left tail light turn signal randomly stops working

[Vikram]

before i thought it was a bad bulb cos it was looking pretty black so i put in a new philips bulb

and i even liberally put in some dialectric grease

but it just randomly stops working and its only the left rear turn signal that stops working. everything else works fine.

i notice that the screws for the tail light assembly are pretty much just sliding in and out without turning, i wonder if maybe its making the assembly loose while driving and causing the connection to shake? but its weird that its only the left rear turn signal that stops working.

when i take the bulb out and reseat it then it works fine.

Any ideas?

thanks!

 

[Rick]

Sandpaper the contacts in the bulb receptacle.

Also, dielectric grease is NON conductive. So putting it on the contacts actually makes for a worse connection.

What is Dielectric Grease - Applications & How to Use it? | Rx Mechanic

Dielectric grease assists in preventing arcing between electrical parts. Some people have wondered about the difference between dielectric grease with other types of grease.

rxmechanic.com

"It disrupts electric currents’ flow, thus making it ideal for sealing and lubricating rubber parts of electric connectors. "

"Ensure that the grease does not touch the path of electrical currents or where parts are connecting. This is because the grease is an insulator, and it disrupts the flow of currents. Therefore, it is recommended to use dielectric grease on surfaces of electrical parts where the currents are not passing."

 

[J_C]

If the contact is too corroded or the socket depends on spring tension that has been lost (especially if the gasket is shot and that's letting moisture into it), a replacement socket is usually under $10, though if the harness has a plug that plugs into the socket piece, you might also check that for corrosion, though it is common with Ford plugs that there is some insert piece you can pull out to get the connector contacts out to better clean them, if age hasn't caused the plastic to get too brittle to do so without damage.