Interior: TAIL LIGHT-YES, BRAKE LIGHT--no, NOW, TURN SIGNAL--NO 55 COMMANDER

[kaley200]

When I first got my 55 COMMANDER HT 2months ago, it had a right rear brake light not working but tail light and turn signal worked fine. Tried putting in new bulb and nothing changed a few weeks ago. Today went out to try to get brake light working and found that now I have no turn signal as well as no brake light. Tried bulb again (just in case) but no change. I still have a working tail light. Any ideas or do I have to start messing with wires? If so, how best to get at the relevant wiring? Sockets on both sides look like they were replaced recently THANKS.....BUD

[55coupe]

When I got my 55 coupe running it had some lighting issues the first thing to do was clean all connections and light sockets. Everything seemed ok untill I tryed to use head lights and turn signals. My problum was the wireing in the steering colum it had no insulation left on it. After installing a new turn switch with new wire all worked as it should. In some places I could use heat shrink to reinsulate the wire. Make sure your grounds are clean and tight. So clean everything inspect wires every were. Good luck. Brake light switchs are easy to check and change.

[rockne10]

More than likely the turn signal switch, or wiring to same. Time to explore with a test light.

[sals54]

You can try bypassing the turn signal switch. Remove the fuses and run a lead wire from the battery to the wires of the troubled lights. Using a sharpened awl, slightly pierce the wire then touch with the hot lead. You can do this to each light to see if they are grounded. If the light comes on, then you probably have a good enough ground. If all the lights work through the bypass, then you can start taking apart the steering column, wheel mount, signal switch, harness, and other assorted parts and pieces to replace the wiring in the column. Ugh. I hope its an easy fix for you. Fixing grounds are easier than the steering column surgery.

[jclary]

Well...we are dealing with a sixty year old car. It only takes a tiny bit of corrosion to prevent current flow. But first, we need to have a logical order of things in place to find the solution. Do you have the manuals for your year of car? The shop manual has wiring diagrams showing switches, terminal blocks, wiring sizes, color codes, etc. In addition, a multi-meter is handy for checking continuity. One with an audible continuity sound option is a plus.

Once you have these items, you can begin a step by step check from your power supply, conductors, connections, switches, and to where the circuit is grounded to complete the circuit.

You might stumble on the solution using a "hit & miss" method...but you could just as likely cause a bigger problem in the process.

Regardless, good luck working through to a solution. Come back and let us know what worked.

[gordr]

Bad grounds can do this. A tail light can light (a little dimly), with no ground to the socket because it "finds" ground through the stop/turn filament of itself and its partner. Happens all the time. Check the bulb. Does it have both bayonet lugs on its base at the same level, or are they staggered as on more modern bulbs, e.g. 1157? I know '54 cars and earlier (?) used some sockets that accepted the old-style dual filament bulb with both bayonet lugs on the same level like the single-contact bulbs. The staggered-lug bulbs cannot readily be put in the socket the wrong way, although some creative idiots have accepted the challenge. The bulbs with even lugs CAN be installed wrong, and that might explain your predicament. Assuming a bad ground at the socket, bulb installed right will glow dimly on "tail", and will flash dimly on "turn" because current can flow to ground via bright filament AND the other (unlit) bright filament. No brake light, because the path to ground becomes hot. Install the bulb backwards, and tail function still works because the current still flows through both bulb filaments to ground via the other bulb. 1154 is the 6-volt bulb with offset lugs like the familiar 1157; 1158 is the six-volt lamp with non-offset lugs. As an expedient, you can file off one lug from an 1154 bulb (the one further from the end) and use it in a socket made to accept an 1158, but if the socket is old and worn, it may fall out, and it's harder to get a good ground. Best solution would be to install a new socket that will accept the 1154 lamp, which also ought to take care of the ground issue.


And, yes, that old rubber/cloth covered wire can get crisp and shed its insulation, too.

[rstrasser]

Kaley;
Back to your original question. You said originally the turn signals worked but the right brake light did not. One filament in the bulb is for the tail light; the other is for both the brake and turn signal light. In the directional signal switch which is in the steering wheel is a series of switches which determine if the directional signal or the brake light on a particular side of the car is illuminated.
The result is if you are making a left turn and step on the brake the left turn light blinks and the right brake light illuminates. The opposite happens if you are miking a right turn. It is all controlled by the switch in the steering column.
Ron

[64V-K7]

One of the best things you can do to any car's electrical system is to pull every connection apart and slather them with some CRC electrolytic grease, then reassembling. This is a synthetic vaseline type lube that promotes electriclal continuity, keeps the connections from corroding and insulates against moisture. It's great stuff for new and old cars..... And WILL correct problems you don't even know you have...

[55 56 PREZ 4D]

One of the best things you can do to any car's electrical system is to pull every connection apart and slather them with some CRC electrolytic grease, then reassembling. This is a synthetic vaseline type lube that promotes electriclal continuity, keeps the connections from corroding and insulates against moisture. It's great stuff for new and old cars..... And WILL correct problems you don't even know you have...

AFTER YOU THOROUGHLY CLEAN ALL CORROSION AND INSURE THE CONNECTIONS WILL BE TIGHT.
Electrical connections must be clean and tight. Corrosion, rust, paint, grease, oil must be removed.
Both electrolytic and di-electric grease are NON-CONDUCTIVE. It does NOT enhance the electrical connection.
The purpose of both is to INSULATE the connection.
Both from within - think arcing spark plugs, electrical leakage to ground]
And from outside - to limit entrance of corrosive elements such as moisture, salt, oxygen, so forth and so on.
After an application to the connection, the grease is "squished" away from the clean, tight connection, and seals it.
Quotes from one manufacturers ad for di-electric grease:
"improves electrical performance in adverse conditions"
"Maintains performance level year round"
Yes, if applied to a clean tight connection.
Neither product will clean or improve a loose, corroded or burned from arcing connection.
Often just the act of removing and reinstalling the connection will remove enough of the corrosion to make good contact.
Both products work very well when used as they were designed.