Parking brake flashing 257 bulb

[Gordon W.]

Installed new 257 flashing bulb for park brake warning light to replace standard bulb. Bulb does flash but interval between flashes is not consistent, seems very random to me. Is there an expected behavior or frequency for the flashing?

[Timothy B.]

Re: Parking brake flashing 257 bulb

Gordon,

I am not a NCRS judge to correctly answer your question but it's been reported that the off brand bulbs don't flash like the good old American GE 257 bulb.

[John D.]

Re: Parking brake flashing 257 bulb

Tim is 100% correct. My 63 just make it thru ops the last time out. I was sitting in the car after the ops were done and all at once I watched the POC fake flashing bulb go wacko.
My goal is to replace the two bulbs/lamps with real deal 257's. Not an easy task.

[Larry M.]

Re: Parking brake flashing 257 bulb

As others have stated, the off-brand and imported bulbs flash erratically. The old stock GE #257 is best, but Westinghouse and other old #257 replacement bulbs also work very well. Check on E-bay for these. They are used in train sets and pinball machines, so you can also check these sites for bulbs. Also check in the DRIVELINE.......that is where I bought mine.

Be patient, they show up for sale over time. Not cheap, but also not that expensive. They should last a lifetime.

Larry

[Jim D.]

Re: Parking brake flashing 257 bulb

As others have stated, the off-brand and imported bulbs flash erratically. The old stock GE #257 is best, but Westinghouse and other old #257 replacement bulbs also work very well. Check on E-bay for these. They are used in train sets and pinball machines, so you can also check these sites for bulbs. Also check in the DRIVELINE.......that is where I bought mine.
Be patient, they show up for sale over time. Not cheap, but also not that expensive. They should last a lifetime.

Larry

I picked up a pair of NOS GE #257 bulbs for $6.00 including shipping. Definitely worth the piece of mind that I'll never need to replace them again. It is NOT an easy job.

[Bradley D.]

Re: Parking brake flashing 257 bulb

I picked up a pair of NOS GE #257 bulbs for $6.00 including shipping. Definitely worth the piece of mind that I'll never need to replace them again. It is NOT an easy job.

where did you find these?

[Jim D.]

Re: Parking brake flashing 257 bulb

where did you find these?

E-Bay. They are listed often.

[Gordon W.]

Re: Parking brake flashing 257 bulb

Frustrating. I had read that the old stock GE bulbs were the ones to get but I got outbid on ebay on GEs. There was another auction for 257 bulbs made in Holland (I believe) but I let it go. I ended up buying these 257s from Paragon. Unknown country of origin.

[Jack Y.]

Re: Parking brake flashing 257 bulb

I found 3/4 box at Carlisle from a guy that had a bunch of minature old bulbs. Just lucky but a good reason to root thru the over-whelming amount of stuff there.

[Larry M.]

Re: Parking brake flashing 257 bulb

Frustrating. I had read that the old stock GE bulbs were the ones to get but I got outbid on ebay on GEs. There was another auction for 257 bulbs made in Holland (I believe) but I let it go. I ended up buying these 257s from Paragon. Unknown country of origin.

As I stated earlier, although the GE #257 bulbs are the best, the OLD brass base Westinghouse, Tung-Sol, Wagner, etc bulbs also work very well and very reliably. There are some Westinghouse #257 bulbs on E-bay right now.

Or as Jim says, wait a few days and check E-bay again. They will show up.

Larry

[Timothy B.]

Re: Parking brake flashing 257 bulb

Gordon,

Contact me private and I will discuss the GE bulbs for you car.

Tim

[Russ S.]

Re: Parking brake flashing 257 bulb

Contact Pete Lindahl. I got my NOS GE 257s from him.