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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / 53 Ford pickup lighting problems

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Discussion Topic: 53 Ford pickup lighting problems -- page: 1 2

mgarrett

05-19-2011 @ 8:06 AM

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1953 Ford pickup - the truck is still 6 volt has a brand new original type wiring harness. All the lights, etc. were working fine and now the only things that do work are:

headlights
high beam indicator lamp
high beam switch
horn

these items DO NOT work:
tail lights
dash lights
dome light
brake lights
park lights
turn signals

The circuit breakers seem to check out good - the headlight switch appears to be the original. I tried another used switch I had in my stash, but nothing changed.

When I run a jumper a wire from the hot lead going into the switch to the other terminals for the other light circuits, they work fine. Can I assume the light switch is defective or is it something I'm overlooking?

Thanks to all for any guidance!

MG

supereal

05-19-2011 @ 9:14 AM

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I suspect that the new harness is incorrect, not an unusual situation. Do you have a wiring diagram for your truck? If not, I have one from my '53 shop manual that I can scan and send.

deluxe40

05-19-2011 @ 9:56 AM

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If your current symptoms arose at the time your new harness was installed, I suspect you have attachment errors rather than a bad switch. This is because the dome light, brake lights and turning indicators should not go through the headlight switch. Check to be sure you have the correct wires attached to the correct terminals on the switch. Your tail lights, parking lights and dash lights should all be powered from the same terminal, the one that has power when the switch is pulled out half way. Your brake lights, dome lights and turn indicator switch should all be powered from separate sources of battery. It could also be a bad harness, but there is more wrong than just the headlight switch.

Next steps for me would be:
1. use a test lamp on the bench to be sure I understood which terminals do what on the switch.
2. trace the dome light to its battery source and see that it is plugged in. (This source might be the battery input terminal on the switch.)
3. trace the input wire from the master cylinder to its source of battery. The brake lights should work independent of the ignition switch and headlight switch.
4. trace the input wire to the flasher to its source of battery.

Let us know what you find.

supereal

05-19-2011 @ 2:55 PM

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OK. Here is the wiring diagram. Compared to most, it is rather simple. Just follow the diagram to find where the problem lies. My experience with new wiring harnesses hasn't been good. More often than not, they present problems due to incorrect routing or wrong colors.

mgarrett

05-20-2011 @ 6:39 AM

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Thanks for all the suggestions.

The wiring harness is correct and installed correctly - as I mentioned, everything was working fine a couple of years ago. I received a reply from a gentleman on the Ford Barn forum yesterday that might be right on track. He said the problem is likely in the turn signal switch. I remember having some problems making solder connections and getting everything to fit inside that very tight space in the turn signal switch housing - it could be that's where I'll find the problem once I get the steering wheel off.

TomO

05-20-2011 @ 7:49 AM

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The dome light, parking lights, dash lights and tail lights do not go through the turn signal switch.

I suspect that you have more than one loose connection.

The dash lights, parking lights and tail lights are fed from the light switch. I would use a test light or volt meter to check for power at the terminals on the light switch. If you have power at the switch, check at the next connection point.

Van Pelts web site has a wiring schematic and a wiring diagram for your truck. The wiring diagram shows the routing and connections, the schematic shows the logical connections.

Here is a link to the site

http://www.vanpeltsales.com/FH_web/flathead_drawings_electrical.htm

Tom

mgarrett

05-20-2011 @ 8:46 AM

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Thank you - I'll check it out and report back on what I find out.

supereal

05-20-2011 @ 10:01 AM

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If you refer to the diagram I posted, it shows that the breaker has two outlets to the headlight switch. One goes to the headlights and high beam indicator, which you say works. The other side feeds the instrument lights and tail lights. If you are sure that the harness is correct, and properly installed, either the circuit breaker has a dead side, or the headlight switch is the culprit. Check the breaker outlet with the black/orange wire to see if it it "hot". Refer to Fig. 61 of the diagram.

51f1

05-20-2011 @ 11:04 AM

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Looks like all of the "do not work" lights go through the same circuit breaker. Check the voltage at the circuit breaker input and output and see what you've got. Could be no power to the breaker or a bad breaker.

Richard

mgarrett

05-20-2011 @ 12:59 PM

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You make an interesting point.

What is the correct method to check the breakers to make sure they are good? I suspected a bad breaker, so I used a test light and attached the test lead to the post of the first breaker (the one that the heavy yellow wire is connected to) and touched the other post with the probe and the test light came on. I tested the second breaker the same way and the light DID NOT come on - but when I used a continuity tester on the second breaker, it showed I had continuity. Of course, both breakers are connected by a common bus strip, so I figured my test procedure was accurate. So far, I'm stumped, but I've got to figure this out!

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