Trouble shooting light isues

Gotta love that wiring . . .
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larrybarone

Trouble shooting light isues

Post by larrybarone »

Boy am i going crazy trying to get the lights to work on my 84 Pininfarina Azzura. Headlights work ok. No signals and parking lights, bulbs look ok but find it hard to believe that many would be bad anyway. The rear lights are all on the circuit board assy and some of the socket connections that receive the bulbs look corroded. Any suggestions on how to trouble shoot the light issues.
dmwhiteoak
Posts: 1088
Joined: Mon Aug 15, 2011 1:12 pm
Your car is a: 1972 Fiat 124 spider
Location: White Oak Tx

Re: Trouble shooting light isues

Post by dmwhiteoak »

Take a multimeter and check your voltage at the light sockets. That way you will know which direction to head.Had the same problem with mine. Weak connection at fuse box and corroded sockets.Not a hard fix but need to find the source of the problem. Check the ground at the tail lights.
Dennis Modisette

1972 124 Spider
2003 Chevrolet Z71
2007 GMC Yucon
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124JOE
Posts: 3141
Joined: Fri Jun 24, 2011 7:11 pm
Your car is a: 1978 124 fiat spider sport 1800
Location: SO. WI

Re: Trouble shooting light isues

Post by 124JOE »

ok ill ask have you gone over the grounds?
up near the headlights theres a bunch of black wires going to them on both sides
go thru them one by one
have some dielectric grease"for bulbs"
and wipe down the tabs and the conections
and leave a little on there

if you have done them all and still have issues
pull the hazzard switch and do the same
when you do everything correct people arent sure youve done anything at all (futurama)
ul1joe@yahoo.com 124joe@gmail.com
larrybarone

Re: Trouble shooting light isues

Post by larrybarone »

All the grounds seem ok. Did this model have a power antenna? There are two wires with connectors just under the rear driver side trunk fender not connected .one comes from the taillight harness and the other comes from the front.
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124JOE
Posts: 3141
Joined: Fri Jun 24, 2011 7:11 pm
Your car is a: 1978 124 fiat spider sport 1800
Location: SO. WI

Re: Trouble shooting light isues

Post by 124JOE »

larrybarone wrote:All the grounds seem ok. Did this model have a power antenna? There are two wires with connectors just under the rear driver side trunk fender not connected .one comes from the taillight harness and the other comes from the front.
i have 2 wires in my trunk also
IDK if they are for power antenna
i just left them alone
when you do everything correct people arent sure youve done anything at all (futurama)
ul1joe@yahoo.com 124joe@gmail.com
TX82FIAT
Posts: 1814
Joined: Mon May 03, 2010 11:04 am
Your car is a: 82 Fiat Spider 2000 CSO
Location: San Antonio

Re: Trouble shooting light isues

Post by TX82FIAT »

There is a pretty important ground wire in the trunk as well on the drivers side by the wheel well.
Buon giro a tutti! - enjoy the ride!

82 Fiat Spider 2000
03 BMW M3
07 Chevy Suburban
larrybarone

Re: Trouble shooting light isues

Post by larrybarone »

How do I check ground connections with a multimeter.
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tartan18
Posts: 505
Joined: Sun Mar 13, 2011 10:58 pm
Your car is a: 1975 Fiat 124 Spider
Location: Lebanon, Oregon

Re: Trouble shooting light isues

Post by tartan18 »

I also have a grounding issue with my 1975. Everything was working before I re-installed my dash board this afternoon so I know the problem is in the dash, center console or perhaps the fuse panel. Does anyone have an idea of where under the dash the grounds are located? I know about the ones that terminate at the hazard relay --- all were cleaned and now have dielectric grease. Where are other places to check under the dash?

Larry -- Using a multimeter in the ohm (resistance) setting put one probe on a chassis ground point (any bolt that screws into your car's frame) and the other probe on where a ground wire that you want to test to conductivity. Zero ohms mean that the wire does connect to your car's ground (the frame). If your meter doesn't deflect (analog) or register a change in reading (digital) then you know that wire is not finding a solid ground. My meter has a setting that simply makes a tone if the ground wire does connect with the frame -- that makes it quick and easy to locate a break or corroded terminal. I hope this explanation is clearer than mud. :)
Jim MacKenzie
1975 Fiat Spider
Finest Italian Automotive Technology
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tartan18
Posts: 505
Joined: Sun Mar 13, 2011 10:58 pm
Your car is a: 1975 Fiat 124 Spider
Location: Lebanon, Oregon

Re: Trouble shooting light isues

Post by tartan18 »

Success! I located the missing ground in the center console. Thankfully that meant that I didn't have to take the whole dash apart.
Jim MacKenzie
1975 Fiat Spider
Finest Italian Automotive Technology
larrybarone

Re: Trouble shooting light isues

Post by larrybarone »

I have the seat belts disconnected and i believe there is an electrical connection for the seat belt light under the belt bolted to the chassis. Would this have anything to do with the lighting issue? I do have a 3 parking lights working,pass rear,pass front and driver side fender light.
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