Changing Tail Light Bulbs

[Tbird1044]

Have any of you tried to replace a tail light bulb and had difficulty removing the bulb socket from the tail light housing? I was having trouble reinstalling the sockets into the housing, so I decided to disassemble one of the sockets. If you remove the plastic/rubber boot over the rear of the socket, you will find a collar that is spring loaded to hold the socket tight in the housing. Over the years, the grease gets hard and sticky and the collar is hard to move. A little oil, cleanup, and some silicone grease and things moved easily again. The sockets went back into the housing like they should. On the attached pictures, there is an arrow pointing to the sleeve/collar that needs lubrication to get them to work properly.
Nyles

[simplyconnected]

Before inserting the bulb, I pull the pigtail back which collapses the springs and allows easy insertion.

My cousin screwed up his lights on an old U-Haul trailer. One of the pigtail 'tits' was sticking out too far and he gorilla-ed an 1157 bulb in there anyway. The brass tit turned sideways, grounding the light to the socket. He couldn't find his mistake but his wire harness was getting hot.

If you pull the pigtail back, all the wires will be straight and the bulb will slide right in. Release the pigtail and all the connections should be good. - Dave