You Have GOT To Be Kidding!!!!

[SignatureSeriesOwner]

Ok, so I was removing the cornering lamps to reglue the lenses to the housings. MUCH to my suprise, when I stick them bak in, plugged the lights into their slots and all, my right running light (little orange one on the cornering lamp) wouldn't cut on! :mad: So, I was like, OK, maybe the bulb blew. SO, I removed the light from the left side cornering lamp, and plugged it where the right one was. It didn't cut on. So I was like...great... so, I plugged it BACK into the left side, and then THAT ONE DIDN'T WORK!!! All the rest of the lights work! What has happened here? did I blow a fuse?? I have no voltometer, so I cannot check to see the voltage, and the "signal" light on either cornering lamp on the appropriate side just stays ON when I click the turn signal to that appropriate side (maybe it's supposed to do that?). But does anyone know why my little orange lights won't work now? :(

(one bulb looks blown, the other does not.)

[SignatureSeriesOwner]

Oh, and for the record, both bulbs worked 3 hours ago. I accidently unplugged the right one from the socket while I was wiping the dust off of it. Then it didn't work. Then I removed the left one to test the right socket, and then the left one no longer worked.
(I unplugged 3 other bulbs to see if they would do the same thing, but those worked when I plugged them back in. :rolleyes:

[Newave Dave]

SSO, Your cornering lamps are supposed to stay on. They illuminate the area that you are turning towards. When I remove a bulb from a socket I always spritz a little WD-40 in the socket to clean and lube the contacts. Get a voltmeter! You are driving a 15 year old box of wires and computers! Your a smart guy, I am sure you will make great use of it. My guess is dirty contacts on bulbs and /or socket.

[SignatureSeriesOwner]

SSO, Your cornering lamps are supposed to stay on. They illuminate the area that you are turning towards. When I remove a bulb from a socket I always spritz a little WD-40 in the socket to clean and lube the contacts. Get a voltmeter! You are driving a 15 year old box of wires and computers! Your a smart guy, I am sure you will make great use of it. My guess is dirty contacts on bulbs and /or socket.

Well, that wouldn't make sense though... why would it work, then unplug it, then it not work :confused:
The chance of it happening to BOTH at the same time? wierd..... I just need some advice on what someone thinks is going on here. EVERY OTHER LIGHT WORKS...except these two :(

WD-40..............nope. :(

[rj]

With a $10 voltmeter you can check the bulb (ohms scale) to verify it is not open (eg burned out). You can also check the socket to ensure power. I'd say the bulbs aren't seating in the socket properly or no power.

[SignatureSeriesOwner]

With a $10 voltmeter you can check the bulb (ohms scale) to verify it is not open (eg burned out). You can also check the socket to ensure power. I'd say the bulbs aren't seating in the socket properly or no power.

Well, it appears to me that the right side bulb was blown, since on of the wires (filaments) was broken off it's post. Left side, seems fine. I just don't understand why both would work...then one....then remove the good one and put in place of the bad one, and none work...then put the good bulb back in its proper side, and it does not work. I do not know what could have caused them to stop working though. If they were not getting any power, where would I check? (fuse-wise).....

[SignatureSeriesOwner]

I will try and see if a shop up the road will let me borrow a voltometer tomorrow.
Since I am a complete noob at wiring systems, what should I check? I have a service manual (CD) but I am having trouble navigating it. Which section should I be looking under here? :confused:

[rj]

My manual is a 92 but should be similar. (See post below on Marker Lights)

The cornering lights operate when the headlights are on (like Dereck indicated in your other post on the subject). So be sure you test with the headlights on AND the turn signal lever in the left or right position.

The circuit does not use a fuse, it's powered up by the headlight circuit, which is powered by a 50 amp circuit breaker under the hood. If the headlights work, you have power.

The power flow to the cornering lights is from the 50 amp breaker, through the Main Light Switch (when headlights are on), through the Multi-Function Switch (turn signal switch), to the cornering lights. Finally the circuit is completed via a Black wire to Ground from the light socket.

Since you know one light is burned out (open), I'd buy a new one (why not buy two) and install them.

[Newave Dave]

On my CD when you open it up, there is an EVTM square near the exit square. click that, Then click "cell 90" which is Turn/stop/hazard lamps. Then the schematic will pop up.

[SignatureSeriesOwner]

My manual is a 92 but should be similar.

The cornering lights operate when the headlights are on (like Dereck indicated in your other post on the subject). So be sure you test with the headlights on AND the turn signal lever in the left or right position.

The circuit does not use a fuse, it's powered up by the headlight circuit, which is powered by a 50 amp circuit breaker under the hood. If the headlights work, you have power.

The power flow to the cornering lights is from the 50 amp breaker, through the Main Light Switch (when headlights are on), through the Multi-Function Switch (turn signal switch), to the cornering lights. Finally the circuit is completed via a Black wire to Ground from the light socket.

Since you know one light is burned out (open), I'd buy a new one (why not buy two) and install them.

Yeah, I think that is the best approach. The headlights work great, so does the rest, including the white bulbs mounted in the cornering lamp housings...the little orange lights on the cornering lamps do not ,and since they would have power VIA the headlights, and the headlights work, it means they would have power. So if they are getting power, and the bulbs are not illuminating, they must be open. I guess Advance Auto and the rest will carry the bulbs? (I'll check with my shop tomorrow)
Thank you so much rj, your help is greatly appreciated! :)
I'll post back here after I replace the bulbs. :)
(oh, and I removed both little orange bulbs and held them up to my ear and shook them. They both had thta "jingling" noise, so I assume thta means the filaments are blown.)

[BillyBob TC]

All this talk of cornering lights. Arent we talking about the parking lights? Thats the 'little yellow light in the cornering lamp' isnt it? At least on my 97 its really only 1/2 cornering lamp, the other half being parking lights. Could be wrong, maybe they repositioned all the bulb locations from 92 to 97. SSO's description sound like mine tho having just replaced mine last week.....
Im so confused now.....:confused::confused::confused:

[SignatureSeriesOwner]

All this talk of cornering lights. Arent we talking about the parking lights? Thats the 'little yellow light in the cornering lamp' isnt it? At least on my 97 its really only 1/2 cornering lamp, the other half being parking lights. Could be wrong, maybe they repositioned all the bulb locations from 92 to 97. SSO's description sound like mine tho having just replaced mine last week.....
Im so confused now.....:confused::confused::confused:

yeah, but mine are "little orange ones" that....won't.....illuminate....same problem happened to you?
These bulbs: (see pic) are the ones thta fail to illuminate.

[rj]

Rereading this, I think we are talking about the Marker Lamps inside the Cornering Lamp Assembly. Although they are probably both blown ("jingling"), they are powered through an Instrument Panel fuse (#11, 20 amp). The headlight switch has to be on Park or Headlight.

[BillyBob TC]

yeah, but mine are "little orange ones" that....won't.....illuminate....same problem happened to you?
These bulbs: (see pic) are the ones thta fail to illuminate.
Ah see they did change them around! But your still talikng parking lights though. My 97 goes like this: Big orange at the grill for blinker. Next is the halogen headlamp. Next bending around the corner is the pull pin clear cornering bulb. Lastly next to the fender is the yellow/orange govebox bulb, parking lamp.
No it didnt happen to me, but I know the sockets on the cornering lamps dont have the least amount of slack! Hope you didnt yank on this one. Took me longer to push n turn that parking socket back in than changing out the entire lamp!

[SignatureSeriesOwner]

The headlight switch has to be on Park or Headlight.

I just cut the switch on the way I normally do....just this time they didn't illuminate. (off to check fuse #11.) :)
20 amp fuse checked out fine, even swapped it out with a known good one and they still didn't illuminate. must be the bulbs :)

[SignatureSeriesOwner]

Hope you didnt yank on this one.

eh....I had to put a fair amount of tension on it so I could get my hand in there to untwist it. Doubt it did any harm though. Also wouldn't explain why neither of them work :)

[SignatureSeriesOwner]

After visiting a friend at our local shop, they gave me a voltometer (new in box) to use to check everything out.
Power to socket - hot
socket - hot
Replace bulb(s)
So I bought two new bulbs, pluged them in, an wa lah! It's all working again. The old bulbs were pretty dim-ish before anyway, these new ones are quite bright. Thank you for the assistance everyone :)

[rj]

Probably the most complicated thread on changing light bulbs....
How many Aggies does it take....

[SignatureSeriesOwner]

Probably the most complicated post on changing light bulbs....
How many Aggies does it take....

:rofl:! well, it could have bene serveral things. Luckily, it was the simplest one. :)

[no0c]

Probably the most complicated post on changing light bulbs....
How many Aggies does it take....

No doubt less time than it did to post this thread and 11 replies like SSO did :)

In fact you might be able to build a light bulb in that time :)

Amazing what you can do with a test lamp or Digital Multimeter and using the grey matter.

[SignatureSeriesOwner]

No doubt less time than it did to post 11 threads like SSO did :)



*replies!!! :D

[no0c]

*replies!!! :D

it has been edited/corrected.

[SignatureSeriesOwner]

it has been edited/corrected.

Ah, I was just messin' man :D :p :cool: :)

[dirtybootlegger]

wow-- and my dumb -asss read that...

[neterhet]

:rofl:! well, it could have bene serveral things. Luckily, it was the simplest one. :)

"Occam's Brillo Pad"

:D

[SignatureSeriesOwner]

I plan on buying a decent voltometer saturday, so further puzzled posts like this can be avoided. :D
I mean, in all honesty, if I HAD a voltometer at the time, this entire thing would have been avoided. But, I did not have one, and also, the sequence of events that led the bulbs to burn out led me to believe the bulbs weren't the problem. if they both went out at the same time or just one, this post would not be here. But it didn't happen that way.
Anyway, I'll just check the fuses and wiring, etc with a voltometer next time, because I'll have one that I can use! :D

[LithiumCobalt]

Test lights are always nice too. A bit simplistic, but they let you know if you have current and don't necessarily need to know how much.

[SignatureSeriesOwner]

Test lights are always nice too. A bit simplistic, but they let you know if you have current and don't necessarily need to know how much.

True, I have one of those actually. But the bulb is blown :rolleyes:

[Newave Dave]

A test light with a blown bulb? YOU gotta be kidding!

[SignatureSeriesOwner]

A test light with a blown bulb? YOU gotta be kidding!

Nope :( kinda ironic ain't it? :D
The tip of the bulb is black, and the whole filament is jiggling around (IIRC) It's in a box in one of the sheds here :D
I'm buying one plus a voltometer saturday, so it's all good :)

[no0c]

SSO, when you go to make your purchase, to avoid some strange looks, you might say you are looking for a voltmeter not a VOLTOMETER. :) Better yet, buy a DMM (digital multi-meter) and you will have the capability of measuring voltage, current, resistance, continuity and maybe more (capacitance/frequency), depending on what you purchase. An ohmmeter for measuring resistance is quite handy when doing electrical troubleshooting as well.

Don't forget to get a new lamp and a spare for your wannabe test light ! ;)

[SignatureSeriesOwner]

SSO, when you go to make your purchase, to avoid some strange looks, you might say you are looking for a voltmeter not a VOLTOMETER. :) Better yet, buy a DMM (digital multi-meter) and you will have the capability of measuring voltage, current, resistance, continuity and maybe more (capacitance/frequency), depending on what you purchase. An ohmmeter for measuring resistance is quite handy when doing electrical troubleshooting as well.

Don't forget to get a new lamp and a spare for your wannabe test light ! ;)

Eh, gimme a break, I ain't the most experienced guy when it comes ot wiring. I know what makes it all up in vehicles and all, but, I can't read a wiring diagram for the life of me! I just usually trace wires :D I do not know why I keep typing that "O" when I know it shouldn't be in there. Makes it sound kinda fancy don't it? :p
yeah, I had a DMM in mind, but I do not know how tomorrow will play out. Colonial Heights caught hell this week with that tornado, so they might not be open (the store) but it won't hurt to check! :D