2003 Tahoe LT - Tail Light issue

[jkoeringmn]

Hey guys, I ran a search and i was unable to find anything that pertains to my issue, sorry if I missed it

At any rate, I have a 2003 Tahoe LT w/ 110k miles. The passenger side tail light is out. Brake Lights, Turn Signal, Back-up lights, everything else but the the straight up tail light work. I replaced the bulb thinking it might be the bulb, it was not. I checked all fuses for the rear lighting and all were ok. I am at a loss here for what could be wrong.

Thanks in advance for your help and of course if you need more info, just let me know!

 

[TailHook]

Welcome to the forum!

Do you have voltage at the socket in question when parking lights are on? Sounds like a bad contact/wring for the park side of the bulb filament...

 

[jkoeringmn]

Welcome to the forum!

Do you have voltage at the socket in question when parking lights are on? Sounds like a bad contact/wring for the park side of the bulb filament...

I have not checked. I do have a voltage meter at home...stupid question, where do I test it? In the socket?

 

[Rivieraracing]

Yeah, the center of the plug should be the positive while the outer part of the plug that holds the bulb is the negative!

---------- Post added at 07:49 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:47 AM ----------

Can't remember but I thought all those sockets are on their own short harness, so look around and see if there is a plug that might be loose!

 

[jkoeringmn]

I'll check when I get home (I'm at work). Ill let you know.

 

[jkoeringmn]

Alright, sorry for the delay! I checked the voltage on the passenger side tail light socket. Tail light was 0.00, with brake applied it was ~8.xx. I also checked the driver's side to get what it should be. The driver's side was at 11.57. So clearly, I'm not getting any voltage to the passenger side tail light and even with the brake it still is less than what it should be?

It's around -12 outside so I didn't take the time to do any more diagnostics..where should I go from here? Thanks a lot for the help so far!

 

[TailHook]

Holy crap...-12 degrees??? Forecast for today is 72 and sunny...stay warm, brother!

I can't remember if your year has either:

A) tails wired in parallel, the harness feeding first to the driver side, across the rear crossmember, then to the passenger side.

-OR-

B) a power distribution block feeding each side, visible from the underside of the truck right above the exhaust exit.

Sounds like possibly a corroded connector, broken wire, etc.

 

[jkoeringmn]

It's a balmy 23 degrees here today so I took the opportunity to crawl underneath the truck. Found a broken wire for the passenger side tail light harness. Who at GM thought it would be a good idea to leave this area exposed to the elements? At any rate, I was able to get a deal on the wiring harness and I'll be replacing it tomorrow (when its above freezing!).

@TailHook, mine has the junction box above the exhaust on the passenger side.
Thanks for the input and help guys!

 

[TailHook]

Sweet...glad you were able to resolve!