M38A1CDN2 rear light

[Retsarge]

Hi Guys,
I have owned my M38A1CDN2 jeep, CFR 6707832, for just over 16 years, and it has proved to be pretty reliable. But it had recently developed a lighting problem. I trouble shot it down to the wiring harness at the left rear. I wound up replacing some of the wiring and the complete left rear light bucket. The bucket had a very large amount of corrosion on the bottom half of it. The corrosion almost went clear into it. I believe that this one might have been an original to the jeep. Both rear lights have now been replaced with NOS lights. Has anyone else seen this type of corrosion happen on other light buckets?
Thanks Richard

[rob love]

I have not seen any particular corrosion in the area you talk about, but rather a general corrosion of anything that can retain dirt or moisture like the hat channels under the body and some of the seams. But as to the wiring harness, a common fault I found on the rear harness was that the little spring clips on the frame that hold the harness in place would occasionally pierce the harness and short out a wire, usually the turn signal wire resulting in the flasher burning out and the pilot lamp on the signal arm remaining on solid. An easy fix but you had to find it first.

And a big tip is to use silver antisieze on all the little screws holding the lens in place on the rear lights as well as the two large retaining bolts on the back. The housings are aluminum, the screws are steel.....the dissimilar metals sieze the screws.

[Retsarge]

At this year’s national in south bend, l was able to pick up 2 nos rear light assemblies. Along with the large gama goat lens. So l replaced both lights and lens, l did use anti-seize on the screws. When you have 55 year old wiring, its best not to mess with it unless you really need to. Maybe some day l will get a new harness for the jeep..

Richard