Light problem on my 328 GTB

If by "trunk lights" you mean the two lights in the engine bonnet over the license plate, I think those only come "on" with the parking lights or headlights (not when the engine bonnet is opened).

However, if you mean some other lights on the underside of the engine bonnet, try turning on the parking or headlights at the same time (e.g., IIRC, on TRs, the extra lights for the engine bay only come "on" when bonnet is opened and the parking lights or headlights are "on").

 

Hi Rich,

If you mean the two lamps above the lic plate, they do commonly go out. First turn on your headlights. Did they go on? If not, tap them. Still not on? You can get them for about $35 each from Italian Car Parts. Often they will not work with the lid up but come on when closed.

Dan

 

On my 308, I was able to get my engine deck-lid license plate lights to work by unscrewing the two lamp covers and then cleaning all the contacts up there. There is some funky grounding think they've got going on as I recall. Give it a good cleaning and see if that helps.

I replaced many of the bulbs in my car, including the ones in the driver/passenger side door (the ones in the armrests that "point down") with bulbs from Daniel Stern Lighting (http://www.danielsternlighting.com/). Pull the bulb and email him everything about it--size, markings, etc.--and he'll source a replacement (and these things aren't expensive).

--Mike

 

Hi Rich, when you say headlights, I think just the parking lights have to be on. Also, I when you say passenger door lights, which lights are you referring to? The ones in the armrest, or the ones on the "end" of the door itself in a little red lamp casing that you can only see when the door is open?

 

One of my favorite things to do, resurrect old threads.
My 83 308 license plate lights are not working. Bought the replacement fittings from ferrparts.com including new festoon lights. Put these in and turned on running lights and headlights and still no license plate lights. This with the decklid raised and lowered. Power comes from the right side of the decklid through a single yellow w/blackstripe wire.
Any thoughts or ideas?

 

Good grounding from the fixtures to the bonnet is critical. Make sure the area around the 2 screw holes for each light is free of paint and making good contact with the fixture housing. Do the same on the fixture. Don't depend on just the screws to make the ground connection. There is a coating/paint on the housing.

Also, have you verified there is 12v on the feed wire?

 

12v confirmed. For the old lights ground is now very suspect. The new lights do not have a ground built in like the original. Additional wire required.

 

Thoughts on using a thinwall rivnut to create the ground with an eye-ring?