Headlight wiring ?

[Nasukau]

Hi All,
Re-wiring my S/W and have the harness ran and now am starting the hookups. I am starting with the headlights. So I have hard wired the headlight and I have power to the sockets yet no light comes on. I have tried different bulbs and still no light comes on. What could be the problem?

Thanks,
Denny

[Gary WA]

touch the bulb socket with bulb, attached to ground Steering column switch to the right one click. Needs to be grounded to the headlight bucket?

[H. L. Chauvin]

Denny,

Every time I ever actually witnessed vintage vehicle owners or military vehicles having headlight, taillight, or trailer wiring problems, the main cause about 99% of the time was poor grounding -- this is from experience, and not reading about it.

Hope this helps.

[Mike V. Florida]

Originally Posted by H. L. Chauvin

Denny,

Every time I ever actually witnessed vintage vehicle owners or military vehicles having headlight, taillight, or trailer wiring problems, the main cause about 99% of the time was poor grounding -- this is from experience, and not reading about it.

Hope this helps.

Ditto

When working on aircraft I witnessed a mechanic loose his temper and almost fling his meter across the hanger. When asked he said he has full voltage at the socket and bulb is good, but it won't light in the socket, corrosion at the ground would not allow enough current to flow.

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by Mike V. Florida

Ditto

When working on aircraft I witnessed a mechanic loose his temper and almost fling his meter across the hanger. When asked he said he has full voltage at the socket and bulb is good, but it won't light in the socket, corrosion at the ground would not allow enough current to flow.

There's the key, and that's why sometimes a test light is a better indicator than a volt meter when doing such tests. A volt meter requires very little current for the meter to read voltage, but the test light requires a better connection and more current to light it's bulb.

[Nasukau]

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Thank you all. You guys were absolutely correct. This website and the people on here are great. I ended up cleaning up all my connections and now i have lights!!!!! Now I have another question to do with wiring but with my horn. When I hook the horn up it is constantly on. The yellow wire(6y on my diagram) that goes from the cutout to the horn is constantly hot. Is that how it is suppose to be? Or is there a problem with the cutout?

Denny

[Brentwood Bob]

look at the ground side of the horn. the wire for the horn is always hot to the horn. the ground wire to the horn button on the column is what completes the circuit.

[Jeff in BC]

Hi Denny

Your yellow wire (6y) should always be hot. Ground is provided by the horn button through wire 128i-y (can't make out number for sure). This wire is connected in the light switch.

Jeff

[Mitch//pa]

if the horn blows WITHOUT the blue/yellow wire hooked up then your horn frame is grounded.
if it blows WHEN the blue/yellow wire is hooked up you have a ground problem between the horn and the button assy or possibly a bad button. the blue/yellow wire goes through the light switch

[Tom Wesenberg]

Do you have an aftermarket horn?
Any pictures of the horn?
Many aftermarket horns are grounded and get horn power through a relay, which the horn button turns on by grounding it.
If you have an aftermarket grounded horn then you'll have to use a relay, or make an insulated mounting for it, or remove the motor ground wire inside the horn cover and connect it to the horn wire.

[JtownJoe]

I had same problem with my 30 Tudor and had to create an insulated nylon type washer with a thin spacer to eliminate the ground at the mounting bolt. It has worked fine for 7-8 years, now.

[Nasukau]

Mitch - The horn sounds off without the blue/yellow wire hooked up.

Tom - I will have to take a picture of the horn. I am not sure if it is after market or not.

Jtown - I will try the insulated spacer on the horn mount and see if that fixes it.

Thanks for the quick responses.

Denny

[Nasukau]

Mitch - I was wrong. The horns blows both ways. With the blue/yellow hooked up and also with it not hooked up.

Tom - I am attaching pictures of my horn. I do not see any identifying names or numbers on the horn.

Jtown - I tried the insulated washer and still having the problem. Thanks for the suggestion.

Denny

[Bob C]

That's an aftermarket horn.

[Tom Wesenberg]

That's an aftermarket horn with the horn body acting as the ground circuit. You'd have to insulate the mounting bolts just as the output stud on the generator is insulated from the body. You need an insulating washer on each side of the mounting plate/bolts and an insulating sleeve over the bolt threads, so it doesn't touch the horn metal.

[Mitch//pa]

i would just get a more authentic horn and be done with it

[Tom Wesenberg]

I agree with Mitch.
Model A original horns are expensive, but it's a one time expense and should last forever.

[kenparker]

Had one of those afternmarket horns on 'le Coupe for a while. Used insulating (nylon) washers on either side of the mounting bracket and nylon bolts. That fully insulated horn from chassi. One witre went to generator (hot/ cutout) one wire went to horn button (ground). Worker great until i finally got an original Sparton.

[Mitch//pa]

i might have a real decent slightly used one i can give you a great deal on if interested pm me.

[Nasukau]

Thanks fellas. I will have to add a horn to the wish list.

Denny