Hello,
During our stay in Florida last winter, I made a trip to where our coach was stored every two weeks to run the generator and charge the batteries. On one of the trips in February, I noticed that we no longer had a tail pipe attached to the muffler. I know it was there on prior trips because I checked the water in the batteries, which necessitated opening the battery bay door which provides a direct view of the muffler. I spent almost every day until we left for home on April 26th trying to source a new tail pipe and someone to install it. No joy.
So we drove home with no tail pipe. The exhaust soot apparently traveled up inside the engine compartment and covered everything in the area from the hydraulic fluid reservoir back with black soot. Including completely coating the inside of the passenger side tail light lens. Found a shop here that was able to fabricate and install a new tail pipe. I took the tail light apart (would not wish it on my worst enemy as the lens bolts on in the rear where it is almost impossible to get a tool or hand in. There are three nuts. One of them took me 2-1/2 hours to wrench off, turning it about a 1/16 of an inch at a time. When I got the lens off I cleaned it on the inside with a bottle washing apparatus that is a handle with a sponge. I was able to get it in to the hole where the brake light is attached. I cleaned it a dozen times, and it was still dark inside the lens. I hooked up the brake light bulb, and could barely see it when Becky stomped on the brake. I also discovered that Monaco or the PO added a separate tail light by cutting hole in the back of the lens and installing an LED light glued in place with a huge glop of epoxy. I ended up buying a new lens. (1998-2002 Lincoln Navigator) I cut a new hole to match the one for the extra light on the old lens, intending to use the same LED light. When I got most of the epoxy loose, and saw the condition of the LED fixture, I decided to find a new one for that hole.
When I cut the wires of the LED light to get the lens free, I twisted the two leads that were left in the coach together. Now when I hook up the old LED light to see if there is power there, there is none. How do I test those two wires to see if there is voltage? I tried a test light. Clipped it to the frame of the coach and touched the red wire. Test light showed nothing. Is there another way? Did I blow a fuse somewhere by twisting them together? Is it possible to run power to the passenger side light from the driver's side light. The 57 bulb in the pictures attached is ONLY the brake light. The jury-rigged LED is the tail light and turn signal. If I jumper a wire from the driver's side, will the turn signals still work properly?
The pictures attached are as follows:
1. The old lens with how it looked with the LED light attached.
2. The LED light after I heated the epoxy with a hair dryer so I could get it off the old lens.
3. After getting the LED off the lens, I discovered it was two pieces. This shows one half.
4. This the other side of the LED with the bulbs or whatever they are called. Both 3 and 4 look pretty bad.
5. The hole I made in the new lens.
6. The lens "socket" and the brake light (57 bulb) and the wires for the LED light.
I'm not sure I can find another fixture with a rectangular LED light. Will it be okay to put a round one in the rectangular hole I made and just glue it in place? Of course, after I get power to the wires.
Sorry to be so long winded. Tried to explain the best I can what the issue is.
Thank for any advice.
