idf

Hey everyone,

Could use some help.

Both my rear license plate bulbs are out.

I got 2 new ones, swapped them, but they are still out.

Looking for options on how to solve this.

The plastic covers were rather soiled, and there was a bit of corrosion on the contacts. I gave them a clean, washed the plastic covers.

It did not work.

What could be causing this?

03_AR_CO

I would meter the voltage at the contacts with lights on, see if you have DC voltage to those terminals, possible wiring break too. The cable that feeds the voltage to the light fixtures has a lot of movement in that it runs right along side the hinge mechanism.

powderlvr

The license plate light wire comes from the Comfort System Central Control Module, which sits just above the battery in the trunk. The license plate light 12-volt positive wire coming from the module should be gray/green and it should be coming from the 15-pin brown connector on the module. Pin 3 I think. There should be 12-volts between that wire and ground.

-JT

idf

So is there also a fuse associated with the license plate bulbs?

powderlvr

I doubt that there is a fuse though I'm not certain. I would do as the previous poster said and measure the voltage across the light socket. If there is none then I'd tap into the wire described above and measure the voltage between it and ground. If the wire is live near the module but not near the light socket, then you have a wire break and you'd need to trace it, find the break, and splice it back together.

That's just a guess though. I've never messed with my license plate light and don't know much about it.

-JT

snapdragon

Please note that power to these lights turn off if they are deemed open or short to ground or you fit LEDs without built-in shunts.
Did you put the bulbs in with them on?
If you take the bulbs out to test the contacts and then turn them on, the power will cut out after a second anyway.
If you think they tripped out when you checked them, it maybe worth checking them now as they should have reset.

idf

Sorry, I don't understand.

No. No led bulbs, just standard replacements.

Oh wait. I understand... you mean while testing the contacts.

idf

Sorry, I'm slow getting back to the thread. The problem solved itself. The lamps started working again. Nice to have something like that happen every so often.