Lighting Issues- Please Help!
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Freshman User
Joined: Mar 2020
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@FuzzFace2
Thinking gets me every time!
I'll be bringing it in the shop today and doing some further investigation for sure. I have never seen a problem like this before, it is very baffling.
I'll give the fuse box a good once-over
I would think that since the turn signal and running light is the same bulb, the running lights would also run through the turn signal switch?
Thinking gets me every time!
I'll be bringing it in the shop today and doing some further investigation for sure. I have never seen a problem like this before, it is very baffling.
I'll give the fuse box a good once-over
I would think that since the turn signal and running light is the same bulb, the running lights would also run through the turn signal switch?
FTE Legend
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 30,935
Likes: 4,123
From: Angier, NC
@FuzzFace2
Thinking gets me every time!
I'll be bringing it in the shop today and doing some further investigation for sure. I have never seen a problem like this before, it is very baffling.
I'll give the fuse box a good once-over
I would think that since the turn signal and running light is the same bulb, the running lights would also run through the turn signal switch?
Thinking gets me every time!
I'll be bringing it in the shop today and doing some further investigation for sure. I have never seen a problem like this before, it is very baffling.
I'll give the fuse box a good once-over
I would think that since the turn signal and running light is the same bulb, the running lights would also run through the turn signal switch?
It should have power 24/7 for the 4 ways and a brake light wire only hot with the pedal pushed.
The switch then will work out when the brakes are on and the turn signal on so it will off the brake light in the rear to that side.
No running light tie in so I would be looking at wiring where the 2 run close together and maybe the wires melted together?
Dave ----
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@FuzzFace2
I am headed out to the shop now, and I'll get under the dash and investigate. On the lookout for anything that looks funky.
Anything else you can think of, I am open to it! Thank you for all your help and I will let you know what I find out.
I am headed out to the shop now, and I'll get under the dash and investigate. On the lookout for anything that looks funky.
Anything else you can think of, I am open to it! Thank you for all your help and I will let you know what I find out.
FTE Legend
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 30,935
Likes: 4,123
From: Angier, NC
@FuzzFace2
I am headed out to the shop now, and I'll get under the dash and investigate. On the lookout for anything that looks funky.
Anything else you can think of, I am open to it! Thank you for all your help and I will let you know what I find out.
I am headed out to the shop now, and I'll get under the dash and investigate. On the lookout for anything that looks funky.
Anything else you can think of, I am open to it! Thank you for all your help and I will let you know what I find out.
You said when you hit the brakes right? Then thinking to the rear more than the front as brake lights only go to the rear.
Dave ----
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Freshman User
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Get this- the lights all function normally now. It seems to come and go.
Now I am very convinced that the original turn signal switch has gone bad. I'll be pulling the wheel off to have a look, I'll snap some pictures showing my finds. I would suspect something inside the switch has broken or come loose causing the problem, and the squealing sound as the wheel is turned. Have a new one on the way from RockAuto.
Lead Driver
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 9,606
Likes: 1,175
From: San Jose, CA
Yep, and you could also be dealing with multiple issues.
Only the turn signals, flashers and brake lights run through the turn signal switch. All running lights and backup lights are independent of the steering column.
Headlights, brake lights and hazards are on constant power. Turn signals and backup lamps are keyed-ON only. So the power sources are different, even if the bulbs and wires are shared.
There are common plugs out near the firewall that can take a real bearing sometimes. Also as the wires travel along the driver's frame rail they run afoul of just normal stuff, but even more if a dual exhaust was ever run down that way. Tons of stories of pinched, broken, melted and actually burned wires between the front and the back.
Of course, the lamp housings and sockets themselves are common too. Or relatively so.
The ground is common for at least the running and turn/brake lights, but on some older trucks the backup lamps had their own ground. I think that ended in '72 though, so yours is probably just a standard ground through the housing, or a dedicated wire back there somewhere.
Good luck.
Paul
Only the turn signals, flashers and brake lights run through the turn signal switch. All running lights and backup lights are independent of the steering column.
Headlights, brake lights and hazards are on constant power. Turn signals and backup lamps are keyed-ON only. So the power sources are different, even if the bulbs and wires are shared.
There are common plugs out near the firewall that can take a real bearing sometimes. Also as the wires travel along the driver's frame rail they run afoul of just normal stuff, but even more if a dual exhaust was ever run down that way. Tons of stories of pinched, broken, melted and actually burned wires between the front and the back.
Of course, the lamp housings and sockets themselves are common too. Or relatively so.
The ground is common for at least the running and turn/brake lights, but on some older trucks the backup lamps had their own ground. I think that ended in '72 though, so yours is probably just a standard ground through the housing, or a dedicated wire back there somewhere.
Good luck.
Paul
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 1,276
Likes: 12
From: KY
Keep in mind when there is a loss of ground it can affect other circuits and when two different light circuits are used then bad grounding can come to light so to speak , a weak ground can cause lots of weird issues ,,
Thread Starter
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Freshman User
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Had the wheel off, and upon poking around and fiddling with the switch I have determined that this is the culprit. It has come loose, and the contacts inside are not making good connection, or wrong conntections. If I press in on face of the switch and operate any combonation of the brake pedal and turn signals, everything operates just as it should. When I release pressure on the face of the switch, everything goes wonky. I have a switch coming from RockAuto, and once I get that put in, I'll post here whether that was the solution or not. Thank you to everyone for their inputs!
Take care
Take care
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