Front Parking light Assembly
Lead Gopher
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 10,072
Likes: 1,629
From: Seattle
I wasn't at the car show so it couldn't have been me. Lol.
The turn signal switch is about the only wear item in there that you'd be using all the time. However....
If you unplug the electrical connector for the turn signal housing and probe those two wires coming from the harness with a test light while the turn signal is activated then you should be able to tell if the flashing is getting that far. If it is then likely the housing. If not, then it's something else. Should be a quick test I would think.
You should also get a solid light with the parking lights on and turn signal off. I'd look for that first and then hit the left turn and see what it does.
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I wasn't at the car show so it couldn't have been me. Lol.
The turn signal switch is about the only wear item in there that you'd be using all the time. However....
If you unplug the electrical connector for the turn signal housing and probe those two wires coming from the harness with a test light while the turn signal is activated then you should be able to tell if the flashing is getting that far. If it is then likely the housing. If not, then it's something else. Should be a quick test I would think.
You should also get a solid light with the parking lights on and turn signal off. I'd look for that first and then hit the left turn and see what it does.
.
The turn signal switch is about the only wear item in there that you'd be using all the time. However....
If you unplug the electrical connector for the turn signal housing and probe those two wires coming from the harness with a test light while the turn signal is activated then you should be able to tell if the flashing is getting that far. If it is then likely the housing. If not, then it's something else. Should be a quick test I would think.
You should also get a solid light with the parking lights on and turn signal off. I'd look for that first and then hit the left turn and see what it does.
.
Lead Gopher
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 10,072
Likes: 1,629
From: Seattle
OK, granted this is a working system here and a 1966 F250 4WD (my 2WD is in pieces so I can't test this there)
A couple of YouTube videos to help with the idea.
I remembered that with the front light disconnected it won't flash but should have solid power at the outputs from the wiring harness (not the front lamp housing connection since it's not in the circuit in this case).
I pulled the plug apart and then put it back together enough to make contact but still get my probe on the metal connectors. Cheap probe was something like $1.79. A voltmeter or multimeter can also be used.
Might spark an idea anyway.
Hopefully these videos work for you. First is with just the parking lights on. Second is with only left turn signal on - you can hear the flasher clicking. In each case the other wire was not hot. If I turn on both parking and left turn signal then they are both hot with the same one flashing. If I disconnect it then both are hot with neither flashing. This is what you want to see. I didn't record those last two.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2wQkxSf4Kc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0ItE65vVpU
Let us know what you see doing those tests and we can go from there. The fourth test is the especially important one. With it disconnected completely and with just the turn signal one, one of those two should be solid hot. If it happens to flash, even better, but I don't think it completes the circuit then just like when you don't have a bulb installed.
Oh, and I did all of this with the key in the ACC (Accessory) position. Saves the points from burning.
.
A couple of YouTube videos to help with the idea.
I remembered that with the front light disconnected it won't flash but should have solid power at the outputs from the wiring harness (not the front lamp housing connection since it's not in the circuit in this case).
I pulled the plug apart and then put it back together enough to make contact but still get my probe on the metal connectors. Cheap probe was something like $1.79. A voltmeter or multimeter can also be used.
Might spark an idea anyway.
Hopefully these videos work for you. First is with just the parking lights on. Second is with only left turn signal on - you can hear the flasher clicking. In each case the other wire was not hot. If I turn on both parking and left turn signal then they are both hot with the same one flashing. If I disconnect it then both are hot with neither flashing. This is what you want to see. I didn't record those last two.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2wQkxSf4Kc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0ItE65vVpU
Let us know what you see doing those tests and we can go from there. The fourth test is the especially important one. With it disconnected completely and with just the turn signal one, one of those two should be solid hot. If it happens to flash, even better, but I don't think it completes the circuit then just like when you don't have a bulb installed.
Oh, and I did all of this with the key in the ACC (Accessory) position. Saves the points from burning.
.
Lead Gopher
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 10,072
Likes: 1,629
From: Seattle
A few more random thoughts as I sit here waiting for paint to dry.
The GE 1157 12 volt dual filament light bulb - Here's two next to each other. Look about identical, don't they?
Now look at the bottom ends of each. One is new fresh out of the box and the other has a lot of miles on it. Both still test fine. But, look at the bottom. The one on the right is severely dished out. Hopefully you can see that in the picture. You don't want to use ones that look like that generally speaking. The glass portion is also loose in the metal base. That can let water in more readily which you want to avoid.
On the sides of the metal base are two pins that are offset from each other and need to be oriented in the socket one way only. I'm sure everyone knows this, but I've seen some, somehow impossibly, installed backwards. Makes it hard to get them out unless it's been done numerous times by someone.
You can test a light bulb with a multimeter in either continuity or ohms settings by holding one probe, black in this case, to the metal base and the other, red here, to one connector - then the other connector in turn. Each should beep on continuity and/or should be very low ohms. In this case I'm not touching the probes to it, they are just floating, so a couple ohms of resistance. If I hold them tight to the metal it is basically zero ohms resistance.
Check your housing visually, especially in the socket where the bulb goes. Good spring tension on the bottom as you push on the connectors inside there? Everything look ok?
Then, put a known good bulb in your housing (this is a used housing here) and hold one probe, black in this case, to the housing itself (you can do this with it in the truck, too) and touch one probe, red in this case, to each wire (disconnected, of course) in turn and you should get a beep on the meter and very low ohms on each wire. Again, my meter connections aren't great as I take the picture. Showing 12 ohms, but again if I hold them tight I get zero ohms for each connector. That's what you want to see.
Make sure your ground connection is good. Does your truck use a threaded stud on the back that goes through the header panel or a separate ground wire? I'm betting the first type, which is the type in the picture. You can see what looks about like a spot weld on the far side on the bulb indented area. That's the ground stud in this case, which is more on the backside. I can take a picture of that if anyone is interested.
.
The GE 1157 12 volt dual filament light bulb - Here's two next to each other. Look about identical, don't they?
Now look at the bottom ends of each. One is new fresh out of the box and the other has a lot of miles on it. Both still test fine. But, look at the bottom. The one on the right is severely dished out. Hopefully you can see that in the picture. You don't want to use ones that look like that generally speaking. The glass portion is also loose in the metal base. That can let water in more readily which you want to avoid.
On the sides of the metal base are two pins that are offset from each other and need to be oriented in the socket one way only. I'm sure everyone knows this, but I've seen some, somehow impossibly, installed backwards. Makes it hard to get them out unless it's been done numerous times by someone.
You can test a light bulb with a multimeter in either continuity or ohms settings by holding one probe, black in this case, to the metal base and the other, red here, to one connector - then the other connector in turn. Each should beep on continuity and/or should be very low ohms. In this case I'm not touching the probes to it, they are just floating, so a couple ohms of resistance. If I hold them tight to the metal it is basically zero ohms resistance.
Check your housing visually, especially in the socket where the bulb goes. Good spring tension on the bottom as you push on the connectors inside there? Everything look ok?
Then, put a known good bulb in your housing (this is a used housing here) and hold one probe, black in this case, to the housing itself (you can do this with it in the truck, too) and touch one probe, red in this case, to each wire (disconnected, of course) in turn and you should get a beep on the meter and very low ohms on each wire. Again, my meter connections aren't great as I take the picture. Showing 12 ohms, but again if I hold them tight I get zero ohms for each connector. That's what you want to see.
Make sure your ground connection is good. Does your truck use a threaded stud on the back that goes through the header panel or a separate ground wire? I'm betting the first type, which is the type in the picture. You can see what looks about like a spot weld on the far side on the bulb indented area. That's the ground stud in this case, which is more on the backside. I can take a picture of that if anyone is interested.
.
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