Back up light??

[popslavaz]

Installed new to me (used) ‘71 tail light assembly.Running lights work fine but the back up bulb will not light up.Used 12 v tester and I have power to the center of the contact for the bulb....BUT ..... the sides of the socket are hot with 12v also.
Shorted socket???? No pinched wires back there but the whole socket lights up the tester.Checked out the other side only center contact hot not housing.
Think I need to try a new housing???

 

[dadsbee]

No ground.. or you'd be blowing the fuse!

 

[popslavaz]

Only has one purple wire going to the socket.Think the socket lost ground to housing??

 

[Lefty71]

Is the bulb in or out when you are testing?? Meters can show voltage everywhere sometimes. Better to use a test light. Swap the bulbs side to side to be sure its not a bulb problem. Test with the bulb out. Sounds like a shorted socket, but as DadsBee said, you'd be blowing a fuse everytime if it was assembled like that.

 

[popslavaz]

Only used test light swapped bulbs even bought new ones.It must be a shorted socket!! Guess I will have to round up another one.
Thanks Guys

 

[Don Frelier]

Take a piece of wire and ground the socket.

 

[dadsbee]

As I said, if you had TRUE voltage on both sides you'd be blowing the fuse if you had a ground. You are just reading the postive side coming through the filament as there is no ground on the other side to "light it up"!

 

[popslavaz]

BINGO——- pinched a wire between the bulb base and bulb socket touched it to ground and BAM got reverse light on now. I wanted to try that earlier but thought it would blow a fuse for sure.
So the socket for sure lost its ground. Thanks again guys.