Ghostly reversing light

Changed the standard reversing light for an LED one about 2 years ago and has been fine. Now when I have any lights on there is a faint glow from some of the LED's in the reversing light, enough to notice. When I put into reverse full brightness from it. Any suggestions other than earth as to what might be happening and how I test it through please? Could become an MOT issue?

i might stand corrected but I don't think the reverse light is an MoT check!

Sounds like a classic earthing fault.

mojo247 said:

i might stand corrected but I don't think the reverse light is an MoT check!

Click to expand...

If it's fitted it must work. If you remove it thats fine.

Lionhound said:

If it's fitted it must work. If you remove it thats fine.

Click to expand...

Not if it was a standard fitment on a vehicle of that year.

Turboman said:

Not if it was a standard fitment on a vehicle of that year.

Click to expand...

Got that from mot tester when mine went in, he'd just had his visit from the testing high heid yins too so assumed it was correct.
It goes down as an advisory.
Just saying what I was told,

Lionhound said:

Got that from mot tester when mine went in, he'd just had his visit from the testing high heid yins too so assumed it was correct.
It goes down as an advisory.
Just saying what I was told,

Click to expand...

AFAIK, if the lamp was a legal requirement at the time of manufacture, it must be fitted, and work for an MOT.

Otherwise, you would be able to remove yer headlights if they didn't work, and still pass!

It is definitely NOT part of the MOT test. I checked this out before my last MOT as my reverse light has stopped working. Pass and no advisory. Still haven't got round to fixing it.

zeaphod said:

Sounds like a classic earthing fault.

Click to expand...

Yes, that's very likely, especially as they're LEDs: unlike a normal light bulb, if just a tiny amount of current flows through it, as can happen with an earth fault, a LED will glow faintly – which is your symptom.

Wimblowdriver said:

It is definitely NOT part of the MOT test. I checked this out before my last MOT as my reverse light has stopped working. Pass and no advisory. Still haven't got round to fixing it.

Click to expand...

Would still be worth having it, though. Quite safety critical if you are reversing in the dark.

@satchmolips , it sounds to me like an earth or connections issue. LEDs draw very little current, so the connections tend to corrode.
Try cleaning them up, and maybe refitting a standard bulb.

Turboman said:

Quite safety critical if you are reversing in the dark.

Click to expand...

It's a bluddy nuisance reversing out of my drive in the dark, just a couple of inches clearance each side of me brick pillars. Fixing is on the list of jobs to do, I suspect a faulty switch on the cog box which is a pig to get at. Think it will be less hassle to knock the pillars down

Makes no difference whether reverse light is a requirement or not.

Showing a white light at the rear unless in reverse will be a fail.

blue beasty said:

Makes no difference whether reverse light is a requirement or not.

Showing a white light at the rear unless in reverse will be a fail.

Click to expand...

not true.

work lights

Common fault with some LED bulbs with no ballast
Some people fix with a 1K 1/4W resistor across the wires

The Mad Hat Man said:

not true.

work lights

Click to expand...

Theyd be a fail if they came on with other lights though.

I use my work light as a reversing light but it turns off when I turn it off and has a lit switch so I don't forget and drive about with it on (very often )

blue beasty said:

t but it turns off when I turn it off

Click to expand...

thats useful

blue beasty said:

Showing a white light at the rear unless in reverse will be a fail.

Click to expand...

Auxilliary lights which includes reversing lights are not subject to MOT checks. Problem occurs if you drive on a public highway at night and show a white light at the rear - breach of construction and use regulations = your nicked collect your points and give us yer money.

The Mad Hat Man said:

thats useful

Click to expand...

Considerably more useful than not turning off......which is the OPs issue

Wimblowdriver said:

Auxilliary lights which includes reversing lights are not subject to MOT checks. Problem occurs if you drive on a public highway at night and show a white light at the rear - breach of construction and use regulations = your nicked collect your points and give us yer money.

Click to expand...

Yeah that's sounds about right

Wimblowdriver said:

It's a bluddy nuisance reversing out of my drive in the dark, just a couple of inches clearance each side of me brick pillars. Fixing is on the list of jobs to do, I suspect a faulty switch on the cog box which is a pig to get at. Think it will be less hassle to knock the pillars down

Click to expand...

I have reversed into a few things in Landrovers even in daylight. The rear vision is terrible, blind spots big enough to hide a tree, let alone something low down.