Electrical Help, HELP! ON MY DAILY 54

OK Im so confused and need help, Im going to break this down and how some one can help me, if you read this tell your buddies to read too . I need to fix this , I have no other car !

Car: 1954 chevy
issue: left rear tail light will not blink when blinker is turned on, but the front one works! (left)
also not sure if same issue
with car off when i hit the left brake light wont light up !

But when i turn on the headlights, the left brake light turn on and seems to be stuck on bright as if i was applying the break



trouble shooting info:
1. right side blinkers on car work fine
2. when i turn on headlights, the left taillight is on bright as if the brake lights were on. Right side is normal brightness when head light are on
When i turn on the left blinker the dash light does't blink lights up once then light fades off.

I have an extra ground going from bezel to trunk floor nice clean grounds!
and i even put in a new light buld and light bulb harness or pigtail, for the left rear, and nothing has changed

PLEASE HELP
what causing this? is it more than one thing ? brake switch ? but why would that effect only the rear left light ?
is it in the blinker switch? but what does that have to do with the left brake light not lighting up? Im going crazy !
my email is stolencopperpenny@gmail.com and im hosting my hoilday party and cant stop think about car. I will be checking the pc .

 

bad ground

 

check the grounds in the tail lights, the ones that hook right to the bulb sockets

 

i have new grounds and clean, why would that only effect one light?? if it was a ground would they not light up at all? left tail light turn on when head lights are on but seems to be stuck on bright

 

I replaced the socket with a new one and added a gound still nothing

 

they do some wierd thing when there is a bad ground. my 54 cadillac had a bad ground in the tail light and did exactly what you described. double check that the grounds are grounded to the body very well.

 

if anyone reads thing tell people on here who know electrical to help . ! im at that point

 

Bad ground or & I know its simple but do you have the right bulb in it? I had a similar situation once & I had the wrong bulb in it. In a hurry to fix it & grabbed the wrong one out of the toolbox.

 

Check that the bulb is turned all the way, and that its not half a turn out. Either way, the contacts may be each touching both contacts in the socket.

 

Is the turnsignal switch incorporated into the steering column? If so it sounds like the T/S switch is faulty; the brake lights run through the T/S switch.

 

Easy Fix but maybe hard to find.
Its a bad ground alright.

 

Had a similar issue on one of my cars. All new wiring and sockets, complete frame off project!! Drove me nuts....it can be frustrating for sure. Feel for ya...
Ended up being a bad new socket in the rear. Ended up putting in one of the old sockets to test with and it fixed the issue. It was a ground problem.
Take a long wire say 16 or 18 gauge and attach it to your battery ground terminal and put the other end on the suspected bad parts to see if having a perfect ground helps at all. If it helps you know what you are chasing. Still think it is a ground problem, they can be a ***** to find at times.

 

Did anybody mention it's a bad ground?

You can use a $5 ciruit testing light to find it.

Whatever you're positively sure it can't be, that's at fault.

 

make sure its a 6volt bulb if its still a six volt system!! It will act like its on crack if its trying to light a 12 volt bulb

 

Ground Ground Gorund!!!! body to frame, motor to frame, motor to body

 

even if it's a new socket it might not be grounding to the tail light housing. my bel air did the same thing. i sprayed battery terminal cleaner in it, wire brushed inside, blew it out with air and put some dielectric (silicone) grease inside. now it works good! hard to keep these 50 year old cars working huh?

 

12 volt system .

 

Are the socket pigtails connected to the right wires from the harness? If the brake light filament is connected to the taillight circuit that would explain the bright light when headlights are on. If the much dimmer taillight filament is attached to the brake light circuit you won't be able to see it if the brighter filament is lit. Just a thought.

 

^^^X2

If you are using the factory turn signal switch, there are a couple of sliding metal contacts in the switch mechanicals. There are also about six springs if I remember correctly. If those have slipped, or popped out, the contact may be laying in there sending power to the wrong wire.

I would guess that your problem lies in the switch...if you have faith in your troubleshooting abilities.

 

I once helped a guy fix a similar problem on a '64 Ford wagon.
The problem was the ground and/or bad filiment on the FRONT signal light.
Worth a try!

 

Flasher? Wish I was there to help ,Hard to diagnose stuff over the computer.Let us know what you tested tomorrow.

 

you said you replaced the socket you have the taillight and stop light wires crossed that is why the light is bright when the lights are on and the brake light and turn light is not getting a good connection. did you soldier the wires or use **** connectors. check the connections and switch the wires around. hope this helps RED

 

Like everyone else has said, ground. However, if there is a side-marker incorporated into the turn signals, check to see if that's burnt out. I had that happen on an '83 s-10, since the flasher needs a large enough load to make it flash, one burnt out bulb can be enough to not allow the flasher to operate, which is what happened in my truck. Exact same thing you are describing.

 

It sounds like a cl***ic GROUND problem to me, What happens when a double fillament bulb does not have a good ground, is the current flow comes into the the bulb, then out the other wire then to a ground through the other light curcits. This can light up the wrong or both fillaments in the bulb. How to test, What I would do is get a test light. remove the light socket and bulb. have a helper hold the brake down. You can then use your test light to check for current from one of the contacts in the socket with the ground clip of the test light to a KNOWN GOOD GROUND. Next, turn running lights on and test the other contact in the socket. Check the other tail light socket (the one that works correctly) also, just so you can get a feel for what is going on.
Let us know how you make out

 

Change turn signal switch out if problem just started after working just fine before.Turn signals and brake lights work through switch.

 

ok so i think it might be 2 problems . one being my need for more grounds in the car and another which i think it the switch , not sure how the switch works but is there one wire for left blinkers and one right ? or is there front left and one rear left and same for right ?? cuz my front left brinker works fine , i think the switch might be stuck on the on position. this car needs to be rewired,,..... sold my great perfect 6 days ago ,,... my girlfriend is on repeat " i told ya not to sell it " how do i rewire her !

 

I just chased the exact same problem on my 53 Bel Air and it ended up being one of two things. The left front ground wire was very brittle and had a dead spot in it and I replaced a section of it but at the same time under the dash for the lighting is a dark purple wire that has a push in black connector. It was loose and corroded so I cleaned it up and snapped it back in. One of those two things fixed my problem. My entire harness is brittle and I am probably one more "issue" from replacing it all.

 

I have one more clue to add , i was driving and the dash blinker lights started blinking as if i had hazards is this any more info? does this help blame the switch ??

 

if it was a bad ground ..... would it not light up when i put the headlights on ? but it lights up brighter than the right side as if the blinker was stuck on but not blinking

 

give me a number to call you here is mine 909.456.5065 i do rewiring on old cars here is my site socalconcepts.webs.com you can email me your number at royrcastillo@yahoo.com