Good day by lukester - March 28th 2024 12:26 pm
| Crazy mods by MufflerMan Mike - March 28th 2024 9:38 am
| | Lew Greger by MufflerMan Mike - March 27th 2024 5:15 pm
| | | Re: Lighting help | Joined: May 2007 Posts: 9,854 Likes: 8 Festerus Vannimus | OP Festerus Vannimus Joined: May 2007 Posts: 9,854 Likes: 8 | I FOUND IT ! It appears that when I removed the old "dead" bulb, the contact stayed behind with a sliver of wire that, when I put the new bulb in , made contact between the contact in the socket and the ground of the socket. This is what killed the brake light and pissed off the flasher causing the light to not work. . . . I have my daily driver back , SWEET !
My van : 1989 Ford E-150 Econoline, currently named “WOLF-DEN IIâ€
Founder & President of Sooner or Later United Truckers and PROUD TO BE A S.L.U.T. ! !
| | | Re: Lighting help | Joined: Aug 2001 Posts: 12,107 Likes: 37 Maniac | Maniac Joined: Aug 2001 Posts: 12,107 Likes: 37 | Yay! I was going to ask if there was anything in the socket or if you were accidentally inserting the bulb wrong (I only ask because I have done it).
Glad you got it all fixed.
Windows- they're what make a van worth owning! | | | Re: Lighting help | Joined: Apr 2010 Posts: 2,847 Likes: 42 veteran | veteran Joined: Apr 2010 Posts: 2,847 Likes: 42 | Glad you found it.
Sometimes getting old bulbs out can be a pain. On my 89 it helps to pull the wires back from the receptacle Against the spring. Then push and twist the bulb. Some dielectric grease not only helps protect contacts, but helps transfer heat from bulb base to receptacle to reflector.
Did cleaning that firewall ground allow the horn to work? | | | Re: Lighting help | Joined: May 2007 Posts: 9,854 Likes: 8 Festerus Vannimus | OP Festerus Vannimus Joined: May 2007 Posts: 9,854 Likes: 8 | Nope, no luck on the horn. . . . I am gonna clean the mounting points for the horn and the relay next, once it warms up ! lol
My van : 1989 Ford E-150 Econoline, currently named “WOLF-DEN IIâ€
Founder & President of Sooner or Later United Truckers and PROUD TO BE A S.L.U.T. ! !
| | | Re: Lighting help | Joined: Aug 2001 Posts: 12,107 Likes: 37 Maniac | Maniac Joined: Aug 2001 Posts: 12,107 Likes: 37 | On Dodge vans the contact for the horn is a ground wire. The horn buttom pushes on a switch that closes the ground contact. However, since the switch is mounted on the steering wheel, the ground connectin is made between the horn switch and the rest of the van through a copper disc on the bottom of the steering wheel. The copper disc rides on a little spring loaded ball that connects to the frame and completes the ground circuit. The spring loaded ball is pat of the turn signal switch assembly.
In my old 83 Dodge van I replaced the turn signal assembly with an aftermarket one due to the original Dodge assembly becoming loose. The ground "ball" on the aftermarket turn signal switch was rough and didn't turn properly. The horn worked for a while, but eventually the sharp edge of the "ball" on the turn signal swticth wore through the copper disc on the bottom of the steering wheel and my horn worked intermittently. I went back to the riginal turn signal switch and the horn started working again.
My point is that if you know the horns are good, and you know the horn relay is good, then you should check the condition of the copper disc on the bottom of the steering wheel (especially if the van has lots of miles and therfefore lots of revolutions of the steering wheel).
Windows- they're what make a van worth owning! | | | Re: Lighting help | Joined: May 2007 Posts: 9,854 Likes: 8 Festerus Vannimus | OP Festerus Vannimus Joined: May 2007 Posts: 9,854 Likes: 8 | I have tried shorting the wire in the steering wheel straight to the center bolt, still works when it want. I have tried a different factory steering wheel, to see if that was it, no go. Only thing I have not done YET is replace the relay and the horn unit, but soon.
My van : 1989 Ford E-150 Econoline, currently named “WOLF-DEN IIâ€
Founder & President of Sooner or Later United Truckers and PROUD TO BE A S.L.U.T. ! !
| | | Re: Lighting help | Joined: Aug 2001 Posts: 12,107 Likes: 37 Maniac | Maniac Joined: Aug 2001 Posts: 12,107 Likes: 37 | Try bypassing the relay and running a wire directly to the horn. That will tell you if the horn is working. If the horn works when hooked directly to the battery then you likely need a new horn relay.
Windows- they're what make a van worth owning! | | | Re: Lighting help | Joined: May 2007 Posts: 9,854 Likes: 8 Festerus Vannimus | OP Festerus Vannimus Joined: May 2007 Posts: 9,854 Likes: 8 |
My van : 1989 Ford E-150 Econoline, currently named “WOLF-DEN IIâ€
Founder & President of Sooner or Later United Truckers and PROUD TO BE A S.L.U.T. ! !
| | | Re: Lighting help | Joined: Mar 2007 Posts: 4,463 Likes: 12 pooh-bah | pooh-bah Joined: Mar 2007 Posts: 4,463 Likes: 12 | Uncle Fester,
It might not hurt to try loosening, then re-tightening the two horn mounting bolts. There's one for each horn, and naturally they're hidden in recesses behind the driver side turn signal lens housing... you'll have to pull it for access.
The thing is that the horn mounting bolts have a special, heavy-flange toothed washer, which was designed to pierce through the paint to make a chassis ground. It only takes a bit of corrosion to upset the connection, as they draw a fair amount of current; about 10 amps for the pair of them. With these being right at the front of the van, weather and salt does reach them.
-It's been such a LONG TIME... BlueShift>> 1981 Dodge Ram B250 Custom Sportsman Maxi Van It's what you learn after you know it all, that counts... Are you living to work, or working to live? Learning from my own mistakes is good, learning from yours would be much better! | | |
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