Flashing lights.

[DarthRaiderBob]

So, got my 51 lights all wired back together. Interesting thing that carried over to the new wiring. If I don't have the parking lights on all of my lights flash with the turn signal.  If the parking lights are on, they work normal. Any insights?

[Dave72dt]

Are you saying it did this before you rewired also?  

[DarthRaiderBob]

8 hours ago, Dave72dt said:

Are you saying it did this before you rewired also?  

Yes, has done it for the 4 years I owned the car. All the wiring for the lights is new, new flasher, new turn signal switch. I'm thinking the lights need new grounds ran.

[rockingjd]

I would be looking at the turn signal switch. Some "magic" happens in there to separate left from right and front from back. 

 

[DarthRaiderBob]

3 minutes ago, rockingjd said:

I would be looking at the turn signal switch. Some "magic" happens in there to separate left from right and front from back. 

 

Both turn signal switches have done it. An old signal stat and the new one. The new switch has a wire for each light separately. 

[martybose]

It sounds like the flasher is using the parking lights for a ground path.  Check to make sure all of the turn signal sokets have good grounds.

 

Marty

[DarthRaiderBob]

1 hour ago, martybose said:

It sounds like the flasher is using the parking lights for a ground path.  Check to make sure all of the turn signal sokets have good grounds.

 

Marty

My thoughts exactly. Something to that effect,  even though the flasher has its own ground.

[Dave72dt]

I'll assume you copied the wiring layout from what was there means you copied the fault into the new wiring.  That means the wiring is wrong or a component that was not replaced is wrong.  Recheck against a schematic ensuring the wires go where they are supposed to one wire at a time.  Then start at the headlight switch by removing all the wires except the power.  Operate the switch in each position ensuring that only the output terminals that are supposed to go hot at that position do.  If that checks out the switch itself is OK.  Attach the wire for the park lights.  Assuming they are double filament bulbs only one of the two wires should have power to them.  I think this is where you're going to find your problem, either in an incorrect bulb or a socket backfeeding the circuit.

[greg g]

The flasher should be firing the brake light bulbs. Does the 51 have a single center brake lamp or do the rear lights have dual bulb contacts in both rear assemblies?  A friend has a 51, the PO installed an after market brake in the rear window.  When he uses the left signal. The brake light flashes with it, the other side signal doesn't trigger the brake light but it's signal is flashing the parking/ running light bulb.

Your situation seems to be a different variation of where does this wire go?

 

[lostviking]

I've been doing component level troubleshooting for 45-50 years. The best way to figure out what's wrong, is to draw the complete wiring diagram out. Every single wire. I don't really think you will get to the very end, because the problem will become obvious as soon as you see it.

 

Good luck. As was stated. the problem existed before you started, so that's where I'd start. Remove the new, fix the old, re-add the new. You can't look at the new wiring to fix a problem in the old.

[DarthRaiderBob]

39 minutes ago, lostviking said:

I've been doing component level troubleshooting for 45-50 years. The best way to figure out what's wrong, is to draw the complete wiring diagram out. Every single wire. I don't really think you will get to the very end, because the problem will become obvious as soon as you see it.

 

Good luck. As was stated. the problem existed before you started, so that's where I'd start. Remove the new, fix the old, re-add the new. You can't look at the new wiring to fix a problem in the old.

I have already completely eliminated the old wiring as much as possible. My next step is to open up the short runs from the lights to inside the cabin. That's the only old wiring left and appears to be original. 

[lostviking]

If it was doing this before you rewired, then the problem isn't in the new wiring.

 

Never start modifying when something is wrong. Fix that first, or completely eliminate it and start from scratch. You can't fix an existing problem, by adding to it without any correction.

Edited August 11 by lostviking