Technical Brake Light problems

[paul stilo]

Not exactly technical, but is it easy to change? my nightmare beep just told me that there is a 'stop lamp failure', which was true (for once).

If it is easy enough to do, does anyone have a dummies guide to brake lights?

Cheers

 

[Ben R]

re: Brake & Number Plate Light problems

You might find it's just a loose connection. When I first got my stilo I had the same error message come up except mine was for the fog light took it to the dealer & they said it was just loose. I think the bulbs are quite easy to cahnge though if it's anything like a golf you simply remove a bit of trim which leaves access to the lamp cluster which should have a bulb holder. All you do is pop it out & change the blown bulb.

 

[Neil Barker]

re: Brake & Number Plate Light problems

Not exactly technical, but is it easy to change? my nightmare beep just told me that there is a 'stop lamp failure', which was true (for once).

If it is easy enough to do, does anyone have a dummies guide to brake lights?

Cheers

I've done it on a 3dr Stilo - not particularly hard, just fiddly.

You have to pull back the interior trim behind the light cluster in the boot. Then you'll need a socket set with an extender piece with the right size socket on - you need to undo 3 nuts and undo the multiplug wiring adaptor.

Then you can pull the complete light cluster away from the outside of the car.

Once you've got that in your hand, you can remove the plastic bulb holder from the light cluster and then change the bulb.

It's easy enough - will take you perhaps 1/2 hour the first time you do it.

 

[MattyPee]

Weird Brake/Rear Light Problem

Hello!

I'm a new fiat stilo driver (a hand me down, quite a nice hand me down!), a 1.6 dynamic, and besides the really annoying fog light warning its been fine. But today I got rear stop light failure, thinking it was just the computer lying to me I checked, and indeed the right brake/rear light was out.

So I got the lighting assembly off and got to the blub... only to find it was covered in melted plastic... the inside of the lighting assembly had been melting on teh bulb eventually casuing it to pop.

I havent left my lights on overnight or anything silly, so i take a look inside the other lighting assembly and you can see the plastic melting over the bulb!!

Is this a common thing? what could be wrong? too much juice going to the bulbs?

I can put another buld in, but i have a feeling it will only pop again as the melted plastic will be touching teh bulb again!

I hope someone can help/suggest something?

thanks

matt

 

[MattyPee]

Re: Weird Brake/Rear Light Problem

Well i went to halfords and got 2x380 bulbs for £2.99 which wasn't too bad I didn't think... I'll probs just keep my eye on it!!

May give the fiat garage a ring if no one can come up with any ideas/solutions on here!

 

[Deckchair5]

Re: Weird Brake/Rear Light Problem

Never heard of this before. The bulbs shouldn't be touching any plastic or be that close at all. Is this a standard rear cluster unit? Haven't got Lexus rear lights or something?

What "really annoying fog light warning" have you been getting? A warning even though there's apparently nothing wrong and they still work? That's usually bad connections at the side of the circuit board on the rear lights. A big clue that something's up

 

[MattyPee]

Re: Weird Brake/Rear Light Problem

Yeah standard lights....

The fog light problem used to be that it was just a warning but the light was working fine (when my dad had the car)

It went through its 72,000 mile service (which cost me £700+) and this was one of the issues that was supposed to be fixed.... now I get the warning and the light isnt actually working, until i tap the it!! i opened up the access hole and everything seems to be connected okay, and wiggling the connecters doesnt seem to make the light go off! This is very intermittent, some days fine some days not!!

But the bulbs probably never were touching the plastic originally this is my theory, and now suddenly they are hotter than usual causing the plastic above to melt and drop onto the bulb... it looks like this is happening to the passenger side light too... although not as severe as the drivers side.

Could there be something up thats making too much current go to the bulbs?

 

[Argonought]

Re: Weird Brake/Rear Light Problem

Could there be something up thats making too much current go to the bulbs?

If they're 12V bulbs it's difficult to see how they can take too much current - unless your charging voltage is sky high in which case you'd have other issues.

Really all you can do is change them just in case they're defective bulbs from manufacture (mis-labelled or something).

 

[Rich]

Re: Weird Brake/Rear Light Problem

If it's a 5door, with the two foglights either side of the rear numberplate (Phase I), I too have had the "annoying" foglight failure; ended up being the bulb not sitting down correctly in the holder. I fixed it by bending the centre pin upwards, putting more pressure on the bulb, hence locking it more securely into place. Think I also bent the side supports in as well to make it a tighter fit

As for the melting light cluster, hmm. Could be a faulty cluster (i.e. faulty plastic used), could be the (rare) 24W bulb not the 12W that found it's way into a 380 pack . . . Make sure your new bulb is 12W/5W and all should be ok

 

[MattyPee]

Re: Weird Brake/Rear Light Problem

(It is a 5dr with foglights either side of the number plate!)

the bulb had the same markings as the 380 I bought!!

only thing is now the melted plastic is sitting on the new bulbs, which will no doubt cause them to blow again!!

i have booked it in for the fiat garage to have a look at!

 

[Argonought]

Re: Weird Brake/Rear Light Problem

At the risk of making a really dumb suggestion.

Is it just possible the 5 watt and 21 watt bulbs have been transposed at some point in the past

 

[MattyPee]

Re: Weird Brake/Rear Light Problem

the garage may have done it, but i know my dad has never changed anything on the car!!

 

[Rich]

Re: Weird Brake/Rear Light Problem

Could be that, if the bulb was fitted on the wrong contacts the side lights could have been on at 21W, causing excess constant heat.

Well thought Argo

 

[jut1972]

re: Brake & Number Plate Light problems

totally agree with that! Just done my first car bulb change

Lift the boot and turn the little black handle and pull back the trim covering the rear lights - you will see the grey wiring adaptor and the 3 nuts, its awkward to get into, so take out the parcel shelf or you'll turn the air blue like I did.

Wiring adaptor - just needs a wiggle to remove it, looks a bit like a grey scart lead. Have a quick look at the pins while you are there to make sure they look ok and aren't corroded or bent badly out of shape.

The 3 nuts, I started with a wrench but the angle is impossible - so def need a socket set, socket size was 10mm.

once the nuts are undone you take the whole light unit out from the outside of the car it just wiggles off

turn it over and you will see a black piece of rubber, guess this is some water seal - the manual then says undo the 4 catches, it means 4 screws. lift this off and you'll then see the 4 bulbs
the brake light bulb was 12v / 5w and sat at the top of the light cluster. Then it was indicator and reversing lights in the middle and finally rear light at the bottom
replace the bulb then rather than screw it all back in plug in the wiring adaptor and see if everything is ok if it is screw it all back into place.
Because of the ackward angle it is handy having someone else around to hold the trim out of the way and the light cluster

took half an hour start to finish and if I can do it anyone can! :slayer:

 

[Ned Flanders]

Changing rear bulbs

Is there a special long-reach tool I need to access the three bolts on each of the rear light clusters? They seem to be quite tricky to get to. Thanks guys

 

[Deckchair5]

Re: Changing rear bulbs

Nothing special, just a socket on an extension will do. Worth putting a rag underneath in case you drop one of the nuts though. Great fun retrieving otherwise.

What's up? Just a bulb gone or are you getting false bulb failure warnings?

 

[Ned Flanders]

Re: Changing rear bulbs

Hi, thanks for your reply. Both actually. I have a failed rear left stop light and a rear right fog light. For some reason, the system feels that the fog light is very important to change because the bleeper won't shut the hell up!

I also had a failed number plate bulb. I changed this and although I confirmed that bulb was lighting up OK, it still gives me the warning message that the bulb is out??? Is there something I need to reset? Thanks for your assistance. Much appreciated

 

[Deckchair5]

Re: Changing rear bulbs

The rear light cluster circuit boards suffer from a poor contact with the pull off electrical connector due to weak spring pressure or contact oxidisation, this causes the body computer to read a wrong resistance and many wrong "bulb failure" warnings.

Cleaning the board strip contacts with a pencil eraser often does the trick although i had to carefully prise the spring contacts a little as well on mine to get a good electrical contact. No problems since. No bulbs gone either come to think of it

 

[Kieran83]

re: Brake & Number Plate Light problems

Thought i would add to this thread rather than beginning a new one, Basically is there a known problem with the rear lights? Since owning the car i think ive changed the driver side rear light like 5 times now, since ive changed it so much its not a problem to have to change it again but just getting very annoying!

ta

 

[Rich]

re: Brake & Number Plate Light problems

Thought i would add to this thread rather than beginning a new one, Basically is there a known problem with the rear lights? Since owning the car i think ive changed the driver side rear light like 5 times now, since ive changed it so much its not a problem to have to change it again but just getting very annoying!

ta

Hey Kieran

Thanks for searching, you've made me happy!!

Erm, no there is no reported issue - is it just one bulb in the cluster? It could be dodgy tracks causing a short . . .