Repair of rear lights of VAZ 2114

Malfunction of reverse lights on VAZ 2114. Maintenance and prevention

What are reverse lights?
These are white road lights that turn on in reverse gear, guaranteeing safety while driving. If the reverse lights are not on, then the possibility of the driver getting into an emergency increases; it is very difficult to park in the dark when the road is not visible, and passengers will not be able to predict the actions of vehicles, which can lead to unpleasant consequences. The frog signal device is a necessary device. As they say “in the language of a motorist”: everything that is in the car must function properly, the safety of vehicle traffic depends on it!

So, at the slightest breakdown or short circuit of the reverse light, you need to immediately begin repairing it. This can be done both at service stations and at home, quickly and very simply. And this theoretical basis will be a great help!

Causes of reverse gear malfunction

What could cause the lack of illumination to the rear headlights?

The light bulb has burned out and you simply need to replace it by checking the contacts.

The fuse has failed, which can disrupt the functionality of the complete circuit of contacts.
Lack of mass on the board, which is located under the lamp.

Plaque and oxidation have formed on the contacts.
If the wiring is broken, you can check it visually and also make a call.
The contact on the headlight film burned out.
Malfunction of the gearbox mechanism.

The reverse frog of a VAZ 2114 is broken.

This is why the reverse lights on the VAZ 2114 do not light up!

There can be many reasons, which means that every driver should know how to properly eliminate such malfunctions.

Tail light tuning options

LED overlays, diode rings for lights, individual LEDs and powerful light bulbs in a darkening film - tinting are very popular. Each option for decorating optics deserves attention:

LED overlays. Among VAZ car owners, this is the most popular and inexpensive tuning for headlights. Nowadays you can find a huge number of overlays, but among motorists, diode overlays that were made by hand are more valued. Drivers adhere to this opinion due to the fact that ready-made options most often do not look original, and choosing a suitable option for 2114 is very difficult. LED overlays can be made from two main materials: epoxy glue and fiberglass.

Standard set of LED overlays
Diode rings. Tuning appeared not so long ago; it is a complete replacement of taillights with hand-made products. To make diode rings, you need to have experience working with electronics.
Powerful lamps. This type most often comes with a tint film, since the pure glow is too bright, and the tint perfectly captures the light. In some cases, powerful lamps look impressive, but they have a number of disadvantages: high load for the generator, increased fuel consumption, overheating of the wiring. For the VAZ 2114, such tuning is quite doubtful, since the engine does not have much power.
Separate LEDs. The most creative option: here you can use your imagination and various design solutions. The downside is the waste of time on developing the “drawing” and editing. In this case, it will be more profitable to buy LEDs separately.

Removing the backplane board

First you need to remove the rear lights on the VAZ 2114, and for this you will need:

Open rear trunk
Remove unnecessary things
Remove decorative trim
Unscrew the plastic casing
Take out the back panel

Now you have access to the socket and lamp of the rear license plate lamp, which also needs to be removed. The frog mounting pins are removed and the flashlight is already in your hands. The main thing is not to confuse it with the speed sensor, which is also located on the gearbox.

What kind of lamps are in the rear lights of the VAZ 2114

The five-door hatchback VAZ-2114 (LADA Samara) is a restyled model of the VAZ 2109, and therefore the rear lights and lamps in them are practically no different from each other. In both modifications of the VAZ, only two types of light bulbs are used in the rear lights - P21W (A12-21-3) and T5W (A12-5). The first has a power of 21, the second 5 W.

P21W and T5W lamps used in the rear lights of the VAZ 2114

P21W bulbs signal the turn signals, brake lights, reverse lights and rear fog lights. T5W lamps are in size. You will see the location of these lighting devices and their purpose in the photo.

Location of lamps in the rear light of a VAZ 2114 (in the photo is the left light board)

The numbers in the photo indicate:

stop signal;
reverse indicator;
fog light;
side light;
turn indicator.

How to check the functionality of the frog?

The contacts from the sensor are removed and clamped together, after which the ignition is turned on. If there is light, then you need to replace the sensor. And if not, then the problem is in the circuit, but the frog is fine.

When the reverse lamp does not light up, it is often necessary to replace the old sensor with a new one.

What should be done:

place the car on the overpass;
install the handbrake;
remove protection;
remove the contacts of the old sensor;
place the container and remove the frog;
Unscrew the faulty device and replace it with a new one.

Then let it sit for a while and check the oil in the gearbox. Fill it up to the required level and put the entire structure back together.

Attention, the price of a new sensor is within 250 rubles.

The next option is if the reverse light does not light up on a VAZ 2114, then the problem is in the light bulb. To replace it, you need to disconnect the wiring block, remove the plastic contact panel from the flashlight, while squeezing the side fixing elements.

We rotate the light bulb counterclockwise and, pressing slightly on the socket, remove it. Now we install a new one, check the contacts and put the entire unit back together.

We visually assess the condition of the wiring; if necessary, we strip the wires, check for breaks using the ringing method, and check the contacts on the headlight film.

Why aren't the reverse lights on yet?

A blown fuse is a common cause, which means you need to know exactly where they are located and how they change.

The products are located in the fuse box, which can be found under the steering wheel on the left side. It can be easily removed with just one touch of your hand. There is no need to unscrew anything.

When the reverse light does not light, you need to check the condition of the fuses. How to do this? You can visually look at the fuses and determine the breakdown - the integrity of the middle part.

But the burnt jumper is not always so clearly visible, so you need to turn on the dimensions and, without removing the fuses, check the voltage; if one end is lit and the other is not, the device is faulty.

Attention: when such a breakdown often occurs, you need to check the entire electrical wiring system, which causes such malfunctions in the car.

To replace the product, you don’t need tools, just take tweezers, remove the old unit and install a working one.

Key conclusions and recommendations from professionals

You can find out where the VAZ 2114 reverse sensor is located very simply by looking up at the gearbox, and if the driver cannot get under the car, then the hood opens and thus the condition of the frog is checked.

To completely verify that the brake gearbox is damaged, you need to turn the wheels to the left and look at the gearbox from the driver’s side. There is a protection with contacts inside on the side, remove it, close the contacts on the DZH and turn on the ignition. When everything is in order, a white light appears.

Manufacturing of diode rings

To create taillights with your own hands, you need the same epoxylin and strong glue. The basis is diode rings or tape. The body will be made from small and large reflectors, which can be found on the hardware market. The last element is the paint, which the motorist likes best. Most VAZ 2114 owners choose chrome paint.

Diode rings must be installed in cylinders, which are best made from tin cans. Coffee or canned food cans are suitable for this.

Processed tin can
Read also: 7 facts about the cabin filter that you didn’t know
They must be carefully cut out so that at the end something similar to a well appears. There should be two of them - internal and external. If a coffee can can serve as the basis for an external well, then the internal one can be made from an ordinary 0.5 liter plastic glass and then painted.
Now simple Soviet cataforts should be installed in the internal wells. They should provide illumination according to the standard scheme: turn signals - orange, reverse - white, fog lights - red. After this, extra elements may remain from the large catafort, which will look great inside the module. The rest of the space can be decorated with any LED ring.

Decorated wells look impressive, but you can’t see what they were made of
The next procedure is to install the reflectors and LED rings. In order for them to hold securely, it is necessary to make stiffening ribs, as an option - epoxylin.
You can put additional lighting on the plexiglass and secure it with epcosilin.

As a result, you should get such tuning yourself. Detailed visual aid for installing LEDs in VAZ optics:

How to troubleshoot?

The most common reasons that the brake light on the VAZ 2114 does not work are the following factors:

Fuse failure.
Broken wires in one of the sections of the circuit.
Limit switch faulty.
Bulbs burn out.
Oxidation of contacts in lamp sockets.
Damage to the contact board.

The most common and at the same time the most easily removable of the above reasons is a blown fuse. To identify such a malfunction, you need to examine the fuse box. A 10-amp fuse F3 is responsible for the brake lights, which also protects the ignition switch, computer and interior lighting.

Malfunctions in the operation of the latter may also indicate a malfunction of the stop fuse (and in this case, troubleshooting should begin with the block). If it turns out that the fuse has blown, then you should replace it with a new, similar one.

A new fuse installed in place of a failed one must be designed for exactly the same maximum current. If it is less, the fuses will blow more often, and if it is more, the protected device itself may burn out.

The problem may also be in the fuse block itself - sometimes the tracks on its printed circuit boards burn out or the contact legs oxidize. In order to check its serviceability, it is enough to measure the voltage at the contacts of the newly installed fuse.

Another common reason why the brakes of the VAZ 2114 do not light up is a malfunction of the limit switch that turns on the signals. It is located on the brake pedal bracket and is always in working order, regardless of whether the car engine is turned on or not.

It works automatically when you press the pedal. In order to check its serviceability, it is enough to see whether the power supply is suitable for its contacts (on one of the contacts the presence of power must be constant). In addition, if you press the pedal and thus turn on the limit switch, you can measure the voltage at its connectors.

Malfunction of the lights themselves

If during the check from the fuse box to the limit switch no problems are found, then you should move on. Now you should test the wiring from the second limit switch connector to the stop connectors with a tester. If it is working, then you need to check the board. The printed circuit board on which the taillights are mounted is not ideal, and is one of the biggest problems of all VAZ cars.

Its tracks often burn out or peel off, causing the lights to stop working. This problem can be solved in two ways - either re-solder the tracks (which can be done with a regular soldering iron, although not in road conditions) or replace the board with a new one (most motorists choose the second option).

Another reason why the VAZ 2114 brake lights do not work may be oxidation of the lamp sockets. In order to eliminate this problem, it is enough to clean all contacts from oxides that have appeared on them.

This is best done in one of the following ways:

small grit sandpaper;
WD-40 solution;
kerosene;
purified gasoline (“galosh”).

You should absolutely not use gasoline or other solvents to clean contacts.

The last option for faulty stops is the light bulbs themselves. It makes no sense to give any detailed advice here - you just need to replace the burnt out light bulbs with new ones.

By following all the tips listed above, the car enthusiast gets the opportunity to check the entire electrical circuit of the brake lights, starting from the fuse box and ending with the bulbs in the lamps. Thanks to this, the guarantee that the fault will be accurately detected and eliminated is 100%.

How to make overlays

To make LED headlight covers for a VAZ 2114 with your own hands, you will need the following tools, devices and consumables:

functioning car rear lights;

set of LED lamps;

fiberglass;

materials for painting works;

adhesive tape for painting;

epoxy based adhesive.

Recommended literature on repair and maintenance of the VAZ 2114:

If you have everything you need, you can start tuning. These instructions are suitable for installing LED overlays, both home-made and purchased. The procedure is as follows:

completely cover the taillights with masking tape;
Apply fiberglass fabric to the same adhesive tape (it is in it that the LED overlays will be mounted);
treat the fiberglass with epoxy adhesive liquid (apply it in 2-3 thin layers);

Blanks for overlays

remove all defects and irregularities from the surface and wait for complete drying (in most cases, this stage lasts at least 12 hours);

after the glue has dried, the workpiece should be removed and the contours of the future decoration should be marked on the resulting surface;

cut the prepared profile with a knife or scissors;

sand the prepared surface with fine-grain sandpaper;

Blanks for overlays before and after sanding and priming

apply a primer layer;

cover with base paint;

apply a special varnish for protection;

install LED blanks on the taillights.

At this point, the tuning of the VAZ 2114 car can be considered complete.

Additional Tips

Before each trip, especially over long distances, you should check the functionality of all lighting equipment, including brake lights. In order to reduce the likelihood of breakdowns along the way, you need to periodically check the condition of the sockets and bases of the rear light bulbs, and periodically clean them of oxides and dirt.

In case a breakdown does occur, you should always have an additional set of light bulbs and 10 amp fuses in your car, as well as a multimeter to check them.

VAZ 2114 is one of the most popular domestically produced hatchbacks. However, the appearance of the car, as well as the technical characteristics, optics, and interior are far from ideal, so the owners are trying to improve various elements. With the advent of affordable LEDs, tuning of domestic cars reached a new level - car enthusiasts began to decorate the interior, doors, trunk and, of course, the front and rear optics of their cars with them.

Replacing light bulbs

Now let's replace the rear light bulbs. We lift the trunk and look for a valve in the upholstery located opposite this device.