Few problems with rear lights warnings ???

[rxkevco]

Hi all,
Have a bit of an annoying problem with the dash warning lights for rear bulbs on my 97 523 se.
For a while now, the dash has constantly been showing a warning for the drivers side rear lights. I have checked all the bulbs and everything is working as it should, apart from the high level rear stop light.

However,, after changing the high level stop light bulb ( which looked fine ) it still doesnt ork, and the warning is still on the dash ????

Yesterday, the rear passenger side warning came up as well, and although everything is as it should be, the error is still there.

So,,, i have red warning lights for left and right rear bulbs,,, but all my lights are working fine,,,,apart from the high level stop light, which seems to be fucked,

Any ideas anyone ???? its really getting on my tits seeing these red warnings on the dash everytime i start her up !!!

[rxkevco]

Anyone ???

[Teh Prof]

There's a plug in the wiring harness for your lights a few inches back from the actual light. That plug often fails to function properly. The best thing to do to get rid of the warning light permanently is to get some thin insulated wire and bypass the plug by tracing which wires power the related lights, and then hardwiring the pre-plug wire to the post-plug wire or directly to the light bulb socket.

[16valex]

I would clean all the socket where the bulb seats and all the plugs. how old is the battery? I would also check the alternator charging capacity, it should read above 13.75V when engine is idling.

[ozarkmark]

I was thinking about this isssue since I get warning lights frequently. One more thing you can do if you don't want to try the wiring bypass is get some zero grade steel wool and swipe the inside of the bulb sockets out. This will clean the fine oxidation layer off MAKE SURE THE IGNITION IS OFF AND THE CAR HAS COMPLETELY POWERED DOWN FIRST!
After that make sure the spring tab in the back of the sockets aren't pushed in too far. Finally, get some dielectric grease and smear a very thin coating on the tab and inside of the socket. This will help prevent more oxidation build up.