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How Do I Replace The Clearance Lights On My RV?

by Rod
(Huntington Beach CA)

How to Replace RV Marker Lights

How to Replace RV Marker Lights

I have a 1997 Fleetwood Tioga, 23 feet. I have owned it for about one year—all in all, excellent shape. Along the roofline in the rear of the rig, four of my running lights are out. The covers seem VERY tight. Do they just pop off? Is this just age? Any tricks. I do not want to break anything.

Thanks

ANSWER: Hi Rod, I am going to assume that the roof line at the rear of your RV is equipped with 5 Clearance Lights. The reason I am assuming that is if all of the clearance lights on the roof line at the back of the RV were all out, I would first check for a blown fuse.
Replacing the Clearance Light Bulbs

The lenses do pop out. Depending on which type of lenses your clearance lights have, they may be easy to pop out, or they could be a little harder to pop out, and in some cases, you can crack the lenses.

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To remove the lenses, you will need a thin flat-head screwdriver. Do not try to pry the lenses off from the top or bottom of the marker light assembly. You need to lightly pry the lenses from the right or left side of marker light assembly. Some marker light lenses have little tabs on the right and left sides that will break off if you try to pry them off from the top or bottom.

Once you have the lenses off, it will be easy to replace the bulbs. One thing you might want to do
before putting the new bulbs in is clean off the electrical contacts where the bulbs plug into the clearance light assembly. You can use some fine grain sandpaper or an emery board to clean the contacts. Make sure you blow off any sandpaper residue.

Another tip is to replace all the bulbs and test them before putting the lenses back on; that way, you will not have to remove the lenses again if there is a problem.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you decide to replace all of the bulbs in the marker lights, you could choose to replace all of the marker light assemblies with newer, more reliable Marker Light systems.

Installing New Clearance Marker Lights Assemblies

If you decide to replace all of your clearance marker light Assemblies and the ones you are replacing are the old single bulb type, now would be a great time to install the newer LED Clearance Marker Lights. You can buy a LED Clearance Marker Light Kit that includes all of the Clearance Marker Lights you need. Please look at the video below to see how easy it is to replace your RV's marker light assemblies. This procedure is the same whether you are installing LED or single bulb lights.

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Hopefully, the above information has been helpful to you.

Do you have any suggestions or comments on this topic? You can add them to this page by clicking on the "Click Here To Post Comments" link located near the bottom of this page.

Happy RVing

RVing Al

Comments for How Do I Replace The Clearance Lights On My RV?

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Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		good job.
by: John T

Very instructive. I like your comment on getting G the right fixture. Wire nuts are OK but being outside I'd want to solder then use the wire nut. Not really necessary but an added precaution. Thank you for a good presentation.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Superb answer and details!!
by: Anonymous

LOVE this answer to a concern I have been seeking an answer for far to long! Even when stuck at home ‘sheltering in place’!
LOVE the additional info of replacing with LED’s! Makes me want to check here for all my TV questions!
Lloyd
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Go ahead and use the LED's
by: Robert

We have a 1997 Seabreeze and have been slowly upgrading. I replaced the License plate lights with LED's, same wiring problem as you. I stripped the wires a little, used the wiring caps and then taped it all up and stuffed it down inside the hole so if need be I or my son in the future can pull the wires back out.

I am going to use the same procedure on the entire RV clearance lighting system. I changed the headlight bulbs to LED and that was easy enough, but I need to figure out how to do the flashers, brake and backup lights without replacing the whole assembly if I could even find one! Thanks for the great video!
Rating
starstarstar 		SOme poor practices in the video
by: Dave


Wire Crimp Connectors

It is bad practice to use wire nuts on systems where there can be vibration or movement, as wire nuts can vibrate loose. Use crimp connectors instead.

In my personal use and after many years living on a boat, I have come to the conclusion silicone sealant sucks. It will start to leak after a while, that is guaranteed. I would highly suggest using Butyl tape. It is the same stuff the mfg used to seat windows etc. A roll is about the same price as silicone and not near as messy. YOu can get it from most RV suppliers Here is one from Amazon Dicor-BT-1834-1-Butyl-Seal-Tape. Put it around the perimeter of the light screw it down and just peel away the excess that is sticking out beyond the light fixture
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		LED changeover
by: Markey Mark

Would this also be the way to changeover to LED lights? If it is a good time, I assume you can still use the old cover.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Help.. Please.. RV lights for sticker
by: Jacobowski

What if you can only get four of the lights to work.. we have check the ground and we get nothing .. how can you work on this light in order to get the remaining one to work .. we have just purchased an rv and need to get a sticker for it.. can we get a sticker with only four or three light to work ..? Please help. wanting to go camping..

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