Question about tail lights!!!

Cinder

Registered User
Ok sorry for sounding stupid but what is the difference between SC tails and regulat Bird Tails??? I had to put them on after some kid destroyed mine and people keep telling me they aren't SC tails and I don't have one around to compair with! Pretty rare car up here in Manitoba! Plus they wheren't SC tails in the first place!
 
The '89-'95 LX's had a black stripe that ran across the bottom of the taillites, along with lettering. The '89-'95 SC's didn't have the black stripe. The '96-'97 LX's are the same as the SC's.

Thomas
 
DO TAIL LIGHTS REALLY "light up" ?

I have an '89 that is NOT a SC, and they are just reflectors.
My '93SC however, actually LIGHT up. Wwwhat is the story there?

:confused:
 
89-91 had reflective deck mounts-92 and up had the lighted units-chnaces are if you have a 92 or later that has reflective units they were damaged and replaced with early units.

The lighted setups are in higher demand at the junkyards.

Oops-I forgot about the differences!
 
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Actually, the 89-91 units will not fit the 92-95 decklids and vice versa. If your 92-95 decklid tail lights do not light, the LEDs are probably bad. The units are expensive to replace, so many owners just unhook the electrical connections when some of the LEDs or the LED connectors go bad. You'll see these tail lights where it only looks like some of the LEDs are illuminated.
 
If someone wants a set of deckmounts that are lighted, I'll be offering the new ones from my 93 LX soon-paid $470 for both sides at Ford.
 
ok

Ok well that was very helpfull! Thanks guys. So what this other guy told me about the lens' having a little bit different of a shape was a load of crap?
 
As George said-the 89-91 had the piece where the deckmounts ran straight across at the top-92-up had the same overall shape, with base models from 89-95 having the black section and the SC having the reflector all the way down the housing.

Taillights from a 91 SC:
545816_9.jpg


Taillights from a 95 LX:
465087_10.jpg


Taillights from a 95 SC:
212491_16.jpg


Taillights from a 96 Thunderbird:
214285_3.jpg
 
That doesnt explain how my 94 LXs have LEDS and yet my friend Dougs 95 SC doesnt. Theres no LEDs or plug adapters. they look the same as the back of a reflector lense but the same shape as mine.
 
All of the 92-up 'Birds I have seen have the LEDs on the decklid. The LEDs are not really visible just by looking and the part will fucntion as a reflector when not illuminated. The wiring for the LEDs sneaks in around where the socket for the backup bulbs go through the deck lid. The wiring diagram in the EVTM for 92 shows wires going to a "solid state" right and left LED bar. The LEDs last a long time, but the bus bar inside the plastic housing can get loose or corroded over time and part or all of the LEDs will loose power.

The TCCoA has an article on what these lights look like inside:

http://www.tccoa.com/articles/exterior/led.html
 
I took a very close look at Dougs SC and he has no LED strip or any wiring other than the reverse lighting...Im guessing it was stripped by the previous owner???
 
I have no explanation for why you can't see it. The wiring is a thin two wire plug that comes out the hole where the backup light fits. You might unscrew the backup socket and look around in there for the wire. I don't think you be able to see the LED strips from the outside.
 
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