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Side Marker Light Bulb vs. Clearance Light Bulb

8.3K views 12 replies 3 participants last post by  2004XT_Auto  
#1 ·
I just replaced all of my headlight assembly bulbs and noticed that the clearance and side marker lights are the same bulb part number (168). These lights are also know as "parking light bulb" and "front side marker light bulb".

Unfortunately, I can't figure out which harness goes to which since I didn't mark them when I removed everything the headlamp assemblies.

While trying to identify which harness/bulb was which, I couldn't find any situation where both of them don't come on at the same time, so I can't tell which is which.

Does it matter which location each bulb is put back in? If, so which harness is which? The manual already shows what each bulb location within the headlamp assembly is for so I know that much....I just don't know which harness is which.

Thanks
 
#4 ·
I'll investigate further. Again, I could not come up with any scenario where any of the (4) 168 bulbs did anything independently of the other.

I'll put my turn signal on and see if I can get either of the 168s to blink along with it.

I'd like to get this right before putting it all back together which I found to be a pain in the behind.

I replaced all of my bulbs with Long Life bulbs as well while in there. I don't want to have to go in there again for a LONG time!!

Thanks
 
#3 · (Edited)
One of the bulbs for each side should have 2 filiments, that's your blinker bulb. I thinks its the 7440(double filiment), while the others are 7443(single filiment).

Edit : Just realized you're asking about front lights while I was thinking rear(just had to replace my rear bulbs), anyways, it should be the same blinker bulb, 7440, for the front also.
 
#5 · (Edited)
The 7440 is the blinker bulb, but there are 2 smaller 168 bulbs in the housing. Each 168 bulb uses a different harness as well.

No matter what I do, both 168 bulbs power on or off at the same time. I never stopped to see if either bulb functioned as an additional turn signal by chance though!

Thanks
 
#7 ·
Does each plug end have a different color? If so, what are they? If they are the same as my 03, looking at the back of the passenger side assembly, big fat gray goes bottom left, black goes top right, yellowish(orange maybe?) goes bottom right. That's as much as I could see by peeling my fender liner back and using a flashlight.
 
#8 ·
Wow, I didn't expect you to go that far for me but thanks. I'll pull my headlights back out just in case. I was really hoping that someone could find any difference in functionality at some position or other. Starting to think it doesn't matter which bulb goes where. I bet I'll find out it does when I get everything back together :(

I'll pull my lights again and look. Thanks for going so far!
 
#9 ·
I just took a peek in my manual and flipped a page or two past the bulb chart/bulb replacing page and there was a drawing of the back of the assembly which shows three distinct plugs, their locations and their designations.

Once I get curious about something, I can't not know, it's a curse. Drives my husband absolutely crazy sometimes, hell, it drives me crazy sometimes. But on the up side, I kick some major a$$ at Trivial Pursuit.
 
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