Hey guys,

So I have yet another wiring issue I'm trying to sort out. I am saving to rewire the car that's for sure. It's definitely on the to do list! Anyways here is the issue as it stands...

My head lights, front turn signals, tail lights, all work with one small exception. My rear passenger brake light and turn signal don't work. The other day when I was driving home the rears completely went out then came back on, then off again, so I figured there was a grounding problem or something. Then starting from the rear and working my way up to the front I went through all the wiring and found two wires that were exposed. One in the rear along the frame and the other behind the grill running towards the headlamps. I cut and spliced in new wires and the lights are now working again but the rear passenger brake light and turn signal aren't working and I've exhausted my options of where to look next.

My friend said it might be a relay problem but I only have some fuses under the dash, a voltage reducer, and a junction box. There IS a resistor (although I'm not sure what it's use is) attached to the side of the motor and is wired into the coil. Now get ready to laugh. When I was testing the lights before I did any rewiring I smelt something burning and saw faint smoke coming from under the grill and I assumed it was the exposed wire. After I fixed it all I still smelled it and popped the hood and saw this white resistor smoking some which it hasn't done before. I just didn't think it would have anything to do with the blinkers though....

Any thoughts?

 

Sounds like there's a wire shorting out somewhere, did you use a test light on your wires it could be the bulb or the rear light cup which may need grounding.

 

The white thing is a ballast resister, its in line with the ignition system, between the coil and the points, so it dosent burn out you're points and condenser. One side of the ballast resister requires 12 volt switched source from your ign. switch crosses the ballast resister to the hot side of the coil.

I would say if you found some bare wiring along the frame rails its a sure bet you'll find more, follow it up the frame rails look under those clips that hold the harness to the frame. Check the harness inside the rear crossmember of the bed. Run a ground wire from the bed to the frame.
There is one ciricut breaker, its the head light switch, its for the entire truck. Good luck!

 

Oh I love full moon! It's when all the signal and brake light shorts come out.

OK just a bit of back ground:

Your signal lights in the back utilize the brake light filiment to signal. The running lights are wired completely separately.

The brake light circuit has a unique power source going to the brake light switch, then power travels up to you signal switch and the signal switch in conjunction with the flasher. There are separate wires running to the drivers side rear, and the passenger side rear for brakes/signals. However, there may only be one wire going to one running light, spliced and going tothe other.

Since the running lights work ok then the socket is adequately grounded.

Pardon me if I ask a stupid question, but have you checked the bulb to see if it's good - might be a filiment (of the two in there) is burned out, or someone has put a single filmint bulb in there.

Check to see if the socket is getting power. Turn on your signal light (with running lights off) for that side, and take a mulitmeter (set at 50VDC) to see if the contact pins have power - the meter needle should jump back and forth. Do not touch the socket sides while doing this, just the pins in the base plate. If it does, it's something in the bulb, if it doesn't either your wire running back there from the signal switch is not properly connected (could be shorted, disconnected, or simply not installed), or the signal switch itself is bad....no other options.

And here's why: The ground at the socket is good because the running light is working properly and they use the same ground. The brake light switch and power circuit are working properly because the other side works ok. So, it can only be that the bulb is bad; that filiment is not making a good contact at the point in the bottom of the socket; or there is no power going to the socket for the brake/signal light because the wire is disconnected, or it is not being routed from the switch.

Easy right?

Let me know what happens

PS Next time your friend tells you it could be a relay, ask him if he will check the tire pressure.

 

Julie!

Thanks for the continued advice and tips and the rest of you guys too. So I bought a multimeter and tested the contact pins on the base plate like you mentioned. Sure enough the needle jumped back and forth. Just to be on the safe side I bought some new bulbs (again). So I opened the new package and slowly inserted the new Sylvania bulb and it immediately started flashing. On a upside I bought a new tool, replaced some parts that were way old (ballast resistor/hazard flasher under dash), and I wouldn't have found those messed up wires if I didn't have the flasher/brake issue in the first place. Now let me explain why I didn't think it was the bulb...

When the lights went out last week it was when I was leaving a shop at night and the blub's were the the first thing I replaced. The bulb was definitely blown on that side. NO auto parts stores were open at 11pm on a Sunday so I ran into Vons and bought some cheapy replacements. Looks like they weren't making the contact they should have on that side. I guess the 99cent blubs vs. the 5 dollar ones I just bought make a difference. Grrrr... oh well lesson learned.

thx! now I can get her back on the road...took this pic this past weekend at a wedding I was at. Thats my friends little rocket. Someday he'll switch to the other side. =)

 

The truck is looking good Joe. Congratulations on finding the problem. I have gone on many residential service calls to fix "bad wiring" only to find burned out bulbs, many of which the customer claims to be "new".

 

Thanks! Yeah, I ended up doing a lot of clean up work today. It all started with the lights at 11am and with a break for lunch I wrapped up around 8pm. Time flies when you have the Ipod on, some gatorate and a truck you love to work on.

One thing I noticed I still need to fix is the driver side light. I wired it wrong somehow ages ago and just left it. The blinker works until I hit the brake and then is stops working. Ehh, nothing to major. It will all be adjusted in time. I just want to get IFS this fall!

 

Hey that's great Joe!!!

Whew, just a bulb and we were relieved of the dreaded "It's gotta be a ground" debate with all the guys. You will use that meter alot too.

Your 55 looks GREAT. I miss mine.

Hey if you need any wiring diagrams check out my #4 gallery. Lots of good stuff there. It's all on MS Power Point so I can send the originals to yo via e-mail and you can enlarge of modify them to fit your truck.

 

Arghhh, does it ever feel like if it's not one thing it's another? I swear sometimes the truck goes weeks without a hitch then when stuff starts going wrong it's all at once. Eh, I still love it though.

So I just fixed my cooling problem and went to go wash her last night. Then I noticed my driver side brake light was out. The running light I mean and the passenger side was good. So I put in a new bulb and it came on then BOTH WENT OUT. haha

So, headlights work, all turn signals, and both brakes light up when I push the pedal but the rear running lights aren't working now. Now the bulb that I did take out was definitely toast so I thought new one was a simple fix. I just a few minutes ago replaced both rear light bulbs and it's the same thing. No running lights, but turn signals and brake lights work. I was looking under my dash and there is this old inline glass fuse holder that comes off the headlight switch and into the wiring harness. I literally touched it and it broke apart. I wonder how old that was! I'm curious if this had anything to do with the lights but who knows. I'm going to replaced that right now and see whats up. Well at least it's real smokey outside and 100 degrees in LA. =)

 

If it keeps blowing bulbs I'd say there is a short somewhere. Not fun. Good looking truck though! Once again making my decision between red or black that much more difficult, lol.

And yeah, I've never found smoking from under a hood to be amusing the slightest, lets just say after this one time the battery when in backwards in my car...

 

Yeah I'm not sure whats up. I don't think it's blowing bulbs because previous to this I hadn't changed them in a year. The bulb that I put in last night was good and I only replaced both with brand new ones to eliminate the easiest solution. Both bulbs are in 100% good condition. Hmmmm

 

Thats one sweet lookin effie, like the paint job, mine looked like that several years ago satin black. The elements have taken their toll on my paint. The last 2 years I've been upgrading engine,trans, rear suspension, well too many things to list at the moment. Next year will be new paint and glass, new bed w/rear fenders. Drive the wheels off of it!

 

Just to review, you have a 12 volt conversion and you are blowing new bulbs. Again stupid questions but important to start at the begining.

First, are you using 12 volt bulbs that are base grounded (the ground goes out the brass casing of the bottom of the bulb) and not contact grounded (the ground goes out one of th econtact points on the bottom of the bulb.

Second, are you sure your headlight switch is wired correctly - this doesn't sound like a short as much as a double power problem (bulbs are getting 12 volts from two sources).

Again, brake signals are ok - they use the same circuitry and filliment.

 

Alright let's go off of the facts of the case here. =)

. I am not blowing bulbs. I turned on the lights last night and only the passenger tail light was on. I checked the bulb on the drivers side and the bigger filliment had a small break in the middle of it.

. I put in a new bulb and they both came on. I barely adjusted it to make sure it was sitting in there right and both lights went out.

. There are currently two brand new bulbs in there and they are still good. Nothing is blown (both filliments are ok).

. Headlights and everything up front works as does all interior gauges and stereo. The rear turn signals both work as does the hazards and brake lights. Just the rear tail lights aren't coming on.

. There was some odd fuse coming off the headlight switch that literally fell off when I touched it. I replaced that and cleaned up all the wiring going to the switch. New connectors, new wires etc. It's messy but however it's all wired it's been working fine for well over a year. I'm thinking it's a ground issue this time? I think the fuse thing was just coincidental I'm about to go check the wiring from along the frame. Could something in the bulb socket cause this? Wait.. the lights still work somewhat so prob not.

. I've been using the same bulbs I always have. There are two connecting points on the bottom and two brass tabs that come out the sides to lock it into the socket. 1157 I believe. I've never used anything else.

. I'm at a loss once again and this time this is really frustrating me when normally I keep it calm and cool. I think it may be the heat, and the fact that every week for 4 weeks it's been something different that goes wrong! I was supposed to go to my parents tonight to help set up for my sisters baby shower tomorrow (big family party). Didn't drive because of the lights so I'll be rolling out at 7am tomorrow! and work on the truck at my dads...

<a href="http://s27.photobucket.com/albums/c199/joe94integ/?action=view&current=1_pre_replacement.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c199/joe94integ/1_pre_replacement.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
This is the headlight switch as it is set up. This has been working for many many years but looks like shiet.

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The wire was bridged in an odd way but I just copied it and replaced what broke. But I doubt this has anything to do with the lights just coincidence it broke.

Fixed...well at least cleaned up. Just to be on the safe side I cleaned up the wires and replaced the fuse there. I still have no idea what it's for. There are about 3-4 fuses total in the truck and they are all ok.

<a href="http://s27.photobucket.com/albums/c199/joe94integ/?action=view&current=4_taillight.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c199/joe94integ/4_taillight.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

<a href="http://s27.photobucket.com/albums/c199/joe94integ/?action=view&current=5_bulbs.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c199/joe94integ/5_bulbs.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

arghhh

 

4:55am Update: Fixed...

It was pretty hot this evening (well yesterday) and I was fuming about the lights not working. So around 12am I went downstairs to my truck just to repaint my whitewalls and think a bit. I couldn't sleep so why not right? It's now 4:55ish and I'm about to crawl into bed. After I finished painting my whitewalls I thought "Screw this... I'm going to fix these stupid lights". Few hours later, sweat, grease, cuts and nicks and it's back to working condition. Amazing what you can do when you're semi crazy, determined, and have nothing but you, your tools, and your ride. I ditched the Ipod so I could have a clear brain! I'm ready to haul @$$ on the 101 this morning when there's no traffic. Of course after a few hours of sleep first. Gnite~