Reproduction Parts for 1916-1964 Chevrolet Passenger Cars & 1918-1987 Chevrolet & GMC Trucks


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Joined: Nov 2021
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Grease Monkey
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Grease Monkey
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I am wrapping up the wiring on a 1932 and am a little confused about what I am seeing when testing out the lights on the car. I have the original light switch with the 15A fuse (new fuse). We used a new wiring harness from FS and made all the connections per the instructions. I am able to get the drivers side headlight to switch from H to L but the parking lamp never comes on. The passenger light only stays on for H and then goes off when switched to low, the parking light also isn't on at any point. The dome light will not turn on, and the tail light does not turn on either.

The first question I have is: what do all the positions on the switch do? I remember seeing somewhere that it listed out what each position controlled but I cannot find that anymore.

Also, the wiring on these cars seem pretty straight forward but I don't understand why the headlights and parking lamps are having issues. All wiring in the headlights, bulbs, connectors, etc.. are brand new from FS. The horn works and the car will turn over with no spark (another issue to figure out)

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ChatMaster - 15,000
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ChatMaster - 15,000
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Your problem reads like poor grounds on the lights. First test is to rotate the lights a little to see if it effects the intensity of the lights. Any change is most likely due to a bad ground but could be a poor connection.

If you have a volt meter you can check the contacts on the light switch and dimmer switch to verify that power is going to the wiring to the lights. Then check the light bulb sockets to be sure that all the intermediate connections are good. You can also use a test light if you have one. Once you are sure you have it wired correctly. Same for the taillight. The dome light needs to be grounded to the body to work. A separate grounding wire is needed.


How Sweet the roar of a Chevy four!
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Grease Monkey
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Grease Monkey
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Ok thank you for the pointers.

Do you happen to know what each position on the light switch is supposed to power?

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ChatMaster - 2,000
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When you pull out the light switch to first position that will be park and tail lights, then when you pull it out all the way to second position that will be head lights and tail lights,

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Grease Monkey
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Grease Monkey
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thank you

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ChatMaster - 7,000
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If you have "restored'" any of the lights check that ground paths have not been painted over. New paint looks great but can cause problems in areas that need to be grounded.


Steve D
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Grease Monkey
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Grease Monkey
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What all spots should I be checking? For instance, does the tail light housing get grounded to the bracket when tightened down similar to a trailer light (so it needs bare metal contact between the 2)? Do the headlights need a separate ground wire like the dome light to get all the lights working in the correct position or are they grounded at another location in the wiring harness?

Just want to make sure I check all the different grounding positions.

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ChatMaster - 15,000
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Except for the dome light all others ground through the light body, then bracket to the frame. The ground (negative post) strap from the battery is generally attached to the transmission which is bolted to the engine, starter and frame. If you want to check the effectiveness of the ground for any light connect a wire to a clean place on the frame and then the body of the light. If the light bulb gets brighter you have a ground path problem.


How Sweet the roar of a Chevy four!
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Grease Monkey
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Grease Monkey
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thank you for the clarification.


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