Im trying to replace taillights for 1986 cutlass 2door brougham - now I see alot of em on Ebay, expensive - but they all have small differences - some have wire on side - some dont - my question: when i look at my taillights, there is a little plug on the side of each one, with a little black wire coming in. Well, I honestly cant figure out what it s for, and when i see replacement taillights online , zoom in on them and many of them DONT have that extra little side wire and plug. I just wanna be sure when i buy because theres no return and they arent cheap - help from anyone would be appreciated, if someone knows what that wire is for, and if i buy taillights without that wire plug, will they work the same? thanks alot! dave ps - supposedly all the years are compatible, so why do some have theat little side wireplug and some dont?
TAILLIGHT QUESTION - Help!
- Thread starter dave1
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That sounds like you might have the fiber optics option on your car. I'm more of a Chevy guy...I know they exist just don't know much about them.
Do you have an indicator panel on the rear window trim inside the car? Fronts had indicators mounted on the coners of the front fender.
Do you have an indicator panel on the rear window trim inside the car? Fronts had indicators mounted on the coners of the front fender.
Yes you do have the fiber optic option, that is not a wire but a hollow tube so be careful not to break it or cut it. There is one on each rear light housing and they are connected to 2 small red lamps on a small pod mounted at the top of the rear window in back where you can see them in your rear view mirror. You should also have them on the top of each front fender and they connect to the headlamps, running lamps, and front blinkers.
Thanks guys!! - you re so smart - i assume if i get new unbroken taillights from ebay or something that DON'T have the fiber optic thing (but still fit ok), then the taillights will still work normally, but without the little mini signal thingys on the top of the left and right front fenders? i can live without them i suppose since the taillights are all pretty expensive and rare. thx again.
dave1 said:
It's not the lights that make it rare and expensive, its the setup
All that is different in the tail lights is a hole. It just reflects into a little light probe. On the front turns there is a little bung that the cable slips onto, this is needed to attach the front. The Bung just glues on, there is a spot on every light for the bung to be attached to.
Re: TAILLIGHT QUESTION
Thanks again but does this mean I can get away with the taillights i see all the time on ebay, etc. in which there is no fiberoptic hole option on the side? the close years (84 -86) taillights are all exactly the same FIT, except for that little fiberoptic hole in the side - Really, the fiber optic is not needed for turns signals and brake lights to work properly, correct? its only for those funny little signals on the front left and right hood? p.s. i just wanna somehow confirm this if possible. ps I went to U.C.
Thanks again but does this mean I can get away with the taillights i see all the time on ebay, etc. in which there is no fiberoptic hole option on the side? the close years (84 -86) taillights are all exactly the same FIT, except for that little fiberoptic hole in the side - Really, the fiber optic is not needed for turns signals and brake lights to work properly, correct? its only for those funny little signals on the front left and right hood? p.s. i just wanna somehow confirm this if possible. ps I went to U.C.
Re: TAILLIGHT QUESTION
Yea, if you are not running the optics then you have nothing to worry about. Cool on UC!
dave1 said:
Yea, if you are not running the optics then you have nothing to worry about. Cool on UC!
Actually the front and back are completely seperate. Replacing the back lens/housing will not effect the front, they will still work. The fender markers on the front show you only what is working on the front of the car. The rear fiber optics only tell you what is working in the rear on a seperate pod located at the top of the rear window. When you replace the housing i would drill a hole and reconnect the fiber optic tubes, but as toby said, all housings are the same and reconnecting the fiber tubes does nothing but let you see if your lamps are working by looking in the rear view mirror. If you really don't want them remove the pod unit above the rear window and remove the fiber tubes, one goes in each direction under the headliner and sail panel down into the trunk to the lamps, and sell it.
What I did with mine was cut the f.o. nipple out of the old ones with a dremel and cut a hole the same size in the new one and epoxied them on
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