motoroil Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 So you know the little "your rear brake light is out!" warning light we have on our cluster? And how it is annoying because it comes on so often, at little things like using aftermarket bulbs vs. oem tail lights. I've tried a lot to get rid of mine, and I was wondering, if I remove that little bulb from its socket in the cluster, will that hurt anything? Can I just do that? I've got the cluster out as I'm replacing the backlighting and putting in new needles, and I'd like to just remove that bulb (tail light out bulb) from its socket and reinstall the cluster that way. I figure it'll be the same as if the bulb had burnt out. Won't mess up the cluster functioning as thought the cluster is a complete circuit or anything like that will it? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexucan Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 So you know the little "your rear brake light is out!" warning light we have on our cluster? And how it is annoying because it comes on so often, at little things like using aftermarket bulbs vs. oem tail lights.I've tried a lot to get rid of mine, and I was wondering, if I remove that little bulb from its socket in the cluster, will that hurt anything? Can I just do that? I've got the cluster out as I'm replacing the backlighting and putting in new needles, and I'd like to just remove that bulb (tail light out bulb) from its socket and reinstall the cluster that way. I figure it'll be the same as if the bulb had burnt out. Won't mess up the cluster functioning as thought the cluster is a complete circuit or anything like that will it? Thanks! I doubt removing the bulb will hurt anything. I've heard of it being done before with the CEL bulb when someone is trying to sell their car and they want to hide the fact that it has problems. I've never had a problem with my "taillight out" light coming on intermittently....just lucky I guess. BTW, good luck with your new backlighting and needles! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motoroil Posted February 25, 2009 Author Share Posted February 25, 2009 Great! Thanks! And I can't wait to put in the needles and backlighting! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kald-ES98 Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 How do I replace my right side brake light if it doesnt get bright when I brake? I bought some new bulbs I just need to know how to get in there and fix it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motoroil Posted February 27, 2009 Author Share Posted February 27, 2009 How do I replace my right side brake light if it doesnt get bright when I brake? I bought some new bulbs I just need to know how to get in there and fix it It varies per year. Mine is a '93, so it may be different for a '98. It may be listed in your owners manual--may not be--but worth checking. On my '93, you pull back the upholstery in the trunk behind the tail light. Then there are a series of screws that hold the tailight in place. Remove them all. Then pull the tailight backwards, off the car. You should be able to get it about 6 inches or so. Then unplug the wire pigtail and the whole tailight is removed! Then remove the bad bulb and replace with another by twisting the plastic cap/holster that holds the bulb. done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kald-ES98 Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 thank you very much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBrucher Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 Addition to this topic: The other day my "you have a light burnt out" warning came on. Guilty as charged - one of the rear lights was out. Temporarily fixed with a light tap to the tail and the warning on the dash went out when the bulb re-lit. So yesterday I replaced it for good - and its counterpart on the other side for good measure. Now the "You have a light burnt out" warning on the dash remains. Why? And how do I get it to go away? The bulbs I replaced were identical to the ones that were in there. Out of curiosity, I plugged a code reader in and told it to clear all codes...Didn't expect much, but it still didn't work. Anybody else have a similar story? 97 ES300 Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauljcl Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 Addition to this topic: The other day my "you have a light burnt out" warning came on. Guilty as charged - one of the rear lights was out. Temporarily fixed with a light tap to the tail and the warning on the dash went out when the bulb re-lit. So yesterday I replaced it for good - and its counterpart on the other side for good measure. Now the "You have a light burnt out" warning on the dash remains. Why? And how do I get it to go away? The bulbs I replaced were identical to the ones that were in there. Out of curiosity, I plugged a code reader in and told it to clear all codes...Didn't expect much, but it still didn't work. Anybody else have a similar story? 97 ES300 Thanks! Dumb question: Did you check your tailights? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBrucher Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 Haha, yes, thank you for the suggestion. All lights work now and are brighter than they were (old ones were dirty/smudged/burnt kinda. But the dash warning remains. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexucan Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 Haha, yes, thank you for the suggestion. All lights work now and are brighter than they were (old ones were dirty/smudged/burnt kinda. But the dash warning remains. Maybe try taking the replacement bulbs out again and scraping the contact points inside the sockets. It could be that a better electrical connection will wake the "bulb out" sensor up and tell it its work is done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBrucher Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 Yeah, good call. I was thinking of getting in there with some 99% rubbing alcohol and scraping them out because if the old bulbs were a little dirty, it's probably down in the socket, too, so that could be the culprit. Thanks for the advice. I'll give it a shot tonight and let you know how it fares. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motoroil Posted March 13, 2009 Author Share Posted March 13, 2009 This is a common problem on our ES300s. There are some threads you'll find of folks trying different tactics. The sensor for current is real sensitive; so if you use most anything other than dealer bulbs the light will come on. Also, if there is any dirt in there or any corrosion on any of the wires. Most people can't get it to go away and learn to live with it. I yanked my instrument cluster and just removed the warning bulb altogether. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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