Taillight problem Mk2 Spitfire

[cxd01]

Evening everyone.

I have an issue with the rear lights on my Mk2 Spitfire. All wiring appears  intact and both dual filament bulbs are good but only the brake filaments work, the rear lights don’t? All front lights are ok.

Does anyone know whether the wiring to the rear lights is on a sub circuit loom or are served by their own fuse etc, it’s baffling me. Whilst I’m still waiting on the V5C and want to get this sorted out before it’s first MOT.

All the best

Chris

[PeteH]

The Small chassis models mostly share the same general wiring so my Herald is:-

 

(17) is the rear lights. With the Brake lights working, and the front pilot lights (16)? I suggest you concetrate on tracing the wiring looking for a break or loose/dicnected connector. On the Herald there is a bunch of connectors behind the panel adjacent the rear seat (pass side). I would maybe start there?

Pete

[Colin Lindsay]

If it's anything like early GT6 the number plate lamp works on the same circuit as the taillights, so if it's out then the entire circuit is. All the lights work on the same fuse so if front sidelights work, the rears should. If brakes are working then the lamp is earthing ok, so suspect a break, possibly in the connectors inside the rear wing to the passenger side. 

When I rewired mine I only connected one red wire at the double connector inside the rear wing, so had lights on one side only. That took a lot of headscratching until I eventually found the other red wire.

[Pete Lewis]

the fuse box is often trouble  the glass fuse cap connects circuits by bridging the fuse contact blades together  for unfused circuits 

poor contact here can cause chaos 

Pete

[DanMi]

Do the front side lights work? these are on the same circuit. If yes then the rear lights do have a separate loom joined behind the passenger luggage shelf so maybe a disconnected /dirty connection. The mk2 has the same fuse box as a mini with metal connectors so doesn't suffer the poor connections of the later cars. The bulb contacts in the rear lights can be loose so I would use a multimeter to see if there is 12v at the connector, if not then check all connections behind the passenger parcel shelf.  

There are no connectors in the rear wing on the spit mk2 

[cxd01]

Thanks gents, I should have said that the number plate light was out as well. I’ll check the wiring loom for any breaks or loose connections and also take a look at the fuse box as well.

[NonMember]

Check the left hand tail light for poor connection. The loom feeds that one first, the rest of the rear lights daisychain off it. The connectors are truly ghastly "poke some wire through and hope" types, so if the feed has fallen out it disconnects all the rest too.

[cxd01]

Thanks for the advice gents, it was a loose wire going into a bullet connector to the nearside taillamp and also a faulty 20amp glass fuse, which looked fine as the filament was intact but a light meter said different.

So all advice was more more or less spot on. Such a simple wiring harness as well.

Regards

Chris