wire and do it old school. SO check the wiring for damage around the side marker light, and if you want to modify it it can be found how too on diygen5.com or gen5diy.com which ever it was its just a simple jumper wire to the DRLs.

[He11bent]

Originally Posted by christianchevell

is your car used? someone could have cross wired it to make the halos stay on and the fogs work with the lights..... its what I did to my car as the feedback has the effect to keep the halos on with the drls, and first I used a ez tap and the thing shorted so I had to strip some wire and do it old school. SO check the wiring for damage around the side marker light, and if you want to modify it it can be found how too on diygen5.com or gen5diy.com which ever it was its just a simple jumper wire to the DRLs.

No, it not used. I did buy and install the harness from DIYgen5 to keep the fogs on even with the headlights.

[two_wheel_mayhem]

If its one of those push in bulbs they are very unreliable at the bulbs contacts.

[ChrisBlair]

Originally Posted by two_wheel_mayhem

If its one of those push in bulbs they are very unreliable at the bulbs contacts.

One of my fog lights was "out" the other day. Using my years of experience I rapped the lens with my knuckles. Works fine now.

But in He11bent's case, another bulb was attempted in the socket in question...multi-meter to determine voltage is definitely in order.

[two_wheel_mayhem]

Originally Posted by ChrisBlair

One of my fog lights was "out" the other day. Using my years of experience I rapped the lens with my knuckles. Works fine now.

Funny how we probably picked that one up from our parents when they hit the TV to make it work right. Showing our age as these younger folks were taught to turn things off and back on to fix them...lol.

It has been my experience though that a knuckle rap is usually a temporary fix. If someone brings a vehicle into the shop I don't consider it fixed if it lights up when I hit it. I still have to determine the cause.

[ChrisBlair]

Originally Posted by two_wheel_mayhem

Funny how we probably picked that one up from our parents when they hit the TV to make it work right. Showing our age as these younger folks were taught to turn things off and back on to fix them...lol.

It has been my experience though that a knuckle rap is usually a temporary fix. If someone brings a vehicle into the shop I don't consider it fixed if it lights up when I hit it. I still have to determine the cause.

That experience comes from cars. My folks never hit anything to fix them. Tapping gauges and lenses as a quick test is common. That it started working again reveals a probable failure cause. I never suggested hitting anything is a repair.

I said "works fine now", not "I fixed it". I am not a professional mechanic (ie: paid for my services) but I am a competent one in most areas of repair and in automobile restoration. I've verified what my problem is- poor connection. In the case of my camaro, I doubt I'll be removing the forward harness and chasing a short, which I've done on 30+ year old wiring harnesses; it probably just got wet and corroded a bit. In the spring I'll need to break the light connection, clean it, and re-install it. In He11bent's case, as I said before, it's time for a multi-meter.

[rydahog]

the only thing my parents hit was me...for the longest time i thought my name was "knucklehead" ...

[kdluke]

Originally Posted by He11bent

Havent seen this one on here before...nor have I had this problem on any car before. The driver's side front marker light was out so I popped it out and replaced it. No Joy. Swapped with the bulb on the other side to be sure and the socket is dead.

As far as reliabilty goes you dont usually hear about marker light wiring going out. Before I start chasing wires i thought i would ask if anyone has seen or had this before. Thanks!

Hey He11bent,
Just wondering what the outcome was. I have the same issue. drivers side front side marker is out. Replaced the bulb and nothing, checked the socket with a multimeter and no voltage. I also installed the harness to keep the DRL's on (1 year ago). Thanx

[He11bent]

Originally Posted by kdluke

Hey He11bent,
Just wondering what the outcome was. I have the same issue. drivers side front side marker is out. Replaced the bulb and nothing, checked the socket with a multimeter and no voltage. I also installed the harness to keep the DRL's on (1 year ago). Thanx

Well, I finally got a day off with a little extra time. I checked the socket and it's dead, both negative and ground. I jacked up the car and crawled under. All wires were in tact and relatively clean...I love living in the south! I pulled the DIYGen 5 harness out and plugged the original socket into its original receptacle and the light works fine. It's a bad harness.

[Ragnar]

Took you a while OP, thanks for sharing, and sounds like an easy fix.