third brake light wont work

[s13tomf31691]

ok so i have a 1990 240sx hatch and my third tail light wont work and its causing me to fail inspection..and with the new year coming up this is not good. i have checked the bulbs and they are fine and i checked all my fuses if that could even be the problem so i don't know what else to do, im going to check it for power a little later on during the day but if there isn't power going to it i wouldn't even know where to start so any advice would be great

[Jadesr20det]

quick fix would be to shave it and fill over it. Hatches look cleaner w/o them

[s13tomf31691]

and it wont come up in inspection?

[numbnuts240]

quick fix would be to shave it and fill over it. Hatches look cleaner w/o them

maybe you missed it, but he said he needs it for inspection.

op, if it's not getting power, keep going up the wire checking for power starting at the bulb. my bet is that you'll find a break somewhere near the hinges of the hatch.

[numbnuts240]

and it wont come up in inspection?

yes it will. generally all the vehicle laws up here are very similar between states. ny is probably the same as ct where if the car came from the factory with it, it needs to be installed and in working condition in order to pass inspection (safety related stuff).

[SirSilvia]

Yeah if there's a good enough shave job on it, it will look like it never came with it. but 3rb brake lights are a good way of not getting rear-ended by some blind old lady.

[s13tomf31691]

alright guys, thanks for the advice, i guess ill have to try and trace the wire, i hope its something like a broken wire, that way it will be an easy fix =] lol i never got around to testing the wire today, but first thing tomorrow thats what im gunna do

[SirSilvia]

oh and if it is just that you need to replace some wires, SOLDER them and use heatshrink! not just twist them and wrap with electrical tape. I'll guarantee you more problems down the road.

[s13tomf31691]

lmao..you read my mind. my dad is an electrician and they usually just wrap it with electrical tape or a wire nut lol..but i can solder it, thanks

[SirSilvia]

it's "OK" for a quick fix for inspection, and home wiring because a house doesn't really move around like a car. I've done that before for my driver side tail light to pass but had problems down the road burning out fuses/bulbs and ultimately melting the socket the bulb holder was attached to.

[s13tomf31691]

yea that would make sense, and if i have the wires out and stuff i might as well just solder it

[SirSilvia]

or even try this, stick it to the inside of your glass http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...7d936 and you can shave the factory light
Modified by SirSilvia at 7:12 PM 12/30/2009

[s13tomf31691]

lol you think that will work? it would be pretty easy to wire it, i can connect it right up to the brake lights lol i dont have an ebay account but i bet they sell them at like aid auto or somthin

[S14toRPS13]

Wiring it up to regular brake lights would be a quick fix or you could just get a schematic to trace that wire back, but I realize most people don't like doing that. Be thankful all you have to worry about is a messed up brake light and not smog crap like CA.

[SirSilvia]

The only place I've seen them is ebay. but yeah you could wire it to the normal 3rd brake light wiring. I was thinking of these when i was trying to get rid of the 3rd brake light on my parcel shelf in the coupe. then I found a trunk lid with a spoiler and light on it.

[s13tomf31691]

yeah i found it somewhat hard to trace the wire, and now its snowing so looks like im not fixing my car today lol..although snow drifting will be fun tonight =]

[zenki-S13]

i

quick fix would be to shave it and fill over it. Hatches look cleaner w/o them

i agree. i dont think they will ever know it was there if its a diff guy inspecting it and if the shave is good.

[s13tomf31691]

yeah i could do that..i deff will later on but its snowing again and there is liek 2 inches here so im in no rush to go outside and work on my car..even tho i have to..man this sucks lol

[240sxJoe91]

Lol my 3rd brake-light doesn't work but my car passed inspection ohh well good luck with finding your problem

[ag240]

my bet is that you'll find a break somewhere near the hinges of the hatch.

x2 if you take your headliner out and look near the hinges, you see the wires go through rubber grommets, take off the tape and splice in about 3" or 4" to fill the gap between the broken wires.

this is what i did an it works.

[s13tomf31691]

x2 if you take your headliner out and look near the hinges, you see the wires go through rubber grommets, take off the tape and splice in about 3" or 4" to fill the gap between the broken wires.

this is what i did an it works.

thanks for the advice

[blacksrjdm]

According to the videos in the defensive driving course i just took, every vehicle on American roads built after like 85 (dont remember exactly what year) are required to have a 3rd brake light by law. And this was one of the more recent films for defensive driving classes because all the rest of them were from the early 90's. Some of you may have slipped by without them working, but I know according to Jersey law, if it has a bulb it has to light up.

[SirSilvia]

According to the videos in the defensive driving course i just took, every vehicle on American roads built after like 85 (dont remember exactly what year) are required to have a 3rd brake light by law. And this was one of the more recent films for defensive driving classes because all the rest of them were from the early 90's. Some of you may have slipped by without them working, but I know according to Jersey law, if it has a bulb it has to light up.

I'm no big safety prick either but it was a regulation passed before any 240sx was built, so....

I like shaved parts on a body as much as the next guy but sometimes you need to have stuff intact.

If I had a hatch I would shave that, the antenna and rear wiper. But I would still install a 3rd brake light at the top of the rear window in the inside. It would raise it up so it's more visible, easy wiring, no rust problems like the factory one causes sometimes, and I'd have a clean azz hatch.

[s13tomf31691]

I'm no big safety prick either but it was a regulation passed before any 240sx was built, so....

I like shaved parts on a body as much as the next guy but sometimes you need to have stuff intact.

If I had a hatch I would shave that, the antenna and rear wiper. But I would still install a 3rd brake light at the top of the rear window in the inside. It would raise it up so it's more visible, easy wiring, no rust problems like the factory one causes sometimes, and I'd have a clean azz hatch.

ha yeah i dont have the wiper or an antenna on mine =] and no rust..just a few kinks i need to fix lol but what 240 doesn't have problems

[SirSilvia]

ha yeah i dont have the wiper or an antenna on mine =] and no rust..just a few kinks i need to fix lol but what 240 doesn't have problems

[Armstec_S13]

I think shaving it would be a bad idea at this point, he said it caused him to fail inspection, if he goes again it's gonna look bad because he is probably in the computer system as failed for non operational 3rd brake light and all of a sudden showing up with no third brake light at all?

My cousin has a carbon fiber hatch and it didn't have the spot for the 3rd brake light so he went to the junkyard and took one from a ear 90's integra wired it up and suction cupped it to the inside rear glass.

May be something to try?

[s13tomf31691]

well i went to school for some body work and stuff so i think i could shave it and suction cup somthign up quick...but my dad juts told me he "knows a guy" tha twill pass me.....jerk..he didnt tell me before

[Nissan Junky]

Hay you can shave it if you want but you can fix it in 20 minutes or spend,I don't know how long to shave it.If you go to the back passenger side plastic in the rear seat,take that off and there is a connection for the hatch and just check for continuity and you will find your problem there and like some else sad Its going to be in the rubber peace that connects the hatch to the body that's where i found mines.

[s13tomf31691]

ok so i finally took a look at my car today and found that the wire from the inside of the car to the hatch was broken. there were 3 wires a black a red and a blue..im assuming the black was the ground and the red was the power but idk what the blue on was..anyway its too cold to fix it now but at least i know what the problem is. thanks guys

[David_240sx]

ive looked searched alot on google for a fix to this and this is the best thread out there but i still need some help and i know this thread is really old but can any one offer me any advice? i took off the inner trim and took a look around where the wires go through the rubber grommets and i didnt see any breaks in the wires. i wasnt able to get a very good look, ill take a better look tomorrow but are there any super specific spots where the wires brake? like between both grommets or like before the wires meet the hatch?? and is there another common spot?
Thank you in advance