# Tail Lights won't work, but Brake Lights do when braking - MK3 VW Jetta



## warmweatheronly (Jun 15, 2010)

Here's the deal:

The red tail lights used for safe night driving when we turn on the headlights don't work, but when I brake, luckily, the brake lights come on.

The red running lights and the brake lights use the SAME bulb. The bulb is a dual filament deal. I've bought new bulbs, swapped them out, same results.

Initially this problem only affected my driver side tail light. To see if it was the tail light assembly I swapped assemblies between the passenger and driver sides to test. Same result. The passenger side that was working now didn't on the driver side, the driver side that wasn't now works on the passenger side.

So the bulbs are fine, the assemblies the lights clip into are probably fine, but something before them may not be.

Maybe it's related, but my driver side amber daytime running light that also flickers when I use the turn signal now will not turn on during the day like it should. However, when I use the turn signal, it works.

Is there a separate relay, or specific spot in my wiring that I can check or swap for this? I did a bunch of searching on the forums and this didn't really come up.

The car in question is a 1998 VW Jetta 2.0 liter.

I'm using some tiny bike lights dropped into the housings as my running lights until I get this sorted... and limiting my night driving because they're not the best, lol.

Thanks for the help in advance!


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## warmweatheronly (Jun 15, 2010)

duh, fixed:

As soon as I ask for help, it's solved.

I assumed that it couldn't be the fuses because the turn signals worked and they're on the same fuse as the tails (I thought). Well I guess they're not, both fuse 7 and 8 were blown. Replaced, and it's all fine again.

Assumptions suck.


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## 1172482 (Dec 22, 2015)

Always check fuses after you check bulbs. Glad you got it ironed out bro.


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## pilotlars (Aug 19, 2004)

Half these 'lighting problem' posts are just burnt-out fuses. I never realised people thought a parking/TS or parking/brake light bulb would either work or not work until a year ago when a coworker told me his side marker light on his Ford SUV wasn't working, he said it was weird that the turn signal still worked. I said no, it's totally NOT weird, they're different circuits with different fuses and differnt filaments inside the bulb.


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