Brake light not working on Thule bike carrier 9502

[PhilandMena]

Left hand brake light not working ! swapped bulbs with good one, same result and getting no voltage at bulb connection. Wiring and connections look fine and I'm now at a loss as how to proceed.
Advice please !

 

[Al-Di]

is it hard wired or plugged in, if plug have a look see if wire has come out/snapped,

 

[pappajohn]

I had reversed indicators, one tail light and no brake lights on mine.
Even though the plug is supposed to be foolproof I had pushed it in upside down.

A problem with plastic, rather than aluminium, plugs and sockets

 

[jumar]

Left hand brake light not working ! swapped bulbs with good one, same result and getting no voltage at bulb connection. Wiring and connections look fine and I'm now at a loss as how to proceed.
Advice please !

Spray both plug and socket with contact cleaner... I've had to do this in the past to correct the same problem...

 

[PhilandMena]

Its a plug which has been securely fitted from day one ! I could buy a whole replacement cable and lamps but looking at £90.0 + assuming the fault is the lamp side of the plug connection. I suppose I could take it off and get someone ? to check if everything from plug to bulb connection is good or if fault is elsewhere.

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[PhilandMena]

Spray both plug and socket with contact cleaner... I've had to do this in the past to correct the same problem...

Thx, I'll try that.

 

[mitzimad]

have you tested at the socket see if the correct socket has power or can you plug the board into another vehicle?

 

[PhilandMena]

have you tested at the socket see if the correct socket has power or can you plug the board into another vehicle?

The other brake light works when the brake applied , so I assume can not be a fuse. I have eliminated the possibility of a blown bulb which leaves me with a bad/faulty connection somewhere in the circuit. I am not a competent person when it comes to electrical circuits, diagnostics and repairs. My plan going forward is to spay some contact cleaner of the plug/socket and bulb connection and go from there. Possibly remove the plug, cable and lamps and get someone to test the circuit from the plug to the bulb socket. (I don't know how to do that! If that fails, book it in to a garage I suppose.

 

[ALI G]

Try the spade connection to the bulb holder it might be corroded.

 

[pappajohn]

I brush a little brake grease on all pins and tubes. Prevents dirt tarnishing the contact surfaces and makes it easier to plug in

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[Steve N Tracy]

There is only 1 pin for brake lights on the socket connection so as 1 light works you can rule that out, I suggest you try another bulb, and make sure if it's a twin filament 380 bulb you make sure you insert it the right way, they can be installed incorrectly sometimes.

 

[PhilandMena]

Try the spade connection to the bulb holder it might be corroded.

Thx I will spay that tomorrow. It does look OK but no voltage ? It might be heading to the garage ?

 

[PhilandMena]

There is only 1 pin for brake lights on the socket connection so as 1 light works you can rule that out, I suggest you try another bulb, and make sure if it's a twin filament 380 bulb you make sure you insert it the right way, they can be installed incorrectly sometimes.

Its a single filament bulb as is the other one that works on the other side .

 

[Howard B]

If the above doesnt work, swap the light units over and try that. I had to source a replacement unit for my old Thule carrier

 

[PhilandMena]

If the above doesnt work, swap the light units over and try that. I had to source a replacement unit for my old Thule carrier

Thx. But as one works and the other does not I fail to see the logic in your post. The wiring in each lamp looks fixed to me. As best as I can see it's connected to a metal plate which in turn has all the bulb holders in it and the wiring is either connected by a spade or solder. I'll have another look tomorrow and see If I can remove the spade connection and clean the areas where the bulb makes contact. No Voltage coming through the cable that is connected to the spade but I might not be connecting my voltmeter probes in the right place to make a circuit. On the other side I got 12.3 V when touching the spade connection and the side of the bulb, no Joy on other side. ???? I can get replacement units at around £15. for a complete lens assy. but do not know how to swap over the connections, assuming its a connection issue within the lens unit. I'm leaning more and more to having it done by someone who knows what there doing.

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[Badknee]

It may be the offending wire at the plug end. You really need to get into the plug, it may be one wire going from the plug to the working lamp then across to the other side or it may be two wires coming off the plug, one to each lamp and that’s where the 12v is being lost.

 

[Badknee]

Here you go, pin two is the brake lights. Good luck



Broken Link Removed

 

[ALI G]

Thx I will spay that tomorrow. It does look OK but no voltage ? It might be heading to the garage ?

Better to pull it out and reconnect.

 

[Howard B]

Thx. But as one works and the other does not I fail to see the logic in your post. The wiring in each lamp looks fixed to me. As best as I can see it's connected to a metal plate which in turn has all the bulb holders in it and the wiring is either connected by a spade or solder. I'll have another look tomorrow and see If I can remove the spade connection and clean the areas where the bulb makes contact. No Voltage coming through the cable that is connected to the spade but I might not be connecting my voltmeter probes in the right place to make a circuit. On the other side I got 12.3 V when touching the spade connection and the side of the bulb, no Joy on other side. ???? I can get replacement units at around £15. for a complete lens assy. but do not know how to swap over the connections, assuming its a connection issue within the lens unit. I'm leaning more and more to having it done by someone who knows what there doing.

Simple, by swapping one side to the other it should give you an idea of whether or not you have a wiring issue or a problem/ open circuit in the non working lamp cluster.
It was spade connectors on my carrier to remove the unit. If you do swap them over make sure take a picture of the wiring connectors befor you remove them.

 

[Mike800966]

For heavens sake, isnt there someone competent and local that can pop round and sort it!
Mike
Gloucestershire

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[Badknee]

For heavens sake, isnt there someone competent and local that can pop round and sort it!
Mike
Gloucestershire

Sorry, Cheshire but a good idea.

 

[PhilandMena]

Here you go, pin two is the brake lights. Good luck



Broken Link Removed

Thx. I'm not sure if I can get inside the plug and as one brake light is working I suspect the problem is at the bulb end. More investigative work tomorrow. I'll clean the connections and check the plug socket connection is still good and take it from there. I will come back when all is sorted and spell out how it went and how it was fixed.

 

[PhilandMena]

For heavens sake, isnt there someone competent and local that can pop round and sort it!
Mike
Gloucestershire

It's not a big deal Mike! If I can't sort it tomorrow I'll get it into a local garage. As the brake lights work on the motorhome, I may even still be legal. It only passed its MOT a few weeks ago. Its just one of those little jobs that needs to be sorted by soneone who knows what there doing. I'm sure it will be resolved soon.

 

[2bob]

can youi not run another wire from the good side to the bad to see if it the bulb holder or earth

 

[PhilandMena]

can youi not run another wire from the good side to the bad to see if it the bulb holder or earth

That's a bit lost on me but thanks anyway.

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[mitzimad]

if one side is working and no power to the other i would look if theres a in and out connecter on the working one to feed the other side or is there two wires in the plug in one pin connector

 

[Landy Andy]

As both brake lights get their power from a single pin in the tow socket, it is quite likely that there will be one wire going from the tow connector to one brake light, then across to the other one. So check the connections on the working brake light to see if there is a bad connection that should be powering the other side.

 

[PhilandMena]

There are separate cables from the plug going to each lamp unit. The plug as far as I can see is sealed and I believe there are separate wires (4 I think !) in each cable supplying power to each lamp and individual bulbs in the lamp unit. Today I will use some contact cleaner and make sure the contacts are clean and re-try. That's the limit of my knowledge and electrical experience. If That fails I will book it into a garage to be sorted by a sparky. I will give you all feedback when job is done. Thanks for your kind advice.

 

[xtab]

I had a similar issue with a different model Thule. In the end, I decided the cheapest fix was to buy a trailer light bar on ebay and lash this over the top of the original light set with cable ties. Works fine and much cheaper than the £90 replacement part or garage repair, I thought.

 

[Rumour and Innuendo]

There are separate cables from the plug going to each lamp unit. The plug as far as I can see is sealed and I believe there are separate wires (4 I think !) in each cable supplying power to each lamp and individual bulbs in the lamp unit. Today I will use some contact cleaner and make sure the contacts are clean and re-try. That's the limit of my knowledge and electrical experience. If That fails I will book it into a garage to be sorted by a sparky. I will give you all feedback when job is done. Thanks for your kind advice.

Hi guys, we have a similar problem. Left hand rear light not working. We have changed bulbs and checked it on both the car and van. Same on both. I have had the plug to bits and checked all the spade terminals (not screw connectors!) and all are OK. To take the plug to pieces, unscrew the nut where the cable goes in and you can then take the two halves apart. Reassembly is obviously the reverse, just make sure the locator lug on the pin plate is correctly placed. But if one brake light is working, this should be unnecessary as the other brake light is connected from the same terminal.

I would guess that there is a bad connection from the right to the left sides of the bike rack. As someone suggested, just make sure that the connections are good. I hope you find the solution.

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