1157 tail light bulb woes

[deathsled]

Living a saga at the moment to find a tail light bulb that fits the 65 fastback. I tried a Sylvania 1157 made in Slovakia of all places. Fits but the pins on the bulb don't go doan far enough to allow that twist to lock them in place. Returned them and went with NAPA 1157 and same issue though they are made in Taiwan. Ironically the burned out bulb fits perfectly and that too is made in Taiwan. I believe the socket and base to be OEM but I will let you decide based upon the photograph attached. It's rare to have to replace a burnt out tail light bulb on any car. But when it happens on a 65 and perhaps 66 too, watch out! Problems can follow. Sykvania is heavily pushed at Walmart and Autozone FYI. Any suggestions?

[FL SAAC]

make sure you are placing and aligning the pins correctly on the bulb into the socket

you have one pin lower than the other

[67350#1242]

You might try sanding down the contacts a little on the new bulb.  I have also found that the old sockets can get stiff and sticky after all these years.  Push in on the socket contacts and see if it is hard to compress or is sticky.  Sometimes a little sil-glyde on the contacts will help.

[Bob Gaines]

You might try sanding down the contacts a little on the new bulb.  I have also found that the old sockets can get stiff and sticky after all these years.  Push in on the socket contacts and see if it is hard to compress or is sticky.  Sometimes a little sil-glyde on the contacts will help.

+1 .It is typical to have to have to adjust the solder contacts/pins on the bottom by filing down so that the locating pins on the side work properly. I typically take the bulb firmly in hand and rub it back and forth over a section of rough concrete like a sidewalk, cinder block etc. to file down.

[deathsled]

You might try sanding down the contacts a little on the new bulb.  I have also found that the old sockets can get stiff and sticky after all these years.  Push in on the socket contacts and see if it is hard to compress or is sticky.  Sometimes a little sil-glyde on the contacts will help.

+1 .It is typical to have to have to adjust the solder contacts/pins on the bottom by filing down so that the locating pins on the side work properly. I typically take the bulb firmly in hand and rub it back and forth over a section of rough concrete like a sidewalk, cinder block etc. to file down.

Oh wow! I used a little force to get the third iteration of bulb in and it worked. That is useful info Bob and 67350#1242. I will remember that.

[deathsled]

Went for a very early drive this morning, hopped out of the car with all lights on to make sure everything was working and saw that now the passenger side tail light was out.  I got back and replaced the 1157 bulb (they are packaged in pairs) and it went into the socket with no fanfare.  I checked to ensure its operation and it still wasn't working.  I checked the contact points in the socket but they looked clean.  Then I remembered in the Ford shop manual that a wiggle test is appropriate to track down an electrical problem so I began wiggling wires until I got to the base of the socket and there I found the issue.  The wiring is loose at the base so I will need to determine if a new base is required or if the wiring can be resoldered to save the base.  I wiggled the wire(s) to the point that the light works but for how long?  The saga continues.  Thank you all for the help!