64 Electrical

[Jeremy Hedges]

I am working on this car for a customer. This is a new electrical problem that I have never had. It is a 64 coupe, no b/u lights. The tail lights and the parking lights didn't work, it look to be bad wiring, so I replaced the rear harness and got two new parking lights. All the lights work, but the drivers side blinker does not work when the headlights or parking lights are on. It is just a steady light. Now, when I turn off the lights the dash, clock, rear license and 3 tailights blink. The passenger side works just fine, lights on or off. Yes I did say that the dash lights blinked as well. I have checked the wiring the best I can from under the dash, everything looks OK. I do have the wrong flasher, could that be the problem? If so, why just the drivers side blinker? What is the correct flasher for this car? I don't have a JM for a 64. I checked the connection on the firewall, it look good. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.

Jeremy Hedges
#31711

[Timothy B.]

Re: 64 Electrical

Jeremy,

Are the two new lights on the drivers side? Process of elimination here for sure. I once installed a new GM rear light and there was a ground problem where the socket is attached to the housing. I think I would use a test light to check the sockets while lights are flashing.

[Bob R.]

Re: 64 Electrical

I would check the filaments in the light bulbs and the contacts for the bulbs in the sockets. If one of them is out the bulbs will not blink.

[Jack H.]

Re: 64 Electrical

It's the job of the TS switch in the steering column to move the lamp power line(s) from straight B+ to the electrical feed from the TS flasher. So, there are two things to check:

(1) Is lamp power actually being switched from standard power feed to TS flasher switched power when you flip the TS lever?

(2) Original flashers are designed to work with correct branch circuit current flow (dictated by the specific filaments used in fore/aft lamps). For a '64, you should have 1157 lamps installed. Too little current flow and the flasher won't heat/blink. Too much current flow and the flasher will blink WAY too fast...

[Wayne W.]

Re: 64 Electrical

Bad Ground.

[Wayne W.]

Re: 64 Electrical

Sorry, I didnt understand what you said at first. Looking at the wiring diagram, I would say that the two dark green wires in the rear harness connector are shorted together or switched places. Or Possibly bulb has shorted the two terminals together. Either could feed back through the guage lighting circuit.