I checked every fuse in the car and none are blown. The bulbs are still in good condition. The only thing I can think of is the wire connection to the bulb in the tail gate is loose or disconnected. I don't close the boot hard but could this be the problem?
I've had 3 fuses blown in past year - central locking, elect windows, rear lights but I checked every one today and they are OK. Is there any thing else I can check or should I open up the tail gate and check the connection?
|
|
The wiring to the no plate lights on these is usually very tight(ie not a lot of slack)and it is not unusual for them to break in the tailgate and/or hinge flexi tube.You need to check for power and earth to the lamps either with a test light or meter.Do all the other lights work ok?hth
|
|
Yes all other lights work OK. I'm not sure how to use a test light or meter, is it best to get a garage to do this?
|
|
Yes,if you are not sure then leave to an expert.Whoever looks at the car ask them to check that the correct fuse is fitted for the sidelights,10 amp in fuse box behind glove box.hth
|
|
Thanks. I can check the side light fuse myself.
|
Rusty contacts on rear number plate lights is a known problem - Ford may have even issued a revised number plate light unit IIRC.
My rear fog light suffered a similar problem and I repaired it simply by disconnecting the light unit and cleaning up the contacts.
It might be worth trying to pop out the number plate light unit to have a look ? I'm not familiar with how they are connected, so be careful - you don't want to let any cables fall down anywhere you can't get at them !
|
|
Thanks, I'll give it a try.
|
|
The fuses are all OK, the bulbs are OK, and I've checked the actual light unit. The connectors are not rusted. Mechanic has said he will charge £25-30 per hour to check the wiring which involves taking out the panels and following the wiring to a "break". Not sure what this means, can someone explain? I have a haynes manual - is this something I can check myself?
|
"Following the wiring to a break" presumably means he's going to trace the wiring back through the car from the light unit until he finds a break in the circuit.
|
|
|
