Katman Posted April 11, 2021 Share Posted April 11, 2021 Looking for ideas on how to troubleshoot an electrical issue. All new harnesses. Parking lights work. Brake lights and turn signals do not. Also four way flashers do not work. I did a conversion from columns shift to console while redoing the interior. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackhawk Posted April 11, 2021 Share Posted April 11, 2021 Make sure the brake lights and turn signal lights are properly grounded, I believe they'll ground to the body itself through the socket. If you don't have a multimeter, get one. Check for DC voltage at the bulb sockets when the circuit is turned on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbolt Posted April 11, 2021 Share Posted April 11, 2021 It almost sounds like two separate issues... the brake lights and the turn signals/flashers. You say the parking lights work so i am assuming that includes tail lights and all the marker lights, yeah? If so your bulb sockets are properly grounded but not getting the additional voltage for the second bulb filaments. I would diagnose one at a time, starting with the brake light switch. Find it and check for voltage on the input and output side of the switch. Oh and i recommend a test light which is quicker and easier to use than a voltmeter and will give you the results you need which are really just "voltage? yes or no". Electrical issues are normally fairly straightforward if you can follow wires and diagrams... follow the voltage starting at the fuse block and work down the line until you figure out where the disconnect is. Both the flashers and turn signals go through the turn signal switch in the column, which could be your culprit on that issue, especially considering the harnesses are new. I had an issue one time where the ignition key tumbler was loose and causing an intermittent short in the column. That was a bugger to find and fix but it was a matter of following the voltage. Do you have a wiring diagram? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katman Posted April 11, 2021 Author Share Posted April 11, 2021 I have a multi-meter. I doubt the issue is at the lights themselves because all of them do not work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katman Posted April 11, 2021 Author Share Posted April 11, 2021 3 minutes ago, cbolt said: It almost sounds like two separate issues... the brake lights and the turn signals/flashers. You say the parking lights work so i am assuming that includes tail lights and all the marker lights, yeah? If so your bulb sockets are properly grounded but not getting the additional voltage for the second bulb filaments. I would diagnose one at a time, starting with the brake light switch. Find it and check for voltage on the input and output side of the switch. Oh and i recommend a test light which is quicker and easier to use than a voltmeter and will give you the results you need which are really just "voltage? yes or no". Electrical issues are normally fairly straightforward if you can follow wires and diagrams... follow the voltage starting at the fuse block and work down the line until you figure out where the disconnect is. Both the flashers and turn signals go through the turn signal switch in the column, which could be your culprit on that issue, especially considering the harnesses are new. I had an issue one time where the ignition key tumbler was loose and causing an intermittent short in the column. That was a bugger to find and fix but it was a matter of following the voltage. Do you have a wiring diagram? I have a wiring diagram. All of the side markers work except for the drivers side marker in the front. I diagnosed that to an open in the side marker harness and will order a new one. I do have a test light and a volt meter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbolt Posted April 12, 2021 Share Posted April 12, 2021 Sounds like its time to start chasing voltage from the fuse block to the switches, brake and turn signal. You say you have no tail lights at all, even with the parking lights on? Do the head lights come on? Did you ground the head light switch? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katman Posted April 12, 2021 Author Share Posted April 12, 2021 2 hours ago, cbolt said: Sounds like its time to start chasing voltage from the fuse block to the switches, brake and turn signal. You say you have no tail lights at all, even with the parking lights on? Do the head lights come on? Did you ground the head light switch? Everything works except for the brake lights and the turn signals. All parking lights work except for drivers front side marker. That harness has and open on the brown wire of the side marker connector. I'll be ordering a new harness to fix that from M&H. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbolt Posted April 12, 2021 Share Posted April 12, 2021 Stupid question... did you check the bulbs to make sure they are the proper type and both filaments are intact? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katman Posted April 13, 2021 Author Share Posted April 13, 2021 Proper type of bulbs used and both filaments are intact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stangeba Posted April 13, 2021 Share Posted April 13, 2021 "Parking lights work. Brake lights and turn signals do not. Also four way flashers do not work" I would look closely at the turn signal switch, it's wires and connector. I believe the power you are looking for, all goes through the T/S switch. What ever has changed or is different would get my attention first. Start testing for voltage at one end and follow the wire till it has power. Good luck! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katman Posted April 14, 2021 Author Share Posted April 14, 2021 On 4/13/2021 at 11:40 AM, stangeba said: "Parking lights work. Brake lights and turn signals do not. Also four way flashers do not work" I would look closely at the turn signal switch, it's wires and connector. I believe the power you are looking for, all goes through the T/S switch. What ever has changed or is different would get my attention first. Start testing for voltage at one end and follow the wire till it has power. Good luck! It's a different steering column in addition to everything else. Does anyone have and idea of what pin on the connector I should be looking at? fyi...switching steering column due to conversion from column shift to console. Another oddity is that when I hit the brakes both turn signal indicators on the dash light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC1of80 Posted April 14, 2021 Share Posted April 14, 2021 Ohhhh? What is the column out of? If olds, buick or Pontiac the turn signal switch is different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katman Posted April 15, 2021 Author Share Posted April 15, 2021 8 hours ago, MC1of80 said: Ohhhh? What is the column out of? If olds, buick or Pontiac the turn signal switch is different. I was told it was a Monte Carlo. But I did tonight isolate the issue to the new steering column by plugging in the old column (laying it on the floor) and finding that the brake lights work. It's either the wrong turn signal switch or a defective switch. By the way the reason the four ways did not work is that I did not realize their are two flashers, one for the turn signals and one for the four way flashers. Plugged my extra flasher in and four ways work. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stangeba Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 Years ago (1972) I was taught by an old mechanic at the Ford dealership I was working at, to always FIRST look for things that were changed. Two I remember are the time a Police car had an added "A pillar" light where the hole drilled went through the wire harness in the (A pillar) shorting out the taillights. The other one was when a customer had a trailer hitch added to his truck and they messed up the wiring. A different story was when a mechanic was taking forever to fix a problem with the two front parking lights that were not working. In this case, it was two bad bulbs! (I also have a good story of a rough idle and a flex fan and one why NOT to take a fuel line off a fuel pump when an old school 120 Volt trouble light is near!) Good times! sorry...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC1of80 Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 Check the connectors at the bottom of the columns. Compare the wiring colors and locations of each wire. Most likely the wrong turn signal switch in the new column. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katman Posted April 17, 2021 Author Share Posted April 17, 2021 The turn signal switch on the reconditioned non-column shift column is defective. I bought a new turn signal switch and hope to re-use my original tilt column. I've read on here where it is possible to swap a collar from a console shift steering column into my original column shift steering column (hope this makes sense). I read where someone on this forum where this worked but details were not provided. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dtret Posted April 17, 2021 Share Posted April 17, 2021 I believe that a tilt collar and non-tilt are different. I ordered a collar from ground-up(ss396.com) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC1of80 Posted April 17, 2021 Share Posted April 17, 2021 Different collars aka lower bowl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katman Posted April 19, 2021 Author Share Posted April 19, 2021 Thanks. I see that Ground up still sells the collar for tilt wheel conversion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallaby Posted May 29, 2021 Share Posted May 29, 2021 You have the problem under control then? I was surprised nobody mentioned the 4-way flashers until we got pretty far into the post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katman Posted June 4, 2021 Author Share Posted June 4, 2021 On 5/29/2021 at 8:04 AM, wallaby said: You have the problem under control then? I was surprised nobody mentioned the 4-way flashers until we got pretty far into the post. Yeah I do. Now onto other remaining issues (gas gauge and fan switch). I'm happy about having the tilt column back in the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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