# Car Advice - Brake Light Socket **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 5, 2004, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-advice-brake-light-socket/248732 "2004-06-05T00:19:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-advice-brake-light-socket/248732/1 "2004-06-05T00:19:08Z")
So my left tail brake light is out (I have a '98 Saturn SL1 if it matters). I put a new bulb into the socket, and it filckers in and out, depending on how hard i press it. The socket is full of weird yellow goop whose purpose I don’t quite understand. Does anyone have any advice on how to get it to stay on? Or does anone know if the socket itself can be easily replaced? thanks ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-advice-brake-light-socket/248732/2 "2004-06-05T00:27:02Z")
The goop is dielectric grease, which protects the connection from moisture, but doesn’t conduct electricity and cause a short. If the connector has any springy parts, you might try gently stretching them so that they make a tighter connection. I have no clue how easy or hard it is to replace the connector, I’d be worried about making the wires too short if I cut out the old one and added a new one. ---
**Author:** ![BobbySuezQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/57b2e6/32.png) [@BobbySuezQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobbySuezQ)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-advice-brake-light-socket/248732/3 "2004-06-05T02:55:07Z")
never tried it on my Saturn but on my other cars, replacing a tail light socket was a matter of a 5 minute job if that. Snip Snip Twist Twist Tape Tape. Might be different on these new fangled cars.