Reverse Lights

[Jamiez]

Does anyone know what the correct voltage is for the reverse tail lights for a manual (if it matters)?

I have a set of LED backup lights that work when jumped to the battery (12v) but when I put them in the socket, they don't light.
I checked and they are getting 8.5 volts and I double checked that the socket housing grounds to the body.

[GoodysGotaCuda]

ANY light bulb should[/b] be within ~.5v of the battery voltage. If you are only getting 8.5v to the socket, then you are losing power somewhere. Essentially it's going to be difficult given the age of our vehicles, however it can be tracked down by cleaning things up.

Poor ground, poor connection at the bulkhead, connection to the rear harness, etc.

If your battery reads 12.6v
Turn the key on, put it in reverse and check the battery voltage again...it'll drop down some. However you should be within .5v from the battery to the reverse light socket.

[Jamiez]

It's somewhere in the rear harness.

I pulled the connector behind the kick panel.  The reverse light wire reads 11.7 on that side.  I did a little cleaning of the contacts and made sure everything was seated well.  This brought the voltage at the lights up to 9.6.   Still not enough to trip the LEDs, but better.

I'll do some work on the wiring to the rear when I have more time.  I don't feel like pulling the sill plate and rear trim panels right now.

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction