Tail Light Grounds

[69hemibeep]

I think your to the point that you take a volt meter or test light and see how far your 12v is going. Good way to find a bad ground also when you use a different ground source when testing.

 

[dobie]

check the dimmer switch(on the floor) and the plug for it. I've had those cause the headlights go out. don't know if the dimmer affects the other lights, usually loosing the headlights while going down the road gets my full attetion

I'll check that. Thanks. Haven't messed with that switch yet.

 

[dobie]

I think your to the point that you take a volt meter or test light and see how far your 12v is going. Good way to find a bad ground also when you use a different ground source when testing.

Ok. Thanks.

 

[Basketcase]

IIRC...isn't the Exs Satallite blue........I think it;s like Bugs always said...Sabatoge!

 

[dobie]

Haha! No doubt..... Funny you mention that tho.... I can neither confirm nor deny pulling known good switches from a blue car and transplanting them into a green car.....

 

[Basketcase]

aha! there's your problem!

 

[dobie]

I know right?

Haha. Oh well. Its nice having a "parts" car sitting in the garage sometimes....

 

[Basketcase]

I could use a nicer driver condition front bumper........

 

[dobie]

So could I..... I got caught using the rear bumper from the Satellite.....

 

[Jim S.]

I think your to the point that you take a volt meter or test light and see how far your 12v is going. Good way to find a bad ground also when you use a different ground source when testing.

Another way to accomplish the same thing would be to temporarily disconnect the battery and use a multi-meter to check for continuity. You will need a 6 foot piece of wire or 5 or 6 alligator clip leads. Turn the headlight switch on, then hook the wire or clip leads to the fuse for the tail lights. I think it is the 4th from the left. Then hook that connection to the multi-meter (common or neg. side). Take the positive lead from the meter and touch to the same point on the fuse box just to make sure it shows a short (continuity). Now take that positive lead and head back to the tail lights. Remove a bulb and see if you have continuity to one of the center contacts inside the socket. If you do, then its a bad ground. If not, then you have to start tracing it. I just figured this would be a quick way to prove a good or bad ground........

 

[dobie]

Ok. Wow. Thank you for the information. I'll start this Monday.

 

[69hemibeep]

I think your to the point that you take a volt meter or test light and see how far your 12v is going. Good way to find a bad ground also when you use a different ground source when testing.

Another way to accomplish the same thing would be to temporarily disconnect the battery and use a multi-meter to check for continuity. You will need a 6 foot piece of wire or 5 or 6 alligator clip leads. Turn the headlight switch on, then hook the wire or clip leads to the fuse for the tail lights. I think it is the 4th from the left. Then hook that connection to the multi-meter (common or neg. side). Take the positive lead from the meter and touch to the same point on the fuse box just to make sure it shows a short (continuity). Now take that positive lead and head back to the tail lights. Remove a bulb and see if you have continuity to one of the center contacts inside the socket. If you do, then its a bad ground. If not, then you have to start tracing it. I just figured this would be a quick way to prove a good or bad ground........

I think we should sit down to a cold :cheers: and talk about ohm's law Jim

 

[Jim S.]

[/quote]
I think we should sit down to a cold :cheers: and talk about ohm's law Jim [/quote]

Sounds like fun to me!
If we pound down enough, might even get to "ELI the ICE man".

 

[69hemibeep]

I think we should sit down to a cold :cheers: and talk about ohm's law Jim [/quote]

Sounds like fun to me!
If we pound down enough, might even get to "ELI the ICE man". [/quote]
:lmao:

 

[Jim S.]

Hey Dobie, before you go to the trouble of disconnecting the battery and checking that wire going back to the tail lights from the fuse box, I think you should make sure you have 12 volts at the fuse. I was looking at the wiring diagrams and the tail light fuse is the 5th one from the left and, it gets its battery feed (12 volts) from the bulkhead then hits a 5 wire junction in the harness. One of these 5 wires feed the tail light fuse and one feeds the head light switch. Bulkhead connection is probably O.K. because you have head lights, which means 12 volts is getting to the head light switch. If there is no 12 volts at that fuse, we have a open between the fuse and the bulkhead probably in the harness. If you do have 12 volts, then there is a open between the fuse and the tail lights assuming the tail lights have a good ground. This could be a connector, broken wire, headlight switch. Look at the reference section and on page 6 of the wiring diagrams you will find the head light switch. Wire L8-18P comes from the fuse. When the headlight switch is on it connects that wire to L7-18BK which goes to the tail lights. So you see with the batt. disconnected and a wire connected to the fuse going to a continuity checker (multi-meter), a guy could trace from there. Even check the head light switch. As in the first post, you might as well check it to the tail light first just to eliminate everything in between.
Not trying to confuse you, just trying to help figure it out. Consider yourself lucky, shorts are harder to find..........Good Luck

 

[dobie]

I'll definitely print this out and take it to the garage with me. I plan on getting back under her tomorrow. Thanks so much!

 

[Jim S.]

I'll definitely print this out and take it to the garage with me. I plan on getting back under her tomorrow. Thanks so much!

O.K. but eliminate the obvious first. Make sure the case of the tail lights are grounded with a meter or run a wire to the neg cable of the batt. then turn on the head light switch.....Have fun...

 

[Basketcase]

[.....Have fun...

I think he already is....gawd I hate electrical.

 

[dobie]

[.....Have fun...

I think he already is....gawd I hate electrical.

Totally. Not. Fun.

This stuff is like reading hieroglyphics to me.

 

[dobie]

So thanks to the suggestions here, I may have found the light problem. I discovered a bad connection in the fuse block itself. I made some corrections to it, and so far I have lights still.

Now, on to the damn bulkhead issue.....