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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / Wiring issue on 48 Woodie

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Posted By Discussion Topic: Wiring issue on 48 Woodie -- page: 1 2     Stroker 08-17-2011 @ 1:25 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1460 Joined: Oct 2009 Even the older wagons that have the tail light mounted on the D pillar have bolts that attach to the lower tail-gate hinge/spreader bar, which is bolted to the floor pan. The dome light however, must have a ground wire. Living in the "Rust Belt" I've fought lighting issues on all our equipment. Dedicated ground wires are almost essential for reliable lighting. My favorite method of splicing, or attaching terminal ends to wires is to Solder, rather than crimp. As for sealing moisture out, I've had good luck coating the exterior of the junction with "Liquid Electrical Tape", and then applying heat shrink tubing before the liquid tape completely cures, forcing it to squeeze out of the ends of the tubing. Dolman 08-17-2011 @ 1:00 PM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 177 Joined: Dec 2010 I agree with Super. If an electrical connection is intended to be permanent and it can be soldered, solder it and slip heat shrink tubing over it. Alan had mentioned using dielectric grease on all connections and I assume he meant on the outside. It is good for corrosion resistance and won't eat rubber, but should only be applied AFTER making a firm connection of two clean surfaces. Never put it between the surfaces or you run the risk of making a resistor or an open circuit. Some would say that the pressure of making the connection would squeeze the grease out, but I wouldn't count on that happening. supereal 08-17-2011 @ 11:52 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 It should be that easy, but it is likely the joints in the arm are rusty or dirty, etc, or the socket isn't making good contact with the sh*ll of the light. The number one electrical problem with all old cars is poor grounds. When the vehicles were newer, using the body as a common ground worked well. After decades, not so good. That is exactly why we take the time to install a ground wire to all lights. At six volts, it only takes a 1 ohm resistance at 6 amps to kill the power. A bit of dirt, old paint, or rust can do it. We use a special electrical grease on most connections to lessen problems caused by oxidization, and solder all of the bullet connections, a constant source of trouble in old Fords. 42wagon 08-17-2011 @ 9:45 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 586 Joined: Oct 2009 While I agree that a good ground is essential woodie taillights should not present any more problem than other lights. Why? Well the taillights have a metal arm for the mechanism that makes the lights stay vertical no matter what position the tailgate is in. That arm is bolted directly to the metal floor that in turn is welded to the cowl where the battery ground strap is bolted. Therefore a direct ground path from the taillight to the battery exists despite the fact that the taillight is bolted to a wood tailgate. supereal 08-17-2011 @ 8:38 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 Due to the construction, woodies present more than average grounding problems. Extending separate ground wires is almost always required. Otherwise, two filament bulbs "find" ground thru the other side when the socket is poorly grounded. This occurs in non wood bodies, of course, but is a special problem in station wagons. TomO 08-17-2011 @ 7:00 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7385 Joined: Oct 2009 Bigvince, Trying to isolate a ground loop by disconnecting things can lead to false indications. The 2 stoplights draw enough current to light the dash bulbs, but 1 stoplight may not. I would use a jumper wire from the tail light housing to a good ground like the bumper arms or the chassis. If that resolves your problem, the use a ohm meter or continuity checker to check that both tail light housings are grounded. Tom bigvince 08-16-2011 @ 5:41 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 60 Joined: Oct 2009 Guys, Many thanks for all the suggestions. Evrything is hooked up right. I disconnected the tail light/license plate side (left) and the right brake light still works and no instrument panel lights come on when I sep on the brake. That's good. I'm going to try grounding the left side again and check everything there. I HATE ELECTRICAL!!! deluxe40 08-16-2011 @ 10:28 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 413 Joined: Oct 2009 Tom, thanks for the explanation of the ground feedback possibility. It makes sense and didn't occur to me. It will be interesting to learn what bigvince finds. trjford8 08-15-2011 @ 8:21 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 4352 Joined: Oct 2009 I hate to beat this issue to death, but if the tailamps are not properly grounded the brake lamps will feed back through the tailamps with a poor or no ground. On a woodie it is critical to ground the tailmp housings. The feedback can cause the dash lamps to illuminate. shogun1940 08-15-2011 @ 5:49 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 464 Joined: Feb 2010 I have the same problem on a 48 I think who ever wired the car has the brake and tailights reversed, its a rats nest under mine in the back. I think this is the problem because the tail lights are real bright, I hope its that easy

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