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Dear Jim,

I'm having an electrical problem with my 1994 Nissan Altima (2.4L, L4). When the lights are on and I hit the brakes, my right taillight goes completely out. When I let off on the brake pedal, it comes back on.

I guess this is some kind of short circuit, but I'm not an electrician, so I don't know. A guy at the auto parts store said to check the grounds. How do I find these?

He also suggested that the terminals could be wet or the bulbs burned out. I replaced the bulbs, but that didn't help. Any advice on this?

-- Naomi Sylva

I don't usually offer much do-it-yourself advice on electrical problems, sister -- not because they're so complex or dangerous or anything, but because they often require special tools and a lot of patience.

That said, I'll make an exception here, because it really sounds like you just have a bad wire running from the taillight housing to a ground connection somewhere on the body of the vehicle. You may be able to trace that wire back from your light housing, but in your Nissan, all those wires are most likely hidden behind a plastic cover.

The cover won't be hard to remove, although you'll need to know what you're looking for when you get under it. I recommend you get a friend with some electrical experience to help you find the ground wire.

Once it's found, I'm betting you'll find one of three things to be the case: the wire is bad, the ground connection is loose or the connection is corroded with enough gunk to prevent the metal-to-metal contact needed for current to flow.

Whichever of these it is, that brake light circuit isn't going to be completed until you or someone else fixes the wire problem.

Sometimes these things can be tricky, but your trouble sounds pretty simple.

By the way, sister, you were right to start with just changing the bulbs -- always start with the cheapest, easiest solution and work your way into the more complicated stuff if necessary.

Tip of the Week:

Shattered brake light cover? Auto parts stores sell transparent red tape that's good for a quick fix until you can get a new plastic unit installed. It's not permanent, but red tape is safer than nothing. That plain white bulb glowing in a broken taillight isn't "cautionary" enough, and it definitely won't fly with the police.

Buffalo Jim, owner of Allstate Auto & Marine Repair in Las Vegas, writes a weekly column. Send your automotive questions to him at buffalojim@lasvegasniftynickel.com. If Jim picks your question to answer in Nuts & Bolts, you'll also be the proud recipient of a deck of official Buffalo Jim playing cards, presented in a classy, tin box bearing his hairy image.