Date: Mon, 9 Jan 2012 18:02:47 -0500
Reply-To: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Need Help with Headlights
In-Reply-To: <3FABBFF0-DF88-4616-A564-05ECDAEE9C06@mac.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
That FLAPS yellow fuse tester was probably working just fine. When you lose
a common ground for things that get feed from multiple sources the bad
ground will effectively put both loads in series as the circuit tries to
complete to the other open switch or fuse. The voltage you saw on the load
side of the fuse was the voltage going into one filament and without the
ground tried to flow through the other stopping at the open fuse. The tester
saw the voltage on both side so it did not indicate the open fuse.
I would still upgrade the headlight grounds near the sockets. You obviously
wanted brighter lights (relay kit) so improving this terrible ground
arrangement will also help.
Something's to consider. The Chassis really is not a ground, it is a common
connection point. Outside a battery electrons are actually flowing from
negative to positive. This really makes the chassis the source.
Dennis
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Robert Stewart
Sent: Monday, January 09, 2012 11:41 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Need Help with Headlights
Hey Everyone,
Thank you so much for your feedback.
I actually figured it out. It was so simple I feel a little stupid in the
end.
1. The headlights were all fine. It was a bad ground from the rear ground
star! The two brown original ground wires were badly oxidized as were some
other connectors.
I removed every ground connector on the stars, cleaned all the stars with
sandpaper and a dremel. Then did the same to the ground connectors. I found
an random unknown ground connector that was broken that I replaced as well.
Then finally I reattached the ground wires to the grounding stars with a
little dialectric grease and all the headlights worked perfectly!
2. My turn signals had been acting strange. First they would work, then
every right turn made it buzz, then it stopped working all together and gave
me a constant green turn signal indicator that was always on.
- I pulled all the bulbs out.
- I even disconnected all the light sockets and cleaned them all with a my
dremel. The rear lights had some minor oxidation on the rear of the unit
which I cleaned up and made shiny again. The metal connectors that touch the
bulbs were all in good shape.
- Checked the wiring at the front indicator lamps and they were wired wrong.
The ground was in the wrong spot. Fortunately someone from the samba was
kind enough to have posted photos of the proper wiring layout. Once that was
fixed I checked the fuses again.
- Sure enough it was a blown #19 fuse. I had used a FLAPs yellow fuse
checker which lied to me and said it was good but the fact was that the
flaps fuse checker is bridging the fuse connectors so it was reading that a
bad fuse was good! Lesson learned there.
- Put in the new fuse and placed the bulbs back in 1 set at time. Front turn
signal bulbs, then rear then the brake and backup lights.
In the end it was very simple and now so complicated.
Thanks again to all that replied. Much appreciated.
Regards to all,
Robert
NY
On Jan 3, 2012, at 6:56 PM, Robert Stewart wrote:
> Need Help Please
> 1988 Vanagon GL, Rebuilt Engine w 6,000 miles on it. SA Grill Kit,
Upgraded Relay Kit.
>
> A couple of weeks ago my high beams went out. It was a broken wire on my
upgraded relay. I fixed it and The lights worked for 2 weeks then all the
lights went out. I have no lights, no brights, no low beam, nothing. The
high beam indicator is on no matter if you pull the stalk back or not.
Nothing at all. Pulling the stalk back does not activate the lights. I did
not smell anything burning, nothing popped or made any kind of sound.
>
> I checked the following:
>
> Fuses All good
>
> Power Going from the Stalk on the TOP & Middle Connectors of the turn
signal unit. I also get a power signal on the left side of the stalk
connector.
>
> Relays activate when you pull the stalk back, you can feel a little click.
>
> Grounds were cleaned with sandpaper. Then, I swapped the ground with the
ground from my Working Hella Fog lamps and it still did not work.
>
> I replaced the ignition switch as well.
>
> The headlight switch is only 1 yr old. I even swapped it with my old one
which also works fine and nothing changed.
>
> The SA Grill and lights are 2 yrs old. I only drive the van for short
distances so the lights and the van are hardly used. Just local driving.
>
> The turn signal worked fine when the lights are off but since this recent
issue the turn signal when signaling to the right just causes the turn
signal light to stay on, no flashing or anything on any of the right side
lights. If you turn off the main headlight switch the turn signals all work
just fine. - Strange.
>
> What am I missing here?
>
> Is it possible that my stalk is having problems? or the connectors under
the horn?
>
> I never had issues with the lights ever till now.
>
> Any help would be appreciated.
>
> Side note: I had a mechanic friend of mine wire the low beams to be
grounded directly from the headlight wiring at the bulbs, it worked on both
bulbs for a week then the drivers side light stopped working. I checked the
bulb and it looked perfect, the ground was still intact. Very strange
indeed.
>
> Thanks for any advice,
> Robert
> Bloomingburg NY
