V-Fib

New owner 79 928. Tail Lamp warning light is on. Left side tail light and front light was dimmer than the right. All bulbs within specs. Lower voltage on the left by 1.6 amps (all sockets). Checked all bulb sockets and were ok. Placed a ground jumper from the engine, to the light grounds at the front L/hand side of the vehicle. Now the Left side is completely out. NO current to the fuse panel for the L/side. What did I fry? All other lights on the L/side work except side markers and front/rear running lights. Could this be the light sensor?

John Struthers

Tony,
Literally, just finished off something similar last night.
Tools:
1. You already have a multimeter.
2. I made two(2) sets of test jumpers. The one I used exclusively was made up of a cheap $2.50
12volt light socket- has about 6 or 8 inches of leads already attached. Bought a small bag of micro and mini alligator(roach) clips just strip 1/2" of insulation off of the wire and clamp the gator clips on the wire, Usually, there are red and black covers on the clips, you can figure it out. I would make sure the socket and '5 watt' bulbs work together. To test each circuit just hook to the leads. Leads should be gray for ground and brown for hot.
I have to say what ever you did matches my experience pretty close. And you will probably say; "Bull****, I did that already !".
For starters...1.)Up with the carpet, jam that fuse box cover open with a stick or something, saves time and aggrevation. 2.) Check the fuses again - just do it - sometimes you can't see the separation, flick it with a finger nail. You can replace it with the 8 amp euro's from Walmart they look like american glass tube types except have a little point on the ends look close. I even found Euro's in some Kent Kwik's. Bulbs are at Walmart, too!
Pull the FENDER side markers front and rear and re-check bulbs. Nicole suggested replacing with matched sets. Yep, off with those splash guards again. By now you should be getting adept at removing/installing those wingnuts and brackets holding the light assembly's in place- don't lose the washers. Disconnect the leads on BOTH assembly's and seperate them to prevent a short, hook up the jumper to the front side marker leads - gray lead to ground on jumper, brown lead to positive on jumper. Turn light switch to parking lights, you shouldn't need to turn key for parking/running lights. If the light comes on turn switch off, hook leads up to the front assembly the gray goes the blade between the assembly and socket and the brown to the blade at base of the bulb-the outer one. Before re-installing turn switch on again to insure something in the socket isn't smoked. Repeat the process for the rear fender marker lights. 'If' the test bulb lights up I'am fairly sure what has happened is after one bulb burned out you like me swapped leads. On mine I could not detect a break in the filament but with a magnifying glass I could see one(1) tiny piece of metal lying in the bulb on the second go thru-. What started out as a simple bulb replacement got a little out of hand when I swapped leads on one or both of the sidemarkers. I started out by replacing the left REAR marker light - most likely candidate-, no joy! Same for the FRONT marker light. Both assemblies were mint condition, like new. The lights all came on after fuse and bulb changes. The left front SIDE marker went first then the remaining three(3) marker/running light went out. This is when I went back thru and found MY mistake. More than likely, you never pulled the leads on the FRONT and REAR multi-light assembly's so that only leaves the mess mentioned above. OR,
if you follow the leads from the front SIDE marker forward they come to a multiple connector below the headlight and behind the FRONT marker, running, turn signal light assembly, give it a wiggle and snug them up. Supposedly, there is a light relay, that black plastic box above the center of the fuse panel that does something(?).
What exactly I wouldn't know since the flashers,
foglights, double relay for the headlamps(motor?) are all on different relays already. The side markers are on seperate circuits and fuses, four lights to a side. And the reverse lights, left and right turn signals are also on seperate circuits/fuses.
HTH/LOL
Keep em rolling
John S. and Pattycakes

<img src="graemlins/bigok.gif" border="0" alt="[thumbsup]" />

John Struthers

Forgot...did you clean those sockets and blades?
I had one lightly corroded socket and my left rear side marker was getting cooked by a tiny exhaust leak - a hair line crack in in the upper rear corner of rear muffler- clean em up!

V-Fib

Thanks, I appreciate the assistance, off for the holiday on Monday, will try your suggestion. (ditto on the roach clips) [quote]Originally posted by John Struthers:
<strong>Tony,
Literally, just finished off something similar last night.
Tools:
1. You already have a multimeter.
2. I made two(2) sets of test jumpers. The one I used exclusively was made up of a cheap $2.50
12volt light socket- has about 6 or 8 inches of leads already attached. Bought a small bag of micro and mini alligator(roach) clips just strip 1/2" of insulation off of the wire and clamp the gator clips on the wire, Usually, there are red and black covers on the clips, you can figure it out. I would make sure the socket and '5 watt' bulbs work together. To test each circuit just hook to the leads. Leads should be gray for ground and brown for hot.
I have to say what ever you did matches my experience pretty close. And you will probably say; "Bull****, I did that already !".
For starters...1.)Up with the carpet, jam that fuse box cover open with a stick or something, saves time and aggrevation. 2.) Check the fuses again - just do it - sometimes you can't see the separation, flick it with a finger nail. You can replace it with the 8 amp euro's from Walmart they look like american glass tube types except have a little point on the ends look close. I even found Euro's in some Kent Kwik's. Bulbs are at Walmart, too!
Pull the FENDER side markers front and rear and re-check bulbs. Nicole suggested replacing with matched sets. Yep, off with those splash guards again. By now you should be getting adept at removing/installing those wingnuts and brackets holding the light assembly's in place- don't lose the washers. Disconnect the leads on BOTH assembly's and seperate them to prevent a short, hook up the jumper to the front side marker leads - gray lead to ground on jumper, brown lead to positive on jumper. Turn light switch to parking lights, you shouldn't need to turn key for parking/running lights. If the light comes on turn switch off, hook leads up to the front assembly the gray goes the blade between the assembly and socket and the brown to the blade at base of the bulb-the outer one. Before re-installing turn switch on again to insure something in the socket isn't smoked. Repeat the process for the rear fender marker lights. 'If' the test bulb lights up I'am fairly sure what has happened is after one bulb burned out you like me swapped leads. On mine I could not detect a break in the filament but with a magnifying glass I could see one(1) tiny piece of metal lying in the bulb on the second go thru-. What started out as a simple bulb replacement got a little out of hand when I swapped leads on one or both of the sidemarkers. I started out by replacing the left REAR marker light - most likely candidate-, no joy! Same for the FRONT marker light. Both assemblies were mint condition, like new. The lights all came on after fuse and bulb changes. The left front SIDE marker went first then the remaining three(3) marker/running light went out. This is when I went back thru and found MY mistake. More than likely, you never pulled the leads on the FRONT and REAR multi-light assembly's so that only leaves the mess mentioned above. OR,
if you follow the leads from the front SIDE marker forward they come to a multiple connector below the headlight and behind the FRONT marker, running, turn signal light assembly, give it a wiggle and snug them up. Supposedly, there is a light relay, that black plastic box above the center of the fuse panel that does something(?).
What exactly I wouldn't know since the flashers,
foglights, double relay for the headlamps(motor?) are all on different relays already. The side markers are on seperate circuits and fuses, four lights to a side. And the reverse lights, left and right turn signals are also on seperate circuits/fuses.
HTH/LOL
Keep em rolling
John S. and Pattycakes

<img src="graemlins/bigok.gif" border="0" alt="[thumbsup]" /> </strong><hr></blockquote>

V-Fib

[quote]Originally posted by Anthony Tate:
<strong>Thanks, I appreciate the assistance, off for the holiday on Monday, will try your suggestion. (ditto on the roach clips) </strong><hr></blockquote>

THANKS! To everyone who helped.It turned out to be a bad connection in the L/front parking light.
Also a BIG THANKS to Wally for letting us know 928 International had the manuals in stock. Mine arrived today. I SEE THE LIGHT!
Tony T.