The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay 61 Chevy turn signals and park lights

Hi, got a wierd one for you all

I just got this truck, it's a 61 Chevy 1/2 ton, and I am trying to sort out the glitches so it'll pass a safety inspection.
The right signal works, left one doesn't. The right one also keeps blinking after it's been shut off, but it will shut off if I move the lever to where it should be blinking left, and then back to the middle. Also, when I pull the light switch out to only turn on the park lights, the tailights come on, but the park lights (signal lights) up front don't come on. Also, the green signal indicator on the dash comes on for the right signal, but stays steady. What in the world is going on here? My guess is that I need a new turn signal switch in the column and a new light switch. Any other ideas?

Clean all grounds before you replace anything. Make sure light sockets are grounded to the bed, bed is grounded to frame, frame is grounded to battery. While you're at it make sure engine and cab are grounded too.

Do everything cletis said first. that should fix some of the problems. I had the same problem with having to turn them the oppisite direction and then off to get them to go off. if you pull off your stearing wheel you will see how they work. there is a piece in there that attached to the lever that has a little lever that attaches to a cable that runs down the column to the actual switch. more than likely mechanical parts are worn out and they are not moving the cable precisly enough. I found a nos turn signal ket and replaced most of my parts and it work much better but not perfect. It will be kind of a pain to get them to work right. I pulled the switch from the column and moved it by hand to make sure all the lights worked then you will no you have your other problems solved before you tackle the problem in the column. Also I don't think they wired the parking lights to come on in the front with just one pull out. I think I have seen instructions on how to rewire it so they will on here somewhere.

61 nate, the park lights are supposed to come on with one pull, then with second pull (switch all the way out) the park lights go out and the headlights come on. My other 61 chevy that I used to have (blue one) was like this. The wiring instructions you're thinking of? That was to have the park lights stay on when the headlights came on, so everything would be lit, like a newer vehicle. I did this with the blue truck, but can't really remember how!

Cletis, how am I supposed to find all the grounds? I don't know where to begin...but I will look. Guess I'll just have to go over the whole truck. I wonder if this is why the fuel gauge and the horn don't work either?

From the factory the bed was grounded with mounting bolts. They have had 50 years to rust up. You can cure it by running new ground straps where there are none.

I don't know how the '61 is wired but on a '54 the battery is grounded to the frame. There are two ground straps from the frame to the engine. Another runs from engine to cab. A lot of trucks will have had some of the straps left off after all these years. Make sure yours has straps in all these places and clean the connections. Then add one at the bed.

If the sockets don't ground to the bed you can remove them and clean the mating surfaces.

Thanks Cletis! I thought I was gonna be looking for a ton of wires. This makes it sound simpler. The negative off the battery on the 61 is grounded to the engine. I will look at it maybe on Sunday...I'll let you know how I make out.

Ok, update on this whole fiasco...I've hade some headway but not solved it completely yet. The park lights DO work at half pull of the light switch. Turns out the socket for the passenger front park lamp was not connected into the housing too well, therefore wasnt grounded. It works now. Drivers side one still doesnt work. I think it may need a new socket, as the bulb fits in very loosely. The left signal issue...still haven't solved it completely, but have come up with this....the light housings are grounded by screwing them to the truck itself. They dont work once they're pulled off. The passenger tailight functions as it should...tailights, signal, brake. Drivers side one comes on when lights are turned on, goes out when brakes are pressed, and also goes out when left signal is turned on. Left front signal does absolutely nothing...but like I said, pretty sure it needs a socket. Now, the left tailight has been rewired at some point...ugly taped up repair job...and the socket appears to be incorrectly mounted into the housing. My hunch is that it was spliced incorrectly, and may not be grounding because of the socket being incorrectly installed. Gotta love fixing other people's screw-ups!

Make sure the bulb is a dual filament (1157?)
Make sure it fits in socket properly, so bulb contacts are touching proper contacts in socket.
Make sure the bulb is ok, sometimes the two filaments can touch and screw up operation.
Try with a known good bulb.
Good luck.
Pete

I was out there today working on it...so the left park lamp up front does work, if the socket is held in the housing a certain way. The socket does need to be replaced however...the bulb barely stays in it and the contacta are messed up. The rear lights however, I'm at a loss. Tried a known working bulb, no difference. Looked under the truck to find a rats nest of wiring...somebody had wired in a trailer harness, so maybe it got messed up in there somehow. I don't know now if I should take all this apart and try to rewire it, or replace the mechanism in the steering column for the signals. I doubt it's that though. Like i said before, the left tailight works, but goes out when brakes are pressed, and also goes out when left or right signal is turned on. The lights are also now properly grounded.

Have you put a meter on any of it?

Ok, update on this whole wiring thing, the left rear light was apparently not properly grounded. It has some sort of goofy socket in it that isnt the right one. I managed to "temporarily" ground it. Also took apart all the wiring under the box, and disconnected the trailer harness. All the wiring appeared to be ok. After putting it together, half my problem is now solved...the brakelights both come on, the left light stays on when right signal is selected, also stays on when left signal is selected. Left signal still doesn't blink. Also, if I hold down the brakes so both lights brighten up, right signal works as it should, left one shuts bright brake light off, but tailight filament stays lit. I'm pretty convinced that my problem is in the actual signal mechanism in the steering column. Everyone keeps saying i should put a meter on this, but I don't really know what that would prove. Either the light is on or it isnt. If someone could clarify what exactly i would do with a meter to find the problem, please clarify, it'd be appreciated. I know this seems silly because I'm an electrician by trade, but vehicle electrical has always baffled me for some reason. I do have a multimeter if i need to use it.

PROBLEM SOLVED!!!!

I'm so happy I managed to figure this out...the signal switch that's mounted to the column under the dash just needed to be adjusted a little, the cable connecting to the signal lever wasn't pushing down quite far enough. Works good now:) So yeah, bad ground on the left tailight, and a switch that needed adjusting. Thanks you guys for all your help!

Adam