Strange Brake light problem 09 H3T

[H3T4x4]

2009 H3T

My passenger side tail light is acting up. The brake/stop light is not "getting brighter" when I hit the brakes. If its at night the red lights are still on but once I hit the brakes the driver side Brake light turns on and the passenger side light stays the same. Checked the fuses and Im messing with the bulbs right now and anything else that I can mess with to figure it out.

Any help will be appreciated! Thanks

 

[f5moab]

Swap bulbs left to right and see if the problem goes with the swap. Sounds an awful lot like a bulb. I have probably replaced my brake/park lamp bulbs a half dozen times on my 08.

 

[TheGunnyRet]

Can't say much your on track to check the Bulb, they do have 2 filaments so one of them could have broke from vibrations etc...

 

[alrock]

Yep, sounds like a bad bulb. Like Gunny said, they have two filaments: one for brake, one for parking light. It's not at all uncommon for the brake light to go out and the other to remain working.

 

[ArtHummer]

This is absolutely right. H3 uses 3157 bulb that got two filaments. One for corner light and one for brake. On yours the brake one is burned so change the bulb.

 

[f5moab]

I'm still going to suggest swapping the bulbs unless someone wants to purchase one and keep it if not needed (at this time). However, as a retired electrical engineer from GM, with the H3 account, let me also state that the connectors for the rear bulbs aren't the most notable for being reliable. On my 06, I replaced the connector because the park light would not come on....and it could have easily been the brake lamp. On my 08 I have only replaced bulbs...but! So, what I'm saying is, even though odds would tell you it is the bulb, it could also be the connector.

And even though you can usually tell, visually, if the bulb is burnt, that is not always true.

 

[Happy Hummer]

If it turns out to not be the bulbs I'd suggest to look at the ground straps. Clean and reseat.

Chris

 

[f5moab]

Problem with that connector is it is a pinch connector and the prongs inside the connector bend out of the way (side-to-side) and do not make good contact with the bulbs connectors. The other problem is internal to where the connector and wiring come together. They are ****ty connectors. And both circuits, park and brake, go to the same exact ground location.

 

[H3T4x4]

Alright guys thanks for the help and everything! After a bit of trial and error I got it all figured out. Switched bulbs and it was a no go. Well to save yall from reading anymore It was a wire that had been frayed somehow. Did a little re-wire work and got a fresh set of bulbs just in case. Thanks for the insite guys!