2001 XJ8 VDP

My High-Mounted Stop Lamp housing is cracked. I want to replace it. I have a few questions before I get started on this project.

Summary

The housing appears to be in three parts, the back piece which is plastic that is the same color as the interior. The frame which is black plastic that sits flush with the rear window (THIS IS THE PIECE THAT IS CRACKED), and lastly the light housing itself which is a red housing containing 5 lights.

The red housing that contains the 5 lights has two wires, Black/Red. The wires run down the back center of the rear dash board. I'm trying to locate the connector to disconnect the light housing so I can remove the cracked black frame because the wires run through the frame and have to be pulled through to take it out. I see from the electrical diagram that it has a connector. I think it is under the rear dash board.

Questions

1. Is there a connector to disconnect the red light housing?

2. If there is a connector, where is it?

3. Do you have to remove the rear dash board?

4. If you have to remove the rear dash board how do you remove it?


Thanks,
Thomas

 

Hi Thomas,
Mine is '99 VPL but it should be the same as yours. No, you don't need to remove the rear dash board, there's a connector on back of the bulbs' housing in white color to the far right . unplug it then careful pull the bottom of the frame toward you. There are 2 pins underneath it to lock the frame in place about 5cm from the both bottom edge, since it's plastic then you should pull the frame gentlely then lift it upward. Here you are. Hope this might help you out.

 

Thanks but my red and black wires are factory soldered at the red bulb housing, the red and black wires continue down through the back of the rear dash board. Searched the entire trunk area under the light housing, no access to those wires.

 

Does anyone else have soldered instead of a connector?

 

Hmmm - well, I have no desire to disembowel mine, but according to Alldata.com what EZFan said is spot on.....

 

Hi Thomas, looks like desoldering is only way you might try.

 

Hi all,
I have attached a couple of diagrams so we can all have a good laugh. They show a connector attached to the high-mount stop light. However, My 03 XJR suffers from the same impairment that you are talking about. The lightbar is soldered directly to the wires, (No connector).
When I had to reattach my light, I had trouble with the relatively short wires and the inability to detach the whole setup. You could try either of the following.

option 1.
Cut the wires, replace the black piece, and splice the wires back together. If you use spade connectors you should be able to detach and reattach at will.

option 2.
Make a cut in the black plastic piece from where the wires are to the outside. You can then make a similar cut in the new piece and put the wires into place through the cut. No soldering, no splicing, invisible once installed and relatively cheap. Don't cut yourself or the kitty while you're at it!


Hope this helps.

 

Looks like the factory ran out of connectors, some great ideas, thanks for the suggestions!!

Thomas