i just replaced the back left hand side rear light base and when the lights are off the break lights work (left is dimmer than the right, is that normal?) when the lights are on they work but when the break is pressed the left hand one goes out?

i connected the old base and it does the same thing, i never noticed this before so it may have always been like this.

any ideas? the wiring looks ok, no damage to wires that i can see.

i tried swapping the bulb over, same result. and the indicators work fine.

thank you.

Check your Earth's.

I reckon you have the wires mixed up on your brake light. Classic symptoms, commonly encountered
.
There are two filaments in a brake light bulb. One for the brake and one for the park lights. They will be connected together at one end of the filament inside the bulb and this will be the ground point.

It sounds like you have mixed at least two of the three wires up.

1. Find the wire which goes to ground on the chassis.

2. Connect this and the park light wire (red) to any three wires (tails) coming out the back of the light fitting.

3. Swap tails until you illuminate the brightest filament of the dual filament bulb.

4. Keeping the negative on the current tail, swap the blue/red wire onto the last empty tail.

5.If it does not illuminate very brightly, go back to the last pair of tails, but swap the negative and the red.

5. Connect last wire to the third tail.

6. Drink coffee.

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

All of the above, and double, triple check your earths. My rear indicators on one side played up for years and I could never figure out the cause, turned out to be a really well hidden bad earth.

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Simon

The adventures of an owner builder in the Tallarook Ranges

It is BRAKE not BREAK

Brake lights are the things on the back of the car that come on you you put your foot on the brake.

Break lights is what happens when your brakes don't work.

good call, i didn't see that.

thanks for your help everyone, i'll get onto this next weekend.

lh indicator: green red
rh indicator: green white
stop: green purple
tail: red
reverse lights (if fitted): green brown

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i spend all day long helping other people restore and customize there cars now i want to play

het is gebrakt

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the world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page
66 Mini Minor sponsored by http://www.lifeonthehedge.com.au/ The Dog Harness Specialists
It was a pleasure ausmini. I'll miss all you misfits and reprobates

breaking & entering?

LAPD scenario (highway patrol).
Driver, pulled over - "License & registration please"
"What's the problem officer?"
"Your driver's side tail light is broken (pointing to it with his baton)
"No, officer its working fine"
SMASH - "it's not now"

reminds me of Dukes of Hazzard movie -

"The reason we pulled you over is because your tail light is out"
"Pulled me over? Sir, you hit me!"

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