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capitalcitycars
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Can any Michiganders recomend someone to redo the wiring in the Midget? I have headlights but no tailights or breaklights. I have a new fusebox and fuses with proper grounds. Thanks again!
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Wiring in Michigan
- Thread starter capitalcitycars
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Welcome back!
I doubt you need someone to redo it - I suspect we can talk you through this.
If you don't already have a volt meter/ continuity tester, get them - $10-15 total.
Start with the obvious
1. Are the bulbs good?
2. Are the lights grounded - they ground to the actual tail light base - not the smartest, best place to ground them
3. Is there power to the socket?
4. Is there corrosion in the socket?
The culprit is more likely there than upstream - but we'll get you there. I just did my '76 and the back end is relatively easy.
I'm heading out of town but will bring my schematic for later at the hotel if you post again.
BTW do other things work? trunk light/ reverse lights/ license tag lights?
Good Luck!
I doubt you need someone to redo it - I suspect we can talk you through this.
If you don't already have a volt meter/ continuity tester, get them - $10-15 total.
Start with the obvious
1. Are the bulbs good?
2. Are the lights grounded - they ground to the actual tail light base - not the smartest, best place to ground them
3. Is there power to the socket?
4. Is there corrosion in the socket?
The culprit is more likely there than upstream - but we'll get you there. I just did my '76 and the back end is relatively easy.
I'm heading out of town but will bring my schematic for later at the hotel if you post again.
BTW do other things work? trunk light/ reverse lights/ license tag lights?
Good Luck!
OP
capitalcitycars
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Thanks and nope to all the questions. I do have a volt meter and there is some voltage there. Bulbs were replace 2 years prior and have been used very little.
jvandyke
Luke Skywalker
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Here's my 2 cents, FWIW.
If you turn your lights (just parking, don't need headlights lighted) on and put your volt meter on the red wires that lead to the rear harness (pretty sure they connect behind the dash, extreme passenger side, as the main harness comes through the firewall) and stick the ground probe to any good ground and get voltage then I'd go back to a tailight housing, pull the lens, pull a bulb out and stick your volt meter probe on one of the little round contact points in there, the other end to a ground somewhere close by, got voltage? (try both contact points). If so, I'd loosen the mounting bolts for that housing and retighten (not grounding well). That's what I did as I rewired my '63 recently. Follow the voltage downstream (following a wiring diagram) and trouble shoot along the way.
Just last night I had to do this to get a parking light on again, poor ground at the housing it seemed.
If you turn your lights (just parking, don't need headlights lighted) on and put your volt meter on the red wires that lead to the rear harness (pretty sure they connect behind the dash, extreme passenger side, as the main harness comes through the firewall) and stick the ground probe to any good ground and get voltage then I'd go back to a tailight housing, pull the lens, pull a bulb out and stick your volt meter probe on one of the little round contact points in there, the other end to a ground somewhere close by, got voltage? (try both contact points). If so, I'd loosen the mounting bolts for that housing and retighten (not grounding well). That's what I did as I rewired my '63 recently. Follow the voltage downstream (following a wiring diagram) and trouble shoot along the way.
Just last night I had to do this to get a parking light on again, poor ground at the housing it seemed.
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capitalcitycars said:
How's it going? are you getting anywhere?
OK, if nothing works - brake/ trunk light etc., your culprit is likely the junction between the main harness and the rear harness. This is under the dash on the passenger side. My only reluctance here is that this is not a junction that regularly fails since it is a well protected plug.
If we are only talking taillights, I'd start by checking the connection (Red) where it connects to the taillight on the passenger rear side. One comes into the junction and two go out. If you have 12 volts here, it is almost certainly the connection itself, or a ground problem with one or both taillights.
If you are only getting a trickle there, next place to check upstream is the junction, but, I'd check the red wire at the fuse box first.
Another check would be the red wire to the license plate lights as it is a separate wire from the same source.
Trunk light and brake light and flasher are all different circuits so, should work, unless the junction is the issue as mentioned before OR unless there has been a short melting the wires (not likely) or unless someone as driven a screw through the harness (also not likely unless you've done it recently)
let us know
OP
capitalcitycars
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Bingo! It was the junction. The previous owner never hooked it up and the wires looked "eaten." I rand a few jumper wires and I have rear lights. Thanks!