Courtesy lights and 3rd brake light

[hbcpa]

Hi we are new to the forum. We have an 89 convertible. The door courtesy lights and 3rd brake light have stopped working. The place where we have it serviced has told us that to replace the door lights requires the door panel to be removed to access the bulbs. The 3rd brake light requires the fender to be removed to service the light. It does not appear to be a fuse issue because other lights are working on the same fuse. To fix these lights seems excessive. Are we being properly informed.

Thanks for any advice you can give us.

[tonylong]

I am honored to be the first to welcome you to the forum. You'll find a great deal of info here, and help from the many members/
Your problem is very typical, and the suggested solution is also typical of a dealer's response. Don't believe them !
Replacing the 3rd brake light requires going thru the gas filler door to gain access. The courtesy lights will have various solutions depending on the problem - bulbs, door switchres, lamp delay timer, etc. You can try using the site's search feature, but you will probably receive much help from members' responses. You will soon learn to depend on what yoj learn here, and stop believing what a dealer tells you.
I'd help you myself, but I've not done either of those fixes yet.
HTH

[c4cruiser]

A common problem with the 3rd brake light is a bad switch which is located above the brake pedal. The switch for the 3rd brake light has a separate light blue wire coming out of the harness for the regular service brake light switch. In most cases, it's the switch rather than the light itself.

The 'vert light can be accessed from above the license plate opening. Simply removing the license palte and the license plate lamps will give you access to the 3rd brake light. It can be tested by simply applying 12v to the light.

The door panel is easy to remove. There are screws near the handle and the escutcheon under it. Once the scrfes are remove,d the panel should lift up and off. There are wires and connectors for the power windows, wipers, and lights so don't pull up too far before disconnecting them.

[*89x2*]

Originally Posted by c4cruiser

A common problem with the 3rd brake light is a bad switch which is located above the brake pedal. The switch for the 3rd brake light has a separate light blue wire coming out of the harness for the regular service brake light switch. In most cases, it's the switch rather than the light itself. .

I did this on my one 1989 - switch failed w/ 4,000 miles on it

Easy fix, if you are flexable as a gymnist

[vee93]

Originally Posted by hbcpa

Hi we are new to the forum. We have an 89 convertible. The door courtesy lights and 3rd brake light have stopped working. The place where we have it serviced has told us that to replace the door lights requires the door panel to be removed to access the bulbs. The 3rd brake light requires the fender to be removed to service the light. It does not appear to be a fuse issue because other lights are working on the same fuse. To fix these lights seems excessive. Are we being properly informed.

Thanks for any advice you can give us.

Dang lazy techs--you don't have to remove the bumper to access the 3rd brake light. I just replaced my 3rd brake light lens. Just take off your tag. The screws holding it in place needed a 7mm head on a small ratchet wrench, a little bit of arm wriggling and ouila!!!!

Get yourself a Haynes and a Chilton Repair Manual for starters. Is the owner's manual still with your Vette? Check Ebay for one or call the publishers (Helm) @ 1-800-782-4356. You can also purchase a service manual from Helm.

The door panel can be tricky--just be careful not to pull it too far away from the frame and remember where your screws go.

And if your fuses are good, it's probably just the bulbs.

[hbcpa]

I appreciate your reply. I do have the owners manual but it only tells me the type of bulb and not how to replace it. It still bugs me about the courtesy lights in the door being such a pain to get at.

[vee93]

Originally Posted by hbcpa

I appreciate your reply. I do have the owners manual but it only tells me the type of bulb and not how to replace it. It still bugs me about the courtesy lights in the door being such a pain to get at.

You're welcome. And hey..., just an f.y.i., but if the courtesy lights being out bugs you, oh honey, just wait until its time to replace the bulbs in the fog lights!!! Just make sure you come back and tell us the experience of that! LOL!!!

Oh, and just in case you don't know--there's a little trap door under the front bumper for sticking your arm through to get to those bulbs. Nice that... if you're one of the Fantastic 4, no problem.