lighting ANOMALY!
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 781
Likes: 113
lighting ANOMALY!
Car is a '78..SA
ALL lamps and sockets are good Headlights work fine/low or hi beam..Side lights work, Backup lights work.REAR running lights work with headlites on..Brake lights work fine both sides with engine running.....Both turn signals work fine.
PROBLEM is with headlights on..the Left rear brake light Doesn't come on.
A few months back I had the turn signal pivot replaced by a very competent fellow who specializes in GM tilt-telescoping steering columns.
I have a call into him ..but have yet to hear back..
I haven't driven the car much at night..so this is something I had not noticed before.
I'm wondering how the lighting system is all tied together and IF, the turn signal electrical connection may be causing this..ANY IDEAS OR help is much appreciated, Jim
ALL lamps and sockets are good Headlights work fine/low or hi beam..Side lights work, Backup lights work.REAR running lights work with headlites on..Brake lights work fine both sides with engine running.....Both turn signals work fine.
PROBLEM is with headlights on..the Left rear brake light Doesn't come on.
A few months back I had the turn signal pivot replaced by a very competent fellow who specializes in GM tilt-telescoping steering columns.
I have a call into him ..but have yet to hear back..
I haven't driven the car much at night..so this is something I had not noticed before.
I'm wondering how the lighting system is all tied together and IF, the turn signal electrical connection may be causing this..ANY IDEAS OR help is much appreciated, Jim
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 781
Likes: 113
Car is a '78..SA
ALL lamps and sockets are good Headlights work fine/low or hi beam..Side lights work, Backup lights work.REAR running lights work with headlites on..Brake lights work fine both sides with engine running.....Both turn signals work fine.
PROBLEM is with headlights on..the Left rear brake light Doesn't come on.
A few months back I had the turn signal pivot replaced by a very competent fellow who specializes in GM tilt-telescoping steering columns.
I have a call into him ..but have yet to hear back..
I haven't driven the car much at night..so this is something I had not noticed before.
I'm wondering how the lighting system is all tied together and IF, the turn signal electrical connection may be causing this..ANY IDEAS OR help is much appreciated, Jim
ALL lamps and sockets are good Headlights work fine/low or hi beam..Side lights work, Backup lights work.REAR running lights work with headlites on..Brake lights work fine both sides with engine running.....Both turn signals work fine.
PROBLEM is with headlights on..the Left rear brake light Doesn't come on.
A few months back I had the turn signal pivot replaced by a very competent fellow who specializes in GM tilt-telescoping steering columns.
I have a call into him ..but have yet to hear back..
I haven't driven the car much at night..so this is something I had not noticed before.
I'm wondering how the lighting system is all tied together and IF, the turn signal electrical connection may be causing this..ANY IDEAS OR help is much appreciated, Jim
Last edited by jim in oregon; Jul 22, 2016 at 02:54 PM.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 781
Likes: 113
Zen Vet Master Level VII
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 5,218
Likes: 1,174
From: Southlake, TX
[QUOTE=
PROBLEM is with headlights on..the Left rear brake light Doesn't come on.
[/QUOTE]
I think you have isolated your problem. I'd start with that rear brake light socket. My guess is that your ground is bad. The grounds in the back of the cars are notorious fro getting junky and loosing connectivity.Try a secondary ground or clean up the original real good.
PROBLEM is with headlights on..the Left rear brake light Doesn't come on.
[/QUOTE]
I think you have isolated your problem. I'd start with that rear brake light socket. My guess is that your ground is bad. The grounds in the back of the cars are notorious fro getting junky and loosing connectivity.Try a secondary ground or clean up the original real good.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 781
Likes: 113
I think you have isolated your problem. I'd start with that rear brake light socket. My guess is that your ground is bad. The grounds in the back of the cars are notorious fro getting junky and loosing connectivity.Try a secondary ground or clean up the original real good.
FUNNY THAT BRAKE LIGHT WORKS without headlight-running lights ON..
Turn signals also..
IF there was a grounding issue..WOULDN'T THE OTHER FUNCTIONS BE AFFECTED?OR IS IT POSSIBLY a ground issue in the steering column with turn signals..Or perhaps the emergency flasher hookup/?Jim
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 781
Likes: 113
Bill, thank you for your reply..NOW I just need to determine Where the ground for that L/R brake-running lite IS..
FUNNY THAT BRAKE LIGHT WORKS without headlight-running lights ON..
Turn signals also..
IF there was a grounding issue..WOULDN'T THE OTHER FUNCTIONS BE AFFECTED?OR IS IT POSSIBLY a ground issue in the steering column with turn signals..Or perhaps the emergency flasher hookup/?Jim
FUNNY THAT BRAKE LIGHT WORKS without headlight-running lights ON..
Turn signals also..
IF there was a grounding issue..WOULDN'T THE OTHER FUNCTIONS BE AFFECTED?OR IS IT POSSIBLY a ground issue in the steering column with turn signals..Or perhaps the emergency flasher hookup/?Jim
the front side lites, front grill lites..and the stop lamps work.THE REAR sidelights DO NOT FLASH.Jim
Zen Vet Master Level VII
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 5,218
Likes: 1,174
From: Southlake, TX
Grounds are funny things as if there are messed up it is difficult to predict which path the current will follow until grounded.
I checked my '82 shop manual (Should be real similar to yours) and found that the rear lighting ground is on the left side, right by side market light bolted into the frame.
I checked my '82 shop manual (Should be real similar to yours) and found that the rear lighting ground is on the left side, right by side market light bolted into the frame.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 781
Likes: 113
Grounds are funny things as if there are messed up it is difficult to predict which path the current will follow until grounded.
I checked my '82 shop manual (Should be real similar to yours) and found that the rear lighting ground is on the left side, right by side market light bolted into the frame.
I checked my '82 shop manual (Should be real similar to yours) and found that the rear lighting ground is on the left side, right by side market light bolted into the frame.
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Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2015
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Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,124
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From: Western New York
That ground may be intact, snug, and original, but that doesn't mean it's contacting correctly. Disconnect it, clean it up and reattach. Even before doing that, why don't you connect a jumper wire next to the ground wire and see if things work?
Duane
Duane
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2015
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Duane..gotta get the pb blaster out and dose the ground wire terminal on the frame.My eldest son, Josh, is going to be here tomorrow..He's career USAF MSGT and has wrenched on aircraft for 14 years..Jim
Last edited by jim in oregon; Jul 22, 2016 at 09:46 PM.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 781
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Duane, connect a jumper wire from what to what?Thx, Jim
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 6,422
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From: McHenry Illinois
The light sockets are known to lose the ground right at the socket. You can test it by removing the socket and bulb from the rear of the lamp and touch the edge of the bulb base with a grounded wire to see if the symptoms change.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 781
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Everything in the operation is as it was..Brake lights etc all work..but R/R brake lite doesn't work with headlites on or parking lites on..Jim
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 781
Likes: 113
YES..BOTH turn signals work with headlights on and off.Jim
Update..
Finally figured out WHAT the problem was coming from.
Some time back in tire someone had cut the 3 wires from rear harness to R/R stop-brake running light.When they spliced it back together They had two of the power connection wires reversed..Corrected that and re-spliced the wires.This .put the one light filament in each lamp on the same connection as the other one.Now everything works as it should...Jim
Update..
Finally figured out WHAT the problem was coming from.
Some time back in tire someone had cut the 3 wires from rear harness to R/R stop-brake running light.When they spliced it back together They had two of the power connection wires reversed..Corrected that and re-spliced the wires.This .put the one light filament in each lamp on the same connection as the other one.Now everything works as it should...Jim
Last edited by jim in oregon; Jul 24, 2016 at 01:27 PM.