Tail light in a hurry

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Tail light in a hurry

December 02, 2015, 10:43:49 pm

Hi Kids!!

Must say it's been a long LONG time since I've been on here. Lots and lots to catch up on am am excited to do so. It's been a crazy year and since driving home in the polar vortex,....the coach has literally sat in the barn. It's a good thing there's no payments on this thing and it's got a place to stay,lol! If I'm not mistaken it's been 2 years.

Last year we had 2 options, we could either "choose" to stay home for the winter so I could have elbow surgery and 3 weeks later, have shoulder surgery...at the same time my wife having wrist surgery. OR, we could choose to skip surgeries and go visit my folks in Ft Myers Beach. Silly us, we opted for surgeries. This year I have 2 similar choices, but am choosing Ft Myers...PERIOD!

We are planning to leave Michigan the 18th of this month and with my work as a 27 year chimney professional, my work is still in full swing to some degree so it's not left much time for all the prepping that's needed. As it turns out I now have a tow vehicle and won't go into that at this time, but having never EVER tried the 7-pin plug on the back of the coach I thought I'd better give it a shot. So, today I took a 7 round to 4 flat adapter and plugged it in while running the coach so I could be sure the wires and lights were all going to work. SURPRISE!! When I turned on the coach blinkers I noticed that the rear passenger side wasnt working. The front had a bulb that identified itself as bad just by the way it was acting, but the rear had no blinker light at all. It does have parking breaks but no blinker. So I reached in the back engine compartment and unscrewed a white fiberglass housing that surrounded the tail light panel and then removed the black rear of the light panel...that houses the lights themselves.

With any luck at all I have successfully loaded / attached the two best pics and am wondering if anyone has a suggestion to find another rear passenger side light assembly? The actual lens is glued in as we had leaks there years ago and I just sealed the lenses to the coach. It's the back panel that holds the lights that I'd like to replace.....BEFORE the 18th. I'd actually need it to be here in 14 days or hopefully MUCH MUCH LESS just so I can get that and everything else in ready condition. ( I bought a jeep that wound up needing a new motor AND TRANS within about a month of my purchasing it...then the new motor had a cracked block and had to be replaced AGAIN and although having never done anything like this in my life...I removed both engines, mounted, stripped and reinstalled all by myself and am now getting the Jeep ready to tow and the same time as I now have lights out. )

Can ANYONE offer hope?

Our coach is a 1991 Grandvilla U280
I think they are Isuzu lights, but not sure how that works. Don't know the year, and if I remember the right is upside down on the left and visa-versa.

There is juice to the plug on the black panel, but I suspect the flimsy "circuit" board type "ribbon" is broken at the turn light socket.

Please advice

PS
I hope everyone has had a wonderful Thanksgiving

Looking forward to getting caught up soon.

Re: Tail light in a hurry

Reply #1 – December 02, 2015, 11:00:06 pm

Karl, I believe it is an '84-'89 Isuzu Impulse, same as in my '89 GV

Re: Tail light in a hurry

Reply #2 – December 02, 2015, 11:05:48 pm

Thank you, any magic sources for something like that?
Do you know if I were to find one would it be the actual back guts that I need and not just a front lens?

Re: Tail light in a hurry

Reply #3 – December 02, 2015, 11:14:39 pm

Carl,

It will be tough finding the GV tail light parts in ANY time frame, much less quickly. Did you try calling the factory to see if they still have any units in stock? I seem to recall someone buying a complete light assembly from FOT within the last year.

Re: Tail light in a hurry

Reply #4 – December 02, 2015, 11:18:47 pm

I'll have to do that tomorrow morning. I just found this out about 2.5 hours ago. Worst case I'm wondering ...since I'm towing the Jeep and have lights wired to work as brakes / turn on back of it...and since the tail light works on the coach...maybe if I'm unable to source them maybe we'll be ok. Once in Florida the coach will be parked. I have blinking power to the 7 pin plug on the coach.

Re: Tail light in a hurry

Reply #5 – December 02, 2015, 11:26:42 pm

Quote from: Chuck & Jeannie – December 02, 2015, 11:14:39 pm

Carl,

It will be tough finding the GV tail light parts in ANY time frame, much less quickly. Did you try calling the factory to see if they still have any units in stock? I seem to recall someone buying a complete light assembly from FOT within the last year.

I have a '93 U300GV. I needed a taillight assembly. Tennesee RV found one for me but it took a few weeks.

Re: Tail light in a hurry

Reply #6 – December 02, 2015, 11:31:02 pm

We'll be passing right through there on our way...when that time comes. Funny, our coach used to belong to the owner of Tennessee RV....many many years ago. Did I mention, many

Would feel really good if I'm able to have it done before leaving, but I know I'm pushing it. Was just so much to do leading up to now

Re: Tail light in a hurry

Reply #7 – December 02, 2015, 11:54:46 pm

Car-Part.com - Used Auto Parts Market

Carl, Check here I had luck some years ago replacing my tail light assembly.

Re: Tail light in a hurry

Reply #8 – December 03, 2015, 07:31:05 am

I have one. Do you need the whole thing or just the bulb piece.

Re: Tail light in a hurry

Reply #9 – December 03, 2015, 08:28:40 am

I need the black panel that has the ribbon circuit and sockets connected. As the numbers show, it's a LEFT light off of the isuzu that goes upside down on the right side of the coach. I'm leaving for work and may be in a remote area for a while. If you know it's in good working condition , let me know what you want for it and I'll get you paid. Thanks so much.

Re: Tail light in a hurry

Reply #10 – December 03, 2015, 09:08:30 am

Carl the ribbon in the extra one I have is torn. Something fell across it in the shed. I found quite a few for sale here
http://www.car-part.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi
search for a 83 Isuzu impulse. 83through I think 87 are the same, the search will pull the years that will fit. You need the left side for your right.

Re: Tail light in a hurry

Reply #11 – December 03, 2015, 10:08:05 am

Quote from: nitehawk – December 03, 2015, 10:06:06 am

Carl, I would do what I did when my driver's side went out. I got BOTH side replacements from a salvage yard in Milwaukee. I figured the mounting in the coach was/is a pretty harsh environment and the trunk of an Isuzu Impulse was a whole lot cleaner, and both sides are the same age. Now I have a spare for the passenger side of our coach for when it goes bad.
My total cost four years ago was about $67 for the two.

Re: Tail light in a hurry

Reply #12 – December 03, 2015, 10:38:34 am

Try a local wrecking yard. Most collisions are front-enders so you have a good chance of finding a used one.
Here's an example in Mt. Vernon, NY;
83 84 85 86 87 Isuzu Impulse L Tail Light | eBay

Re: Tail light in a hurry

Reply #13 – December 03, 2015, 09:22:05 pm

I'm the guy that bought a new light assembly a nearly two years ago from the factory. Yes, the ribbon "pc board" stuff died. I still have the old one in the basement, and one of these days maybe I'll take time to go through with a meter and see if I can find what the problem is and maybe fix it.

Another possible source of pieces/parts is colaw rv Colaw RV - New & Used RVs

Re: Tail light in a hurry

Reply #14 – December 03, 2015, 10:21:43 pm

Thank you all for the suggestions, I will do what ever I can to source the products. I like the idea of checking into having 2 just in case.

I'd like to throw this out there and see what your thoughts may be. I do not want to do anything "temporary" that may cause a problem, so let me know if this is a bad idea. I'm wondering it I were to connect an equally thick ( same as the wire on the harness ) wire to the hot spot on the harness that actually has blinking power to it and spot solder it to the socket for the light? Could this cause a fire or other damage? I'm just thinking that with time passing as fast as it is....in the event I have to do something temporary what your thoughts may be as to the safety.

Re: Tail light in a hurry

Reply #15 – December 03, 2015, 10:45:51 pm

Davi

Quote from: kb0zke – December 03, 2015, 09:22:05 pm

I'm the guy that bought a new light assembly a nearly two years ago from the factory. Yes, the ribbon "pc board" stuff died. I still have the old one in the basement, and one of these days maybe I'll take time to go through with a meter and see if I can find what the problem is and maybe fix it.

Another possible source of pieces/parts is colaw rv Colaw RV - New & Used RVs

d, nee

Quote from: kb0zke – December 03, 2015, 09:22:05 pm

I'm the guy that bought a new light assembly a nearly two years ago from the factory. Yes, the ribbon "pc board" stuff died. I still have the old one in the basement, and one of these days maybe I'll take time to go through with a meter and see if I can find what the problem is and maybe fix it.

Another possible source of pieces/parts is colaw rv Colaw RV - New & Used RVs

David, need another? Brad at TN RV told me not to throw it away as it can be rebuilt. They found a new one for me and reality is, I won't get around to the rebuild. If you'd like a donor light to experiment with, send me your address and I'll send it to you.

Re: Tail light in a hurry

Reply #16 – December 04, 2015, 12:38:45 am

Carl, before I was able to locate replacements a friend DID solder the break in my original driver's side printed circuit. It was "touchy" doing it.

Re: Tail light in a hurry

Reply #17 – December 04, 2015, 12:51:09 am

Why cant the whole circuit board be replaced with wires soldered at each end?

seems fairly easy, but maybe I'm wrong. have never seen one in person.

Re: Tail light in a hurry

Reply #18 – December 04, 2015, 01:46:03 am

I had a taillight go and rather than be smart and replace the whe backplate plastic ribbon assy, I got stupid and broke out the soldering iron and jumpered the busted conductors. Took about 20 minutes and my jury rig still holds up a couple years later.

Re: Tail light in a hurry

Reply #19 – December 04, 2015, 03:06:16 am

It's just a tail light.. Get out the soldering gun and some wire! If you want to be a proper "Rube Goldberg" put some silicone on your masterpiece.....

Re: Tail light in a hurry

Reply #20 – December 04, 2015, 08:12:45 am

Here are some better photos of the item under discussion. These photos are part of a "Tail Light Refurbishment" project I am working on, but not quite ready to publish.

In addition to the printed circuit and the bulb sockets, there is also a small (rigid) circuit board containing some electronic doohickies. I can't tell what it does... You can see the printed circuit provides the POS (+) contacts in the bulb sockets, unlike the "normal" setup where they are part of a spring-loaded piece in the base of the socket.

I would imagine a skilled solder gun expert could replace this entire printed circuit with actual wires, but it is above my pay grade.

Re: Tail light in a hurry

Reply #21 – December 04, 2015, 08:20:07 am

Have you checked the circuit back there with a test light? Unplug the plug and test for power there,Then follow that terminal pin through the ribbon and find where current stops. switched bulbs etc.

Re: Tail light in a hurry

Reply #22 – December 04, 2015, 09:03:20 am

Consider taking the circuit board to an electronics place for soldering repair.

Re: Tail light in a hurry

Reply #23 – December 04, 2015, 10:45:57 am

And, if the circuit board needs repair, but in the area where soldering is not appropriate, there are liquid repair kits that allow you to electrically connect over the break. Been there, done that.

Re: Tail light in a hurry

Reply #24 – December 04, 2015, 10:57:38 am

Looking closely at the flexible circuit in my lights, it appears the individual conductors might not be "printed" but rather are very thin twisted copper wires imbedded (sandwiched) in plastic. Or maybe what I am looking at (the "raised" areas) is the non-conductive material in between the conductive portions? Hard to tell... Perhaps some kind of early "hybrid" flexible circuit construction? This might make them easier to repair, if one was attempting to use wire & solder to bridge gaps in the circuit. Like I said, though, way above my soldering skill level.

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