[AdamIsAdam]

I decided to start a new thread on this. Others are similar, but different year:


When I got my car 2 weeks ago, the lights mostly worked, but not consistently and not all brightly. So I ordered all new bulbs. I know the grounds work by contact, so I figured I'd look there too.

Oh, and is it normal to only have brake lights with key in ON/ACC position?

When I got the new bulbs and started to install them, I pulled the sockets out with the parking lights on. I blew a fuse. I replaced it and proceeded with the bulbs. Some were hard to get out and then in. I now suspect I was putting them in backwards.

Also, I now understand that the center bulbs are single elements (P/N 93, not the dual element P/N 1157 as listed in several catelogs). See attached chart.

So after playing around, I successfully killed my tail lights all together! I have left side brake lights sometimes. If I play with the turn signal switch, I sometimes have both brake lights.

So this morning I went out and figured i'd remove the center bulbs since they're not correct and I thought maybe they're actually causing a short. That did nothing. I now have no brake lights and no tail lights. I left in frustration.

I ordered a rear harness and 6 new correct bulbs. The harness has been cut and patched with different types of sockets before I got it. Not all connections are great. But regardless, even at the wires I don't seem to get power for parking lights now.

I have power at the fuse box.

Also, are the bulbs supposed to be pretty hot to the touch when in parking light mode? they were when I had them on (the last time they worked). I'm concerned something shorted or over heated.

So I figure I'll get the new harness so that all the sockets and connections are good. I'll get new bulbs too, then start again.

I've also read that the parking lights, but not brake lights, go through the turn signal switch. So that's another trouble area to look at.

lastly, the right front turn signal doesn't aways work. And and speed at which the lights flash varies. I assumed due to shorting bulbs and/or grounds. Which is why I started with new bulbs in the first place!

argh!

Open to suggestions on how to proceed.

[AdamIsAdam]

[Old Goat 67]

Originally Posted by AdamIsAdam

I've also read that the parking lights, but not brake lights, go through the turn signal switch. So that's another trouble area to look at.

Open to suggestions on how to proceed.

You have that backwards.
Brake leads go through the turn signal switch, not the park lead.

Try the stitched schematic here. Right click and Save As.....

[AdamIsAdam]

Originally Posted by AdamIsAdam

I decided to start a new thread on this. Others are similar, but different year:


When I got my car 2 weeks ago, the lights mostly worked, but not consistently and not all brightly. So I ordered all new bulbs. I know the grounds work by contact, so I figured I'd look there too.

Oh, and is it normal to only have brake lights with key in ON/ACC position?

When I got the new bulbs and started to install them, I pulled the sockets out with the parking lights on. I blew a fuse. I replaced it and proceeded with the bulbs. Some were hard to get out and then in. I now suspect I was putting them in backwards.

Also, I now understand that the center bulbs are single elements (P/N 93, not the dual element P/N 1157 as listed in several catelogs). See attached chart.

So after playing around, I successfully killed my tail lights all together! I have left side brake lights sometimes. If I play with the turn signal switch, I sometimes have both brake lights.

So this morning I went out and figured i'd remove the center bulbs since they're not correct and I thought maybe they're actually causing a short. That did nothing. I now have no brake lights and no tail lights. I left in frustration.

I ordered a rear harness and 6 new correct bulbs. The harness has been cut and patched with different types of sockets before I got it. Not all connections are great. But regardless, even at the wires I don't seem to get power for parking lights now.

I have power at the fuse box.

Also, are the bulbs supposed to be pretty hot to the touch when in parking light mode? they were when I had them on (the last time they worked). I'm concerned something shorted or over heated.

So I figure I'll get the new harness so that all the sockets and connections are good. I'll get new bulbs too, then start again.

I've also read that the parking lights, but not brake lights, go through the turn signal switch. So that's another trouble area to look at.

lastly, the right front turn signal doesn't aways work. And and speed at which the lights flash varies. I assumed due to shorting bulbs and/or grounds. Which is why I started with new bulbs in the first place!

argh!

Open to suggestions on how to proceed.

I will review wiring with a test light or multi meter tonight and report back. I still don't understand why I lost what lighting I previously had.

If I only have one light bulb in all of the rear 6 sockets (5 empty), should that one work correctly when grounded?

[AdamIsAdam]

UPDATE:
- Parking Lights, rear: removed fuse, cleaned contacts and replaced. Corrected problem.
- Brake lights: there's a short that is blowing fuses.

some of the Bulbs were in wrong. I removed the center bulbs since they are dual element and should be single. They go on brightly only. Correct bulbs coming.

I need to figure out what is causing the brake light short. I'm thinking perhaps one of the bulbs or it's socket. I'll remove all bulbs, and install them one at a time to see if brake lights can operate without blowing fuses. (gotta buy more fuses)

Turn signals don't work at all. Both front parking lights work.

[Old Goat 67]

Do you have a flasher plugged in the fuse block? If so, is it bad?

Look for continuity to ground on the Natural lead coming out of the brake switch, that's easier to locate the ground with than replacing fuses.

Charles

[Pepi]

Cool at least you are halfway there. When you removed the center bulbs, where there two contacts in the socket or just one?

[AdamIsAdam]

The brake lights worked last week, but I'll check the brake switch.

The center bulbs are 1157, dual elements. The center sockets are the correct, single strip contact. So I'll leave them out until the correct bulbs come in since they only come on brightly.

I think one of the bulls must be shorting out.

[AdamIsAdam]

UPDATE: Success (baby steps at least). I'm back to where I was before I started, which is to say I have full parking lights (sans center bulbs until tomorrow) and I again have brake lights. wahoo. The culprit was two bad bulbs.

To test, I removed all but one, tested parking and brake lights, and then kept adding bulbs that worked until they all worked (excluding the center bulbs since I don't have single element bulbs yet). I'll still install the new harness some day since I've got crappy pig tails and mis-matched sockets. But for now, at least I can drive again!

As for my turn signals, both left and right work again, but they sometimes flash fast, sometimes normal speed. And intermittent, as to left or right side being the problem. For now, they all flash. I see that the right front parking light ground needs attention too, but enough for today.

In the process, I lost my dash lights. Maybe I blew a bulb. Don't think it's a fuse but I'll check later to be sure.

What started all this poking around was my gas gauge not working! That's another ongoing thread, if you're interested. LOL

I did check continuity on the brake switch; both the ground side as well as the power side back to the fuse box (with fuse removed). Both were fine.

Clearly I have some cleaning up to do under this dash. I want to get rid of the aftermarket stereo and clean up the wiring, but I don't want to make too many changes at once for fear of causing more problems and having too many variables at a time.

Oh, and my brake light circuit is switched power for sure. Just fyi.

Thanks for the input fellas.

[Pepi]

Glad you got it going, having wrong bulbs in those center sockets just adds to the problems. Still sounds like a ground issue for the front. Like you mentioned the one doesn't look the best.

I agree with not doing too much at once incase something weird starts happening. As you said, too many variables. Same with troubleshooting problems, replace more than one item, and you don't know what actually fixed it.

Keep us posted.

[AdamIsAdam]

Will do. Now we return to our regularly scheduled problem: http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...=593429&page=6

[Old Goat 67]

Good progress.