euro tail lights

[suntadz]

I just got set of these euro tail lights for my 73 240. They came with the wire harness too. The problem is there is a extra wire on the harness. The plug is also a different style. Stock mine has a square 4 wire plug with a red/black, black, green, and green/white wire. The euro set has a rectangle plug with red/black, black, green, green/white, and GREEN/YELLOW. Seems that the green/yellow wire is the extra one.It also goes to both top bulbs. The stock only had the third wire going to one of the top bulbs. Anyone make sense of it for me. I will try to post pics.

<a href="http://home.attbi.com/~suntadz/euro_tail_light_problem.htm">Euro Tail light pic</a>

[EScanlon]

The wiring for the light in the picture is correct. The upper two bulbs are both BRAKE and PARKING, hence they get 3 filaments each bulb. Black is ground for all the light bulbs, then the Green/Yellow and Green/White. G/W should be the Tail Lamp, the G/Y is the Brake Light. BOTH these bulbs are wired the same in order to provide Tail and Brake.

Typically, when wiring in a set of "European" lenses or simply put, Amber Turn Signal lenses, you will use the standard wires coming from the wire harness for the TURN signals, and wire a single new wire for the Brake lamps.. The White Red and White Black on your wiring harness are for BOTH turn signal and brake lamp. Once you disconnect the joint between brake and turn signal, you will have the independent wiring for each turn signal you need.

This is the modification that you must do to your car. You must disconnect the join between the turn signal and the brake light circuit in order to have the turn signal operate independently of the brake.

This MUST be done up by the steering column / hazard switch area as that is where the two circuits are joined. In fact, it's the turn signal switch that determines if both brake lamps or only one lights.

After clipping the wire for the brake circuit, run a single wire for the brake light all the way to BOTH tail lamps. The wire you want, goes to the turn signal combination switch. It is the GREEN / YELLOW that provides power to the Brake Lamps. You can disconnect this at either just before it enters the switch, or at the shroud. Just be sure to put some insulation tape on the cut end going INTO the combination switchfor safety's sake, even though this part of the circuit will be dead.

Connect a wire to the lead you disconnected from the combination switch, insulate it and then route that wire to the back end of the car. This is your new Brake Light connection and should be connected to the G/Y wire at the tail lights on BOTH tail lamps.

The Reverse Light is the Red / Black.

Hope this helps.

[MikeW]

This was discussed recently:

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2277

[EScanlon]

Well, it looks as though my post of May last year is still valid.