Truck help! Burnt-out taillight

[Erin]

Okay, yes, I am a girl…

The taillight on my Chevy Tahoe is burned out. Brake light and turn signal don’t light up, but when I have the truck lights on, that does work. (I assume there must be two bulbs in there?)

I know darn well I can go to Pep Boys and buy a light bulb, but I cannot for the life of me figure out how to get the red plastic cover off so I can get TO the lightbulbs! There are no screws… what do you do, just pry the thing off?

I don’t have a mechanic (although I’m sure I’ll need one soon, as there’s a funny rattle coming from underneath the truck)… I just go to Jiffy Lube when I need an oil change.

I know this really can’t be that hard. Help!

Oh did I mention that that same taillight goes double speed of the one on the other side? I’m ignoring that problem for now. (Yes, the miles are catching up with Mr. Truck… )

[Cactuskate]

Be careful with screwdrivers around headlights. I had that same problem with an old Ford truck. I kept backing out this screw forever. Seems it was the one that adjusted the angle of the lens. Now I was lighting the sky as I drove down the road. I was blonde in those days, does that count for anything?

“The older I get, the better I used to be, but who the heck cares!”

[Erin]

Really? Well, I’ll be damned. That makes sense.

Unlike, for example, “martingale”… where the hell did that word come from anyway?

ETBW, can’t you just send Winglet over to change it for me?

[Winglet]

does the handle still have some spring to it, or is it kinda loose, like it’s unattached? If so, it’s probably an unattached piece in the tailgate. If not, check for blockage on the sides, where it latches.

P.S.- if you need to change a bulb on the silverado, it’s probably gonna have 10mm nuts holding it in, not screws. But I could be wrong.

JoHn (WiNgLeT)

ah, f%@# it, who wants pie?
-Dennis Miller

Look at my ultra cool site!
www.geocities.com/winglet18

[Sleepy]

And on a '79 Prelude this was tough. The chrome around the headlight came off when you took the headlight out. You can find a bulb at Walmart or Target. But if you don’t want to break a nail, just get them to do it when you have your oil changed.

But be aware that it might not be the light bulb; it might be a fuse. Doesn’t hurt to have packet of spare fuses in the glove compartment.

[Jo]

I agree, play dumb girl. I went to AutoZone yesterday after having a guy at school figure out what was wrong with my car, and just asked this guy what kind of coolant I needed… he was asking all these questions and finally just went out to the car, checked it out, went inside, picked up the bottle, came back out, and poured the proper stuff in the proper place for me.

[Goodyfourshoes]

edit

[rocky213]

Hey Erin,

I think I am your alter ego! I have a Chevy Tahoe too (and a horse named Rocky! and a Merhow trailer, scary huh ). When my taillight burnt out, the guy at Jiffy Lube changed it for me. Cost me an arm and a leg, I am sure. But, the bottom line is that it got changed! and I didn’t have to do it. So, tell them about it and they can change it for you.

About that rattling noise, I would get that checked out ASAP. I had one too, and waited a little while to bring it in. When I finally brought it in, it turned out to be a seizing universal joint and the guy said if it broke, it would be a very, very, expensive fix and I would have been stuck. So, get it checked out ASAP.

[rocky213]

Erin,

Make the boyfriend change the lights!!!

[Everythingbutwings]

Or junk yard on-line!

Headlight Warehouse

Parts Avenue

[FairWeather]

American trucks are really easy…

Always,
FairWeather
If you ever reach total enlightenment while you’re drinking a beer, I bet it makes beer shoot out your nose. - Jack Handy

http://www.fairweather.bizland.com/entrance.html

[lillian]

You change it from the inside of the vehicle. Open the tailgate and look…

[rocky213]

Hey Winglet,

I too went to the feedstore to get grain and the tailgate wouldn’t open. (I have a Chevy Tahoe). The window opens and the bottom gate is fused shut. I called the dealer and they said it would be expensive to fix because they have to take apart the door from the inside and fix the handle. Is this something I can bring to a non-dealer to do? Is it something difficult to fix?

[Everythingbutwings]

CHEVY! You are laughing so hard that you can’t read now

[Winglet]

there should be 2 screws at a right angle to the lens assembly. take those out (be VERY careful not to drop them down into the body of the truck!!) and slide it to the side. then pressin the tab on the burned out bulb’s socket, and rotate it counterclockwise. It will pop out, and you can just pull out the bulb. It should be the kind that pulls out, not the screw in ones. And there are 2 filaments in the bulb, one for your driving lights which come on when the headlights are on, and a brighter one for your brake/turn signal. you will need to turn on your hazard lights to determine which bulb is burned out. It’s easy, just a phillips head screwdriver… but we’ll charge ya 30 bucks at the dealership (of which I’ll see $2…)

JoHn (WiNgLeT)

ah, f%@# it, who wants pie?
-Dennis Miller

Look at my ultra cool site!
www.geocities.com/winglet18

[Goodyfourshoes]

edit

[Erin]

Okay, yes, I am a girl…

The taillight on my Chevy Tahoe is burned out. Brake light and turn signal don’t light up, but when I have the truck lights on, that does work. (I assume there must be two bulbs in there?)

I know darn well I can go to Pep Boys and buy a light bulb, but I cannot for the life of me figure out how to get the red plastic cover off so I can get TO the lightbulbs! There are no screws… what do you do, just pry the thing off?

I don’t have a mechanic (although I’m sure I’ll need one soon, as there’s a funny rattle coming from underneath the truck)… I just go to Jiffy Lube when I need an oil change.

I know this really can’t be that hard. Help!

Oh did I mention that that same taillight goes double speed of the one on the other side? I’m ignoring that problem for now. (Yes, the miles are catching up with Mr. Truck… )

[Dry_Clean_Only]

Hey Erin - the double time blinking means the bulb or fuse is about to blow

[Winglet]

lemme know if I’m useful, dangit!

JoHn (WiNgLeT)

ah, f%@# it, who wants pie?
-Dennis Miller

Look at my ultra cool site!
www.geocities.com/winglet18

[Erin]

Headed out to the parking lot this morning, tool kit and new bulbs in hand… but I could not even GET to the screws that hold the taillights in because the little plastic plugs that cover the holes they hide in were STUCK! I couldn’t get them out! When I realized I was removing paint in my efforts to liberate them, I gave up.

So the truck is now at the local gas station getting an oil change, and I left them the bulbs to put in for me.

Oh well!