Changing bulbs in tail lights

[czwan]

Hi,

I guess there are several bulbs in each tail light--I was told I "have a tail light out" but it just looks like it's partially lit, to me.

It seems like I may have had to replace some bulbs a long time ago, but it's been so long I don't remember how, or whether it was very complicated.

Any quick pointers/suggestions on how to do this would be appreciated! Please forgive my my car-stupidity. Thanks.

[Ryan]

Very basic.

Some bulbs, like the brake lights, are dual-filament bulbs. There are two filaments in it. So, your running lights light one, and when you press the brake, the other one comes on, making it brighter. If the running filament is dead, the light will only come on when you brake, and if the brake filament is dead, it won't get brighter when you hit the brakes.


You need a phillips screw driver.

Open your hatch, and remove the two screws on the top of each tail light. The black plastic peice will come off too. Put that in your trunk.

Remove the one screw on the back of the car, on the inside of the tail light. By inside, I mean closest to the license plate. Its pretty long, but it will come out.

Now, hit the light with the butt of your hand, outwards. May help to push it out with the palm of your hand against the lens too.

And then when its out, twist out the sockets. The bulbs come out of the sockets with a push and twist.

The actual designation for the bulbs is found in the manuals (online manuals accessed from home page of website)... 1157 or something, I think. Make sure you get the right ones though.

Another solution is to do this in your car part parking lot and bring the bulb in with you.

[czwan]

Very much appreciated. Thanks for taking the time to write that, man!

[Ryan]

You seem nice enough.

Just perhaps next time look through the manuals. They're very comprehensive, you just have to take a little time to find out how to read it. Most sections have the table of contents on page 1 and an index right at the back.

[czwan]

On a side note, I'm just now remembering that I bought the MX-3 book/manual that is available at auto parts stores....a long time ago....hmmm, not sure what happened to it. Good to know there are manuals available here.

[Dark_Rider2k3]

Yeah once you get used to the manuals here they are very simple to use

[tripleMX-3chicMS]

There is a video here if you use the search...
It shows how to get the tail light off (after) the screws are removed.

[czwan]

Wow, guys, sorry, but I guess I still haven't figured this out. The weird thing is, I've done this before with no help from anyone, and I don't remember it being so tricky.

I did remove the 2 screws on top, and the side one near the license plate--easy. It just seems like there's another thing holding it on, maybe some sort of round black plastic screw-looking thing on the top side of the taillight assembly. There doesn't appear to be any way to access whatever kind of tab it is--there's metal (car body) behind it.

I was messing with this in the AutoZone parking lot, and really just wanted to be left alone, but a couple of the employees came out and started looking over my shoulder. They weren't any help, but insisted that I'll have to clean out my trunk and remove a lot of the black plastic interior lining that is snapped onto the inside of the trunk. That seems a little extreme...

Did I just not get mean enough with it? There seems to be some wiggle room all around the taillight, but I didn't want to break anything.

There's a video about how to do this? Can you show me where it is? I have been trying to use the search function for this unsuccessfully. I've been a member here for a long time, but never knew of any videos.

Thanks again.

[Dark_Rider2k3]

First off you can breathe a sigh of relief. There are no bolts/screws inside the trunk to get the tail light out. If you've removed the top screws, and the side screw, it should just pop out....

[tripleMX-3chicMS]

This video was taken AFTER all the screws were removed, BUT... it does show where they go.
(via finger pointing) LOL!
The thread that started the video: http://www.mx-3.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=74463" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Removing tail lights 101

[czwan]

OK, first of all, thanks for posting the video. I'm looking forward to doing the "palm-action".

Sorry--I feel like I'm running this into the ground, but...

On your video, you say:

"that thing right there....and the 2 things inside"

That "thing right there" was what I was wondering about. I guess I don't understand how it comes off. It's not like a normal screw or bolt.

And there are "2 things inside"? I don't get it. It looks like you did have to remove part of the trunk interior plastic wall.

I feel really stupid. Thanks for bearing with me.

[tripleMX-3chicMS]

Don't feel stupid.. You will get it. I didnt remove any trunk or break anything to get to it.
I actually had no idea how to do it.. and the person who started the last thread request
sparked my interest. Is why i made the video. I wish i had three hands... so I could have
filmed the screw removal as well. It was really simple, but i will admit. I did stare at it for
quite some time before it all clicked. Good luck.... Hugs... De

[Dark_Rider2k3]

if you don't figure it out by Friday then I'll make a video. Car is in for inspection so can't go out and take a pic now lol.

[czwan]

Hey thanks you all!

Taking off the 3 phillips screws is, like, a non issue. But then it's still stuck on there, and I don't want to break it. Seems like there's more holding it on still.

[Ryan]

nope, hit it harder. cars, in general, aren't fragile.