The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay Rear signal light problem still eludes me- update

Well, this is getting old. I posted sometime back about a weird passenger side signal light that causes the whole right rear side to go out at strange times. to recap, if the light switch is off, it works, both tail and signal. When the light switch is either parking light or headlight 'on' position, the tail light works until I turn on the right signal light, then the right rear pass. assembly goes out completely. Turn the light off again, it starts all over. I've now changed bulbs, installed a brand new rear passenger light assembly, checked the wiring on both rear light boxes, and traced the lines all the way back to the switch and front lights. I've now ordered a new original type replacement headlight switch from Classic Parts to try that.

Here's a weird thing. When I put the new rt/rr housing on and tried everything with the lenses off, it seems the right side bulbs glow dimmer, and one of the left side housing bulbs glow very bright, all the time. When I checked the bulbs, one was 8w and one was 23/27(?)w, but even when I changed to 8 watt, it still was much brighter than the others, and the passenger side still was dimmer. I'm including a few pics. This is getting old, and still has me stumped. I'm hoping that changing the light switch out will solve the problem, but I just can't figure this out! I know these are crummy pics, but I've got a dumb phone, and I was not a happy camper when I took them.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1373/13685773/24611517/412143766.jpg
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1373/13685773/24611517/412143767.jpg
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1373/13685773/24611517/412143768.jpg

Just a note- The passenger side housing is the "new" housing I just received from Classic Parts, and the workmanship is absolutely awful. Check out the edges that are covered up by the lens holding rim! It looks like some little kids hand crimped it into shape with channel locks. This kind of low quality is the reason I've sent stainless trim back for a refund. My old repro was better than this one. And, for some reason, the glass lens is made to fit upside down (the raised printing in the glass isn't right side up when the part is installed correctly). I checked the drivers' side with the license lamp, and it's upside down, too. Is there anywhere I can buy parts that have some quality control??

The symptoms you're describing are classic grounding troubles. If one or both light assemblies don't have a good, low-resistance ground the voltage seeks another path. This will cause lights to burn brighter, dimmer, or even quit working at all, depending on which bulb filament is trying to burn, and what other circuits happen to be energized at the time.

Start out by installing a relatively heavy wire between the bed sheet metal and the frame, a #16 or bigger. Scrape the body metal and the frame down to bare, bright metal, or use an angle grinder or a sanding disc to buff away any paint, primer of rust. Once the ground wire is bolted on solidly, you can prime and/or paint over the connector to prevent rust. Do the same thing with the light assembly- - - -don't rely on the attaching bolts to provide a ground- - -run a ground wire from the light to the bed metal.

I'll bet your problems disappear!
Jerry

Its dim because of a bad ground

Try cleaning off some paint where it mounts
...pic...

You state the tails work with the switch off? Not possible.

I agree: check your grounds. For the sake of trouble-shooting what I'll often do is grab my jumper cables and start by clamping the neg jumper cable to the neg battery post and bring the other end to the point where I'm trouble-shooting, using that as my connection point for a temporary ground, until I can isolate the rest of the circuit. It's amazing how age and rust between all those frame and cross member joints and body joints affects continuity eventually. Just like with a boat trailer that's been in and out of the lake a thousand times. Sometimes its easier to just run a dedicated ground back there to the tail-lights and back to the negative post. Good luck, showme.

I forgot to get back on here when I laid this to rest a month (or more) ago! I ended up running an extra ground wire from the bent steel plate that the two lights are attached to, and connected the other end to the frame's cross member under the bed, where my chrome wire flex tube ends. Works like a charm, and haven't had a bit of trouble from it since! Thanks for all the good advice, guys! Lee Butcher

I had the same thing going on. old bullet lights with new sockets.to make a long story short one of the new sockets/bulbs needed to have the wires switched. don't run your hot/signal wire to both of the black wires on the new sockets run one to the black on one side and one to the white on the other.it was sending the juice to the wrong filaments on one of the bulbs. pop your lens off both of your lights and watch which filaments light up at each step, lights on lights off turns on turns off ect. not sure if this is just with the way my truck is wired or if its the sockets that I bought but that is what I needed to do. hope this helps