Quote:
Originally Posted by briankstan
I have a question about how the bake/tail lights should function. I have a 1998 Winnebago Chieftain and it has separate brake light and amber turn signal lights. When I turn the lights on I’m getting all the marker lights along with the rear red marker light. Blinkers work as I think they should with the amber light blinking.
My question is about the brake function. When I hit the brakes the amber lights light up along with the center light that is red.
I would think that the brakes should make the red light brighter not turn on the amber light.
I looked at the wiring and it all looks completely stock and doesn’t appear to have been messed with by the previous owner.
Any insight on if this is fine or something that I need to correct? Thanks for the help.
|
briankstan,
Well Sir, there's all kinds of possible "issues" or, even remedies here. First off, it would be nice if you displayed a picture of the rear of your particular coach's tail lights. This is just for reference. Winne and Itasca constantly changed tail light assemblies over the years. One year both or, even independently, they'd have all red tail lights back there. The next year, they'd change to amber turn signals and red tail/brake lights. Then, even later, they'd revert back to all red. It kind of seems that either it's cost driven or, someone in the design department, just changes their minds, from year to year.
In any case, as I understand it, (I've got no legal preference to prove this) it is illegal for brake lights, in this country, to be AMBER! Again, I've only been told this but, cannot really substantiate it. Second, in your case, is it possible that, maybe someone, for some odd reason, has changed two of your lenses, i.e. two of the red ones, for two amber ones, just trying to segregate the turn signal colors??? Stranger things have been seen and done.
Now, in all reality, no, your amber ones should not light up when the brakes are applied. With all the "three filament" systems I've ever dealt with, cars, trucks, motor homes, motor cycles, and more, I've never, ever seen, FROM THE FACTORY, "Amber" tail lights light up, when the brakes are applied. Utilizing one wire for both brake and turn lights, has been done for eons and eons of time. It was the standard for American cars and trucks, since the darn near when Ford rolled his first one off the assembly line.
But, the Europeans, and other foreign auto makers, started the "amber" or, third filament systems way back when. Eventually, that thought/system migrated to our industry. Hence, there's been American (Domestic) vehicles with THREE FILAMENT systems, or,
1. One filament for tail/marker
2. One filament for brakes
3. One filament for turn (amber)
for quite a few years. But, like I stated, it's not always continuous. It changes from year to year, vehicle to vehicle, model to model.
So, with yours, it's possible that,
1. someone "May" have changed lenses, if the two are interchangeable on your coach.
2. Someone goofed around with the wiring
There are "Tail light Converters" out there that, when towing toad, that has a different tail light arrangement than the coach, i.e. your coach has a two-filament, and your toad has a three filament, can separate and alter the way the toads lights work, against your coaches lights. And, vice versa, you can also get a converter that, will convert "down" or, change a three filament system to a two filament system.
It would be interesting to know what was done to yours, to make it act the way it is.
Scott