Re: {Chrysler 300} Putting a square peg in a round hole
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Re: {Chrysler 300} Putting a square peg in a round hole



actually Rob all this true , —and very valuable —-especially your comment about look at bottom of bulb . Never ever put a one pin bulb in two pin socket . Dead short . One pin on that two pin design is always live the other one is then  grounded to turn it on . Dome lights are this way too , pink wire is live . And not turned off by ignition switch !!!! leads to the ultimate OH NO above the headliner . 
but more in a second .
The number 90 bulb is usually used as a dome light , very bright bulb . Therefore very hot . I think the correct  bulb for that warning light is one with a round globe , less watts and less heat . And of  course double pins . ——look up in FSM — there is a list of bulbs . 90 may be right , but mine had a round globe . Fewer watts . Not a 90 . 
Too much heat can overheat the socket , the bakelite can cook loosen the pins , and shortsville again . I add shrink tube ion the two wires where they enter that socket . 
The 90 is sort of avocado shaped , i believe the correct bulb has a round globe. Same metal base size . 

So about humility , —being   the EE guy , —-and why I know about that dxxx light , I logically ( to me )assumed the screw on looking top with red jewel got you to the bulb . it does but it is down on a deep hole , no way to grab bulb . How the H do you get the bulb out ? put it in looks easy , push down and turn on top with finger . So after much time vile words  and extreme frustration, pushing down trying to turn it , the glass breaks !! Arrgh arrgh . Now really upset , sliced finger , trying to grab bulb socket shell metal with long nose . no go . 
all of a sudden , the socket (and bulb remains ) both fall off the back , 2 hours in . Sheepish is way too mild . It comes out the BACK !!!!! I thought an all one piece thing . I thought very wrong . 

So none of us escape this stuff . 

In my case i put a 1 watt red LED in there along with current limiting resistor in hot blue feed lead ( 20 ohms 2 watts ) .
So now a forever LED , it runs cold . 
Yes humility is a good word . In my case = “ John , think three or four times before attacking “ needs to be tattooed on hand . 
John 
Sent from my iPhone

> On Feb 8, 2023, at 12:19 PM, Ron Waters <ronbo97@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> 
> Hey Rob -
> 
> I just read thru your missive. As soon as you said that you pulled out a
> bulb from your drawer, my first thought was, 'did he verify that it's the
> correct bulb ?'. Bulbs are helpful in that they have their number printed on
> the side. So if the old bulb said #90, the new one should as well. I guess
> the double pin bulb didn't. Now to make it interesting, in some cases there
> could be multiple single-pin bulbs that would work. The difference being the
> candlepower rating. If you put too bright a bulb in the socket, it may burn
> the plastic lens. This is a common problem with the roof rail lenses.
> Another reason to check the number on the old bulb. Or consult the owner's
> manual or shop manual.
> 
> Electricals are fun. I'm about to install the power window harness into my
> 59 Dodge convertible. Always learning something. It's the journey, not the
> destination, that makes it interesting.
> 
> Ron
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: chrysler-300-club-international@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> [mailto:chrysler-300-club-international@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Rob
> Kern
> Sent: Wednesday, February 08, 2023 11:38 AM
> To: 300 Club
> Cc: RJ Kern; Sean Kern
> Subject: {Chrysler 300} Putting a square peg in a round hole
> 
> Hello 300'ly to all!
>    Wayne Graefen told me when I became the C Model Year Consultant that
> I would learn all that is needed to know about the C in 5 years of filling
> the role! Well that was 14 years ago and a little over 2 weeks ago I gained
> another pearl of wisdom.  Trying to exude humility and knowing that self
> deprecation is the best way of being humorous and being humble (or is it
> humbled) is a great way to share wisdom to pass on.  So I was out driving
> Mopsy (Marnie was with Grand kids in Reston, VA) and drove out to Lake
> Lawtonka to check on the boat in its garage cocoon to pump up the fuel bowl
> and after that 30 second iteration jumped back in the car and voila (or lack
> thereof) my emergency brake warning light was not lighted!  OK simple fix,
> change the bulb and my next destiny was instead of Starbucks to go straight
> home and change the bulb.  Being OC I knew I just could NOT enjoy my Mocha
> Latte with a dead bulb in my precious Christine like 300C! So I crawl under
> the dash and manage to not cut my hand to shreds with jagged metal.  I
> managed to dislodge the socket from the ferrule (for lack of a better
> description) and sure enough the bulb was as black as the ebonite that my
> clarinet was made of when I played it back in the day!  Now here is where it
> gets interesting, scary and educational (also becomes a day without
> Starbucks!). I scrounge through my little plastic drawer dedicated to lightt
> bulbs and find one that looks just like the old bulb and surprise is
> inscribed with Made In China on the side!  So I with a grin go and attempt
> to put this bulb in the socket.  Going like trying to put a square peg in a
> round hole BUT I finally get it in!  About this time my neighbor across the
> street shows up to watch what I am doing.  (Great guy, has helped me through
> many Mopsy projects so of course he wants to see what degree of difficulty
> this one is). Oh, just changing a light bulb Steve! (Not like the 14 hours
> we spent hanging newly chromed front and rear bumpers in 2008). So I turn
> the ignition to ON and no light and then smoke!!  This  proved that Mopsy's
> sinuses were clear in that it came out from the cowl vent!  Immediately I
> turned off the ignition switch.  The light blue wires going from the socket
> to the pin switch to the wiring harness were scrambled. WHAT!!!!  First
> thing I remembered was Brother-In-Law and best friend (also new Club member)
> GEORGE HAGERTY saying that 80% of the time that things that go wrong with
> old cars are electrical!  Steve then says well it is not just a light bulb
> fix now, and says he has to scram to pick stuff up for his mother who lives
> down the street! He did say that he was ready to get the fire extinguisher
> if I needed it (we both know where they are in both our homes as well as the
> hidden key so that he can get into our storm shelter if we are away). So I
> tracked the wire and found that the only part scrambled was what was
> involved with the emergency break light . Upon taking out the socket the
> bulb was clear!  HMMMM!  Not good!  Then when trying to remove the square
> peg from the round hole found that the contacts from the socket were welded
> to the bottom of the bulb!!!  Moral of story:  If the bulb doesn't fit
> easily SOMETHING IS WRONG!!  (Forget your gynecological surgery background
> numb skull!) So a little voice said to call Jeff Carter (save face by
> confiding in him, he has not been in business in this hobby this long if not
> for being discreet, imagine how many reputations of MoPAR owners he has
> preserved by charging what ever to fix the problem created by numbskulls
> like me!). Jeff was surprisingly present at the shop on a Saturday afternoon
> and answered the phone.  Of course just hearing him say that I used a single
> contact bulb and not a dual contact #90 bulb and shorted the 2 contacts
> relaxed me.  " Rest assured, I can make you up a NOS socket and pin switch
> with the correct length wire and connectors, just send me the old fried
> stuff with the ferrule and I will do a one day turn around! " exclaimed
> Jeff. THREE hours later I manage to get the wires and pin switch and socket
> out!  The emergency brake handle Allen screw would not budge in order for me
> to remove the under dash housing that contained the light and wiper switches
> also. I managed to unscrew the housing from the underside edge of the dash
> (getting cut this time) and moving the bezel out toward the brake handle so
> that I could wedge my head (definitely not swollen with pride but shrunk
> with humility) and with the assistance of my cell phone light get a small
> Phillips head screw driver in to remove the 2 screws holding the pin switch!
> Must have good eyelid reflexes to prevent screws from falling back into your
> eye when removing and replacing the screws however.  Yes, I did have  chocks
> behind the rear wheels should I knock the emergency brake handle and it
> release!  Not enough room for eyeglasses or safety goggles to be worn!  IS
> THERE EVER ANYTHING EASILY DONE WHEN WORKING ON A '57 CHRYSLER?? Anyway I
> got it all out and shipped the fried part of the wiring harness with socket,
> etc. to Jeff. Good to his word Jeff had it arrive to my home the day I
> dropped Marnie at the airport to take care of the Minneapolis grand kids!
> Jeff included the correct bulb with the #90 type on the invoice and the
> correct connector for the power to come off an auxiliary terminal in the
> back of the fuel gauge. HMMM!  My wire was connected to the wire coming
> directly off the ignition switch done by the guy who rewired the car back in
> 2003 when it underwent major renovation.  Ok, so I was lucky on this deal
> that the wire was not connected to the gauge cluster because if it was I may
> have fried the fuel gauge and perhaps the electrical conductivity to the
> fuel sending unit in guess where?  THE FUEL TANK!  Anyway I reconnected the
> wiring with new connectors as it was done in 2003 with all four wires with
> good insulation removal for the shrink wrapped connector and installed the
> new socket, etc. back in place in 1.5 hours with no cuts to the hands! I
> turned the ignition to ON and the emergency brake light was bright and then
> engaged the starter button and IT STARTED!!!  Thank you 300 Angels Jeff and
> Lisa Carter!  All electrical stuff checked out fine in the car and I drove
> her 40 miles this weekend, and YES to Starbucks!  So remember if you have a
> C (and probably the same for the D) if you need to replace an emergency
> brake warning light bulb use a #90 double contact bulb.  I found two more at
> O'Reilly's to keep in stock in my little plastic bulb drawer!  Rob Kern
> 
> -
> 
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