Continuous break light failure, solution

[dzach23]

My commodore Continually get's a blown drivers side tail light

I've been told by an older bloke at my local footy club, that the reason my break light keeps failing is because the electrical resistance in the older break light has decreased. So when i replace only the broken bulb the new bulb has an increased resistance which causes the new bulb to blow after a couple of weeks.
The solution to this is to replace both break light globes at the same time so that the resistance is the same.

i Changed both globes in my car today and will update next i have a broken tailight

 

[Nicholas Annand]

I'm guessing you had success with this fix mate?

 

[gossie]

Guess it was something to do with a break somewhere.

 

[losh1971]

Can't name the cause but it seemed to be a real common issue with the VT. When they were plentiful on the roads, you would see at least on a day with a blown brake light or tail light. Normally it was more common on the drivers side.

 

[Nicholas Annand]

I have an 01 VU that has been blowing brake light globes consistently. I am going to replace the loom and all the connectors with a set from a VY s2 loom. I have also swapped my tail lights to suit the new VYs2 loom (they also look better in my oppinion). Would that would be a good starting point in fixing the continuously blowing globe? I am also going to go through all my fuses to see if any are blown... although I would have only expected a blown fuse if both brake lights were out.

Once I have swapped them over hopefully I'll have it fixed. If not help!

 

[chrisp]

I know is an old thread!

The resistance hypothesis for the blowing of the bulbs in the first post is totally incorrect.

Two things shorten the life of incandescent bulbs - high voltage and vibration.

Incandescent bulbs are susceptible to breaking from vibration, especially vibrations when they are on (and hot). It is simply the filament breaking and falling apart.

The ute is probably more susceptible to blowing bulbs due to the different suspension. Also, driving habits can contribute too. Braking, or resting one’s foot on the brake pedal, when hitting bumps on the road can lead to bulbs blowing. Try doing all the braking before the bumps (and speed humps) can help lengthen the life of the bulbs.

It’s much the same for the headlights. It is noticeable how often bulbs blow on cars with firm suspension compared to soft suspension.

Also, some bulbs are just better than others.