Parking lite connections, where, what?

[central52]

On my 47 Plymouth, I'm confused as to the front parking light connections set-up. The control board on the front near the radiator show 3 spots for the wires for the headlites & parking lites. Yet, in the wiring diagram for the P-15, it shows a different set-up. The pic I'm sending shows what my set-up looks like before I spliced in new wires. The top spot has one wire (whitish in color) that goes back into the engine. Two wires on top of that wire(I took them off to redo) led to the left & right parking lites.

The middle and bottom spots have the lo and hi beam wires leading to the headlites. The middle also has a black wire that goes back into the engine, and the bottom has a red wire that goes back also into the engine compartment. What exactly do these wires do? (I know one has to be the hot wire).

So, how can I get the parking lites to work? Ed P.

[Plymouthy Adams]

Basically you only need three wires if you ground your assemblies on a mounting screw..low beam, high beam and park..as the car was not wired for front directionals..the two other posts are not needed. you should have three wires per terminal:

low beams....supply....left.....right

high beam....supply....left.....right

park............supply....left.....right

so ensure your body grounds are very clean connections tightened down real good..

I recommmend that with these older cars, especailly those that are as original in the fact the panels have never been taken apart to have a ground between the engine and body, body and chassis and on to the front clip.

[central52]

On the topmost connection, what is that single white wire? It runs back into the engine compartment with the rest of the headlite wires. My hi and lo beam lites work fine. No problem there. The wiring diagram shows 2 wires leading from the parking lites back to the board. I have just one for each lite leading back to the top connection.

On the headlite switch on the dash, where is the parking lite connection? Here is a rough pic of the diagram of the switch looking down from the top. What wires do what? Ed P.

[55 Fargo]

Hello Central, you have just the 3 connections for parklamps, low beam and high beams, as Tim has confirmed.

Are you also wiring in signal lights for the front or not?. The you should have a 5 terminal contact set-up.

If you are rewiring, and are obviously sticking with 6 volt, use 14 gauge wire for these lights, except for the high beam circuit, you may wantto go with 12 gauge as it's amperage draw will be the highest.

If you are choosing to go with signals too, you will need the other 2 contacts, and the correct dual sockets to go into the park lamp housing.

The hot wire will be 3 of them one for the parklights coming form the switch under dash, your rear taillights will also be on this circuit, the headlights power will come from the dimmer switch to the contact terminal near the rad, do you have the schematic for the P15..............Fred

[55 Fargo]

Here is a wiring diagram, showing wire gauge and color

[Plymouthy Adams]

The schematic as drawn goes on the assumption that the owner/repair person knows the headlight buckets and park/turn assmeblies are grounded. The third wire on the headlamp socket will go to the bucket and may either rivet or affix under a screw head. Serice of the headlight bucket was designed requiring the entire pigtail be disconnected at the terminal block.

The headlight switch if it is still connected will have one wire hot with the battery connected and the switch in the off position. All but one of the wire connectors will be hot in park mode...the headlight mode will pick up the last terminal and supply voltage to the dimmer switch that in turns powers the front terminals at the radiator shell. Wire color at this age of the car may be hard to determine and thus a test light or better yet volt/ohm meter (never approach your car's electrical without one IMHO) will veryify voltage and which output connect on the switch goes where.

[central52]

Thanks guys for info. Rockwood, I like your schematic. A little different from what I have that's in the Plymouth Service Manual. Do you think, maybe, the switch on the dash is defective? The headlites work, but not the parking lites when I pull it out for the first detent. The wires seem to be in good condition. Ed P.

[greg g]

Could just be dirty terminals in the switch. Do you have one of those circuit testor lights with the sharp point and ground wire? these are good for deteriming what the deal is. you simply conect the ground wire and then start probing along the connections and through the insulation to determine where there is power. the 12 v version will give enough light on 6 v to work.

[central52]

Yes, I have one of those probes. Well, believe it or not, I got juice to the parking lite contact near the radiator. And, then, darn, I lost it. It must be the headlite switch connection. I found which one it was on the headlite switch, pulled it out, cleaned it, pushed it back in as tight as I could, then went to the front, put probe on the top wire, and it lit. Wow. Happy days.

Then, I hooked up one of the parking lites, and it wouldn't light. Parking light is O.K., I checked it out first with a jumper wire to battery. So, I put probe back on the top wire connection, like I did the first time when it worked, but this time no light. The wire is good all the back to the headlite switch, which, by the way, I have to jiggle to make it work, even for the regular hi-lo beams. Therfore, am I correct in assuming it must be the switch itself? And if it is, how do you take it out? I tried to pull the front knob off, it won't budge. Ed P.

[BobT-47P15]

Are your parking lite bulbs good??? And do they make correct contact??

[Plymouthy Adams]

I do not know about the P-15..my dash was buggered when I got it and will get modern switch..anyway..on the D24's I know the shaft dows not remove from the body by any relase mechanism as late model cars and early 50's Studebakers. The D24 has a clip with D-shaped hole that pinches the shaft and will relase when a small tip screw driver is inserted behind and pressed toward the base of the knob..look also for a set screw....and do not rule out the threaded shaft...(could be threaded with set screw for indexing the witing on the knob)

[central52]

Tim, you're right. There's no release mechanism. It comes out from the front. My knob has the metal clip in it as yours does. However, I couldn't move it as you suggested. So, I forced it open, chipping the knob a little. A half inch metal clip came out. Oh well, I guess I just have push it back into the knob, and then over the shaft of the new switch I'm ordering. Thanks for your info, that did the trick. Ed P.

[Plymouthy Adams]

I posted on your other post..sorry you chipped your knob but these do come off rather easy once you get the knack..you just have to press the lower spring clip of the D clip toward the base of the knob and pull at the same time..actually the clip sometimes breaks as they do get a bit rusty with age..I have never had one not come easy once you depress the clip...I could not find right off the P15 light swicth from my car sto give you the 100 percent method is whay I posted the two styles..

[central52]

Thanks Tim, I'll know better next time if I ever have to do this again. Ed P.