Technical Brake bulb failiure warning

[mbarratt2]

The drivers side brake bulb keeps on showing as "failing", although it hasn't actually blown. I have replaced the bulb twice and it still shows up as bulb failure.

To add to the mystery, the car goes through phases of claiming there is a blown bulb, before reporting that the bulb is fine. I have tried cleaning the contacts in the light cluster etc, but this hasn't fixed the problem.

Has anyone else experienced this problem, and if so have you got any potential solutions. My dealer suggested possibly a new light cluster, although they feel the old one is perfect.

 

[Deckchair5]

I had the whole lot "Ding! brake light failure, fog light failure, sidelight failure, flood light failure, yoghurt lite failure"

Anyway, it turned out to be the contacts inside the connector onto the rear light circuit board. The small spring electrical contacts inside the connector are not that strong and failed to make good contact with the board. A little careful prising of the contacts to make them press harder on the circuit board did the trick. A clean up of the board contacts with a hard rubber wouldn't go amiss either (don't use emery paper!).

The fault is triggering because of high resistance (that's why it thinks a bulb has gone) so anything causing higher resistance in the circuit has to be sorted

 

[mbarratt2]

Thanks, I have used a rubber to clean them in the past. When you say adjust the contacts, do you mean adjust them upwards so they make better contact with the bulb, or downwards, as their is no circuit board underneath the bulb holder?

Cheers

 

[Deckchair5]

No. I'm referring to the connector to the whole rear light assembly circuit board. The contacts are small and need to be prised with a small instrument so they are making better contact with the board

It's always possible that the bulb is not making good contact on it's connector but I haven't found that to be a problem on the Stilo. For me it was more of a questtion of the circuit board not getting a good earth which affected all the lights in the circuit board one at a time

 

[Hellcat]

A very good thing to clean contacts with is a model train track cleaning rubber. Its got an abrasive compound within it to bring up a nice shine. Very cheap and easy to find. The other is fibreglass sticks - abrasive material within a plastic shield - about the size of a pencil.

 

[PNL]

I had the whole lot "Ding! brake light failure, fog light failure, sidelight failure, flood light failure, yoghurt lite failure"

Anyway, it turned out to be the contacts inside the connector onto the rear light circuit board. The small spring electrical contacts inside the connector are not that strong and failed to make good contact with the board. A little careful prising of the contacts to make them press harder on the circuit board did the trick. A clean up of the board contacts with a hard rubber wouldn't go amiss either (don't use emery paper!).

The fault is triggering because of high resistance (that's why it thinks a bulb has gone) so anything causing higher resistance in the circuit has to be sorted

Hmmmm yoghurt