Tail light wiring '57 Scotsman. Frustrating.

[StudeRich]

IF in FACT, those Black Wires ARE Backup Light Wires, they would be Dead having NO Backup Light Switch to Power them, so SHOULD do nothing.

Of course if your in-law cut them under the dash or under the Hood and connected them to "Something", ... who knows!

Test them for BOTH Hot (+) AND Ground (-) with a Test Light, under No & Yes Ign. ON and Left and Right Turn ON & OFF, Parking lights ON and OFF.

[Pepse]

TWChamp,

here is the wiring diagram for the '57 Scotsman.

[TWChamp]

The only ALL BLACK wire I see in the rear is the wire to the license and trunk lights, which should have power any time the lights are turned on.

[Pepse]

TWChamp, I see what you mean. The wire I was referring to is black/brown stripe. I connected the wires under the dash and nothing changed. But I discovered I need a turn signal flasher can. Also, at the front the 5 lug junction block is rusty. True it mainly deals with the front wiring but when I hook up the parking/turn signal lights they do not work. But they work if I hook them directly to the bat pos/neg terminals.

StudeRich, since all the wiring seems to go where they are supposed to go I seem to have a major ground issue or...............? Also, I gotta find out if the brakelite switch works. Might be another reason nothing is going right.

Later. Pepse.

[Pepse]

Okay, I finally got back to working with the wiring problem. I decided to start at the front with the 5 lug junction block. It was wired wrong (my father-in-law apparently removed it to sand and paint that area). So, I wired everything from left to right facing the car; the schematic has the block going North and South instead of East and West. So, the result is: headlights work, no park or turn signals, taillights work, pass. brake light works. Turned the key to ON and the left turn signal indicator is a steady glow. Check for turn signals and nothing; left or right. No noise from flasher can either (flasher can is new). Now in reference to the front park/turn signals both assemblies are quite rusty (Stude Intl does not have any assemblies for the '57 or '58). I can remove the bulb from one but not the other. Might be my problem?? ( A club member has a couple '58 Stude wagons but he is next to impossible to get ahold of). Also, there might be an issue with the wiring harness from the steering column to the main harness. There are a couple wires from the main harness that color-wise don't match the steering column harness or what the wiring diagram has. And I am 99% sure everything with this car is correct and not modified.

Later. Pepse.

[jackb]

I went through this recently with my truck. What I found was mostly poor connections and grounds. My truck had recently been painted, so my light assys. were not all making good ground. I added grounds for the front lights (because my rears were all working), and then found both my park light bulbs were rusted into the socket. I eventually broke the 2 bulbs and had to file out the sockets with a chainsaw round file. Finally, I got all to work but I may need to replace the front sockets due to poor bulb grounds.

[StudeRich]

Now that you are "back on this", reread Post #2 and 6 and all of these other good suggestions and get those old bulbs out of there, ground those loose Parking lights and things will start to make sense as to how this Car may be miss-wired at the column.

You can not properly TEST any wiring and connections until you are absolutely sure that all Lights actually work.

[Pepse]

Yeah, I got to thinking that "ground" is what is really setting me back. I gotta get back and make sure everything is grounding good. I am wondering if anything could go bad with the Junction block. When I rewired it last Sunday everything was rusty, so I had a small wire brush on a drill and cleaned up under the block and wire brushed all of the lugs as well as the bolts the lugs connect to and put new nuts on each bolt. And assuming it doesn't matter which end I start with the 3 black wires I need to make sure the park/turn signal wiring is getting juice by attaching the wires directly to the battery. I've been thinking that this area is what is giving me most problems with the wiring.

Later. Pepse.

[Pepse]

Well I spent 4 hours yesterday working with the electrical system. It's beating my Butt. Some of my problem is/was thinking in late 20th Century electrics. i.e. 3 wire systems. So, I cleaned up the parking lights, replaced 1 bulb hooked it to a 12 volt power supply I have and made sure it was working good. Went to the Stude and hooked them to the junction block as per the way I had it last time out. Well the parking lights worked but still no turn signals (front or rear). Checked out my wiring arrangement (up front) and it looks like I had it wrong. So, I re-did the park/turn sig wires and now only the drivers side works for the park lights. Heck I don't know what I am doing wrong. Over thinking? So, I decided again to work on the wiring under the dash. Some of my problem seems to be 2? wires that go to the fuse block (hence the pic of the fuse block). The burnt red wire and the possible black? wire that should go to the top of the fuse block (fuses are good). Not sure where the red wire is from/goes to. Also, I am giving the wires that come from the steering column as well as the wires from the 2 harness s that come through the firewall. So maybe someone can figure out what goes where. Here we go: What is from the steering column - Red/White stripe, White/Brown dashes, Light Green, White/Green stripe, Black, and Brown. Wires from the firewall harnesses: Green, White/Black stripe, Tan (Brown?), 2 wires together- Brown/White stripe & Brown/White stripe, Red/White stripe, 2 together- White/Green & White/Green, Black from smaller harness to Black large harness, and Red/Black stripe to Red/Black stripe. Now I have been staring at the wiring schematic in trying to figure this out. And I think it is getting the best of me. I have no help in this area.

Later. Pepse.

PS: That is a different flasher can. As said earlier I have a new one.

[StudeRich]

The Fuse Block contains the Stop Light & Dome Light Fuse and the Turn Signal Fuse.

[Pepse]

Okay, so I need to figure out where the red wire is suppose to go (the burnt one), and I think a black wire is suppose to go in the connector at the top of the pic. Being that I have one brake light and no turn signals it is puzzling to figure out what is going on. I disconnected all the wires under the dash; which is how it was when I started this project. It is just that the electrical diagram doesn't help me the way I am looking at it. The fuse block isn't really going right. But then again I am probably over thinking and not seeing what is what there. Oh, I don't have a dome light anymore because my mother-in-law removed it when she re-upholstered the headliner and can't remember what she did with it.

Later. Pepse.

[StudeRich]

Since the Dome Light is removed, NOW you need to find that Red wire from the Fuse Holder/Turn Signal Flasher Panel to the Dome Light location and disconnect it at the Fuse Holder.

[Pepse]

If you look at the pic of the fuseholder it has a burnt in two red wire. So I am guessing that that is to the dome light. Which means I should be able to see the other part coming through the "A" pillar. But assuming that this is the burnt domelight wire then it would be disconnected and I needent worry about it. And in the pic there is a spot at the top center to the left of the flasher can that I think needs the black wire from the steering column.

Later. Pepse.

[Pepse]

Well, I spent a couple hours Saturday working on the wiring. I know for sure that the front and rear wires are correct. So, I am left with trying to get the harness under the dash figured out. I have 2 wires that need a place to go -- White with a black stripe (from the main harness coming in) and the remains of a Red wire from the fuse block; burnt in two. The red wire might go to the brakelight switch as I only have the right brake light; but I can't find the rest of the wire. As it stands I have a working left front turn signal, no rear. And a working right rear turn signal and both front turn signals working at the same time but very dimly. It's driving me nuts.

Later. Pepse.

[doofus]

pepse your fuse block/flasher assy is a later model unit.your stop light switch should have 2 wires,red7white/red.red goes to an auxillary circuit breaker. i have an original 56 champ harness on shop floor. when it's clean i will pm you and try to help, now you are working with different model parts and they dont always mathc up. Stand by and good luck ,Doofus