Friends,

Thanks to all the responed to my Lights issue. One person (Michael Skerrett) brought up that it may be a bad ground path. I suspected it may be a grounding issue, but how do I trace this? What is the best way to track these wires, or even know where they are grounded at? Also, is there a way with a volt or ohm meter to check ground?

Thanks again for all your help,
Dorian LaChance
dlachance@dclcreativeservices.com

 

Lights require 2 things to work. Voltage on one side and ground on the other. With the circuit activated, Place the voltmeter on DC volts scale (25 Volts will do) and put the Black lead on a ground source such as a body panel ocation. Place the Red lead on each of the 2 lamp socket leads (one at a time) and check for a meter deflection to around 12 volts or if digital meter, direct reading. If voltage is present but light will not work, continue to look for the presence of ground for the circuit.
To look for ground. Place the meter setting to Rx1 scale. Short the red & black meter leads together and check for meter deflection or resistance reading of zero if digital meter.(this is a meter continuity check. Next place the black meter lead on the same ground body source as before and place the red lead on the lamp socket terminal you did NOT get battery on and check for meter deflection or zero reading. If you get no reading, your ground is missing.
Rather than trying to chase down where the ground is bad, it is easier just to splice a wire into the ground lead and re-attach it to a good ground source. Your new ground should back feed the entire circuit and fix all non functional lights on the same ground feed loop.
Dialtone