The Ford Barn

gmcdiecast · 12-03-2014, 10:02 AM

I will try to be brief. I have a '29 coupe I got in May. The wiring harness was not installed but was with the car. I hooked the horn up first and it worked fine. I did replace all the connections on the harness with quick connections. I finally got around to hooking up the lights. Tried all the positions of the switch and no luck. Had a few guys in my car club mess with it with no luck either. Fast forward a few months. Horn was dragging so I took it apart to oil it. Put it back together and no sound. I found one of the wires came off. Fixed that and got the horn working. Just for grins I turned the light switch and they cam on but only on high beam. Tail light works now too. Any ideas why only high beam works.

eagle · 12-03-2014, 10:47 AM

Use a wiring diagram and a voltmeter and start troubleshooting it methodically. If you don't feel you're up to the task find someone who is. Any reputable mechanics shop will be able find your problem if you supply them with a schematic. They are available here, use the search function. There is no way anyone here is going to be able to give you a reasonably accurate answer with the info you gave us. Just guesses.

Dbbc · 12-03-2014, 11:00 AM

Aloha,
Make sure that the light switch at the bottom of the steering column is clean. If oil leaked from the steering wheel into the light switch it might mess up with your electrical connections.

31Tudor · 12-03-2014, 01:02 PM

If you are using the original plug set up in the headlight connection, and older repro headlight sockets, the electrical tabs can actually touch each other and both elements will be on. As Eagle suggested your best bet is to be sure both elements work in the headlight, and then just start your way through. Unplug the wires from the headlight, turn the switch to low beam, with a test light determine if you have power to one of the wires going to the headlight, if so, check the other side, same color of wire. If no power then there is some problem with the power coming through the switch. Then go to high beam and test the same. Then I hook up just one light and see if one light works as it should. If not, back to trouble shooting. When I get one light working properly, then I go over and start hooking up the other light.

Lee Mitch · 12-03-2014, 11:09 PM

Mine did the same thing. Turned out the switch (at the bottom of the column) was not on correctly. Clean it and keep working with it until it connects properly. Could be a lot of things, but this is a quick check. Good luck

whirnot · 12-04-2014, 09:16 AM

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Quote:

Originally Posted by dbbc

aloha,
make sure that the light switch at the bottom of the steering column is clean. If oil leaked from the steering wheel into the light switch it might mess up with your electrical connections.

x2

Big hammer · 12-04-2014, 02:54 PM

Check and see if low beam element in bulb burned out ! Easy to over
look simple stuff :-)

12-03-2014, 10:02 AM	#1
gmcdiecast Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Posts: 13	Lights not working in all positions. I will try to be brief. I have a '29 coupe I got in May. The wiring harness was not installed but was with the car. I hooked the horn up first and it worked fine. I did replace all the connections on the harness with quick connections. I finally got around to hooking up the lights. Tried all the positions of the switch and no luck. Had a few guys in my car club mess with it with no luck either. Fast forward a few months. Horn was dragging so I took it apart to oil it. Put it back together and no sound. I found one of the wires came off. Fixed that and got the horn working. Just for grins I turned the light switch and they cam on but only on high beam. Tail light works now too. Any ideas why only high beam works.

12-03-2014, 10:47 AM	#2
eagle Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Eagle Bend, MN Posts: 2,025	Re: Lights not working in all positions. Use a wiring diagram and a voltmeter and start troubleshooting it methodically. If you don't feel you're up to the task find someone who is. Any reputable mechanics shop will be able find your problem if you supply them with a schematic. They are available here, use the search function. There is no way anyone here is going to be able to give you a reasonably accurate answer with the info you gave us. Just guesses.

12-03-2014, 11:00 AM	#3
Dbbc Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Honolulu Posts: 116	Re: Lights not working in all positions. Aloha, Make sure that the light switch at the bottom of the steering column is clean. If oil leaked from the steering wheel into the light switch it might mess up with your electrical connections.

12-03-2014, 01:02 PM	#4
31Tudor Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: North Carolina Posts: 611	Re: Lights not working in all positions. If you are using the original plug set up in the headlight connection, and older repro headlight sockets, the electrical tabs can actually touch each other and both elements will be on. As Eagle suggested your best bet is to be sure both elements work in the headlight, and then just start your way through. Unplug the wires from the headlight, turn the switch to low beam, with a test light determine if you have power to one of the wires going to the headlight, if so, check the other side, same color of wire. If no power then there is some problem with the power coming through the switch. Then go to high beam and test the same. Then I hook up just one light and see if one light works as it should. If not, back to trouble shooting. When I get one light working properly, then I go over and start hooking up the other light.

12-03-2014, 11:09 PM	#5
Lee Mitch Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Sandy, OR. Posts: 157	Re: Lights not working in all positions. Mine did the same thing. Turned out the switch (at the bottom of the column) was not on correctly. Clean it and keep working with it until it connects properly. Could be a lot of things, but this is a quick check. Good luck

12-04-2014, 02:54 PM	#7
Big hammer Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Land of Lincoln Posts: 3,131	Re: Lights not working in all positions. Check and see if low beam element in bulb burned out ! Easy to over look simple stuff :-)