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Stupid me

J

JimmyThompson

Member
257
2
18
Location
McDonough, GA
Thank you... Means a lot coming from a man that owns an amazing truck. I couldn't find any type of rack sizeable for the trailer so I made my own. It was only about $350 with all the materials!
 
J

JimmyThompson

Member
257
2
18
Location
McDonough, GA
I'm officially open to suggestions... I installed my new signal lever and gave it a try. Smoke instantly bellowed out of the unit. I opened it up only to find some singed wires. What boggles me is the entire system worked last week and didn't after I installed the 12v light. I unplugged the offending light, replaced the flasher module, and the signal lever and I still have have no turn signals! I don't know if I should try and install the new 3-lever switch or not. I feel like that's throwing good money after bad!

Out of curiosity I did hook up the old unit and when activated the 3-lever switch still makes the "clucking" sound.

I also installed the new 3-Lever switch and the same "clucking" noise occurred... The wires going to the signal lever got warm and still not working. I put the old 3-lever switch back on the truck and now the headlights aren't working!!!!

Any ideas?
 
Last edited:
peashooter

peashooter

Well-known member
1,038
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Location
Hanover, minnesota
JimmyThompson said:
I'm officially open to suggestions... I installed my new signal lever and gave it a try. Smoke instantly bellowed out of the unit. I opened it up only to find some singed wires. What boggles me is the entire system worked last week and didn't after I installed the 12v light. I unplugged the offending light, replaced the flasher module, and the signal lever and I still have have no turn signals! I don't know if I should try and install the new 3-lever switch or not. I feel like that's throwing good money after bad!

Out of curiosity I did hook up the old unit and when activated the 3-lever switch still makes the "clucking" sound.

Any ideas?
Click to expand...
Yeah, there is a short to ground somewhere..... unfortunately I learned this also last week. I had a hot wire pinched under a star washer behind one of the new lights (which shorted it to ground), I had the clunking sound too which is the internal breaker for the lights inside the switch. If my new Led marker lights would have just stayed working from the start, I wouldn't have had to keep fooling around with the wiring and get careless apparently. I'm glad for the circuit breaker though!
As much as it sucks to say, just start tracing all the new wiring you put in for the lights. If you have connectors on the new lights, unplug them all and turn the light switch on, if the headlights go on then you probably have a short in one of the new lights somehow, so plug 1 light in at a time to narrow down which one is the problem area.
If all the lights are unplugged and you still get the circuit breaker clunk, then the wiring problem is somewhere between the switch and back of the truck. I've bought a cheap short finder tool before that helped me track down a mystery short in my last commuter car, but I'm not sure where to find a 24v version of it.
 
peashooter

peashooter

Well-known member
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Location
Hanover, minnesota
The headlights wont work because the circuit breaker is tripped (it will auto reset once the short is fixed). Just find the short downstream of the switch. If you have a multi-meter you can set the meter to "continuity", clamp one lead onto a good ground, and then take the other probe and touch each pin individually on the plug that goes into the switch. I'd do this with the battery unplugged because one of the wires will be the supply power. As soon as your continuity meter beeps then that is either a ground wire or the shorted wire.
Here is the wiring diagram I copied from the stickies, I think its a good one but don't hold me to it. If you hear a clunk everytime you flip the switch or power it on, then your breaker is working because there is a short. If you don't hear a noise, then the breaker or fuse somewhere is probably bad.
 

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JimmyThompson

Member
257
2
18
Location
McDonough, GA
I can't tell you how much I appreciate your help... Please don't give up on me!

I even thought something had screwed up my ignition as it wouldn't turn over when I attempted to start it. Silly me, I forgot I put a hidden switch on the dang truck.
 
Last edited:
peashooter

peashooter

Well-known member
1,038
207
63
Location
Hanover, minnesota
just so I understand correctly, you have removed the Y splitter you installed on the rear composite lights for your extra lights correct? To help troubleshoot, I'd make sure you unhook that splitter.
Take a multi meter on the continuity setting and ground the black lead to a solid ground on the truck. With the plug harness disconnected from the switch, take the red lead and touch it to all the pins of the harness plug (1 at a time) except "B" which is battery voltage (wire 15). Let us know what pin letter or wire number gives you a beep (continuity of the circuit).
I'll just guess after looking at the wire diagram that the problem wire will be Pin E (wire 24), or Pin H (wire 21) of the harness that plugs into the 3 lever switch. good luck.
 
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