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Old 05-05-2021, 07:23 PM   #1
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Rear Brake Light dimmed when brakes applied

This might be a silly question, but here goes. Is there a way I can replace the back left brake light that is dimmed? Or is this something that I need to take to a RV shop? If this is something I could do myself, how would I know what light to order? Thank you Nancy
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Old 05-05-2021, 07:32 PM   #2
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Don’t know which year Solera you have. My 2012 uses Bargman led taillights (including the brake light function). Available on Amazon and a fairly easy replacement job:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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Old 05-05-2021, 07:36 PM   #3
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Sorry, forgot important information
2014 Forest River Solera
Seattle Area
thank you
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Old 05-05-2021, 08:12 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by nkarnes View Post
Sorry, forgot important information
2014 Forest River Solera
Seattle Area
thank you
Your profile says Arkansas, not Washington.
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Old 05-05-2021, 08:32 PM   #5
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Your profile says Arkansas, not Washington.
Why in the world would you care if the profile is correct? She posted the unit information.
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Old 05-05-2021, 09:18 PM   #6
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Sorry, forgot important information
2014 Forest River Solera
Seattle Area
thank you
Your 2014 may well have the same taillights as my 2012. Check out the Amazon link I posted above and see if it looks like yours. Also, believe you can probably find a part number on the light and search for that number on Google and Amazon - that is how I found the one for mine.
FYI, Jim
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Old 05-06-2021, 02:05 PM   #7
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rear light dimming

Are you sure that is a light problem. If I understand the problem correctly one light is dimming when another is coming on. Sounds more like a connection problem probably somewhere else in the wiring?
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Old 05-06-2021, 02:20 PM   #8
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Are you sure that is a light problem. If I understand the problem correctly one light is dimming when another is coming on. Sounds more like a connection problem probably somewhere else in the wiring?


I agree, could be dirty connection or bad ground.
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Old 05-06-2021, 04:10 PM   #9
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Hmmmm....
Dimmed lights?

That's not likely to be a problem with the fixture (lamp assembly) or the "bulb." I don't know for sure, but 2014 is a bit early for LEDs...but I could be wrong.

Either way, dim says one thing, and "failed" says another.

Failed needs a replacement bulb or, in the case of LEDs, perhaps the entire fixture. It's an all or nothing thing.

But dimmed could be two things:
1) Somewhat unlikely, but the interior of the lamp fixture could be dirty and/or hazed over from moisture intrusion...and possible rust on reflective surfaces (conventional incandescent lamp).
2) More likely, dim comes from a poor ground. Cleaning up and ensuring a solid ground typically deals with "dim."


You might be able to pull your fixture and perform this test.

The way most automotive wiring works is that the chassis (frame) serves as one side of the circuit...ground. The "positive" wires run all the way to the dash/engine compartment in a motor home or to the trailer 7-pin plug. But ground (negative) wires usually just reach down and screw to the frame. Corrosion or a loose screw can lead to dimming of the lights that are not properly connected to ground. That's why one side will work and the other side will be dim or intermittent.

Usually it's easy to spot a ground wire - typically black or white - hanging down and screwed into the frame in an easy to see location. BUT, with "sealed" underbellies, it's entirely possible that you won't be able to simply slide under the rig and find the ground.

If my hunch is correct, any automotive repair shop can deal with this. (If you are good at DIY, you can do it.) A quick demo of how the lights are behaving and they should be able to spot the problem quickly and locate the ground connection easily. The typical fix involves removing the screw, cleaning up the spot on the frame and the connector, and then putting it back together so things are tight and a good connection exists.

One other place to check is where the ground wire connects to the fixture. It's highly unlikely, but the ground wire might be damaged in some way...say, pinched by fiberglass or other hardware so that only a few strands of wire are still intact.

I'm guessing a replacement fixture will set you back a few bucks, and if you rely on the existing ground wire (cut and splice) the problem may not be solved. If you do it right and run the new ground wire all the way to ground, you'll need to open things up just as you would when inspecting for bad ground. You'll have to check the ground connection anyway.

You might save a few bucks and a bunch of time if you check the ground first.

Again, that's a hunch.
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Old 05-06-2021, 05:19 PM   #10
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“ That's not likely to be a problem with the fixture (lamp assembly) or the "bulb." I don't know for sure, but 2014 is a bit early for LEDs...but I could be wrong.”

My 2012 Solera came with LED taillights, as I noted in post #2 above.
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Old 05-06-2021, 06:48 PM   #11
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Yeap, LEDs on 2014 models
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Old 05-06-2021, 10:04 PM   #12
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thank you for all the replies. These are all helpful. Now, I got to see if I can do this myself. Nancy
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Old 05-07-2021, 05:47 AM   #13
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X2 on grounding problem. When I was young, I spent hours trying to figure out why my trailer lights were all acting weird. Things like the brake lights coming on when the running lights were turned on. I took it to a shop, and they figured out in 2 minutes that it was a ground problem.
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