Re: IML: Dome Light On Half Power W/O Switches Closed

["Rob van der Es" <r.vdes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Tom,

You are making a very good point here!! I do live in a very moist climate
(I always have two moist absorbers in the car, 1 in the trunk and one
under the front seat to absorb as much moisture as possible). I never
realised however that the attachment of the fixture itself must maintain
infinite resistance, but ofcourse you are right here!!
The connection to ground must be make by means of a yellow wire and not
because of the fact that the fixture is connected to ground..
And I agree completely with you that frayed insulation on a yellow wire
must be the only remaining option if the fixture attachment is not at
fault!!

Thanks very much for your input, I will check it out as soon as weather
permits here !

Robert van der Es


Op Wo, 18 oktober, 2006 6:38 pm, schreef tom higgins:
> Are you in a moist climate or environment?  Water accumulated between the
> fixture and the underside of the roof or within the fixture itself could
> make this happen.  The attachment of the fixture to the roof must
> maintain infinte resistance; whatever insulating material exists in this
> area is critical.  Otherwise, frayed insulation on a yellow wire as it
> passes near metal through a bulkhead seems the only remaining
> explanation.  --Tom
>
> Rob van der Es <r.vdes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> OK Paul,
>
>
> Thanks for your very clear explanation (as always!) Here is the situation
>  and my opinion (please correct me if I am wrong..): There is a purple
> wire running through the dome light, this is the positive 12 volt wire
> that is going to the bulb. To complete the circuit (and make the domelight
>  working) we need a ground. This ground is supplied by a couple of yellow
>  wires, 2 of them are coming from the rear door switches and one is
> coming from the manual switch in the headliner.
>
> Even with these 3 wires disconnected from their switches, the light still
>  shines at half power or so.
>
> So something is providing ground to this circuit.. Richard Burgess was so
>  kind to point me at two connection points were those yellow wires come
> togehter, one is at the left rear wheel well and the other is under the
> headliner close to the manual switch.
>
> I couldn't find anything wrong with the connection point at the rear
> wheel well so I guess the yellow wiring under the headliner is at fault
> here? Maybe this connection point is grounded somehow??
>
>
> Strangely enough when I remove the bulb, to prevent that my battery is
> running flat, and place it back after a couple of days everything seems to
>  be normal again. The light only comes on then when a backdoor is openend
>  or the manual switch is operated, but after half an hour or so the bulb
> is shining continuously again at half power..
>
> Talking about electric gremlins!!
>
>
> Any thoughts, anyone....???
>
>
>
> Thanks again,
>
>
>
> Robert
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Op Wo, 18 oktober, 2006 1:37 pm, schreef randalpark@xxxxxxx:
>
>> I really think that this dome light issue is related to some kind of an
>>  electrical short circuit. It has been explained that this light comes
>> on even if the doors and light switch are not activated. That means that
>> the circuit is being completed someplace else. It has to be, or the
>> light can't work. I know it sounds wierd, but this short might not be in
>> the wiring to the light itself.
>>
>> A simliar situation in my '48 Lincoln Continental resulted from a
>> grounded wire under the dash. In this case, the dome light became
>> brighter as I increased the engine RPMs. At one point, it would go out
>> until the RPMs fell back down to that level. I haven't mentioned this
>> previously because the car is six volt positive ground. Nonetheless, it
>>  takes a completed circuit to make the light come on. Once I found the
>> short, the light functioned normally, and so did the rest of the car.
>>
>> Paul W.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: r.vdes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> Sent: Wed, 18 Oct 2006 1:30 AM
>> Subject: Re: IML: Progress of a sort on the '60 LeCrown
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Hi John,
>>
>>
>>
>> Thanks a lot for your kind suggestion!
>> I will check the fusebox then to see if something is wrong there.
>> Might well be the case, cause about the same time my dome light stays on
>>  at half power my wiper motor stopped working... Might be an
>> coincidence, but who knows?
>>
>> I will check out the fusebox this weekend!
>>
>>
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>>
>>
>> Robert
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Op Wo, 18 oktober, 2006 4:09 am, schreef john sadowski:
>>
>>
>>> The dome light at half power sounds like a fuse is bad. On my first
>>> 63,
>>> I
>>> had an 8 track player mounted directly below the fuses. Well , one day
>>>  the dome light wouldn't go out & it was shining less then full
>>> power. Opening the doors caused the problem to move to the map light.
>>> After
>>> nearly pulling my hair out, I discovered the bad fuse. I put the 8
>>> track back in the same place & it happened again. After the 2nd time,
>>> I
>>> relocated the 8 track & no further problem. John ----- Original
>>> Message
>>> -----
>>> From: richard burgess
>>> To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>> Sent: Tuesday, October 17, 2006 7:24 AM
>>> Subject: Re: IML: Progress of a sort on the '60 LeCrown
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Hey Everyone,
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Since we're all chiming in on our '60s I thought I would throw in
>>> another update.
>>>
>>> If you have paid attention to the saga, a big milestone has been
>>> made. I
>>> have a brand new correct windshield installed, finally! It's so
>>> beauutiful. I have most of the stainless back on but of course had
>>> one of the header clips break. Fortunately I have had parts cars. The
>>> trim slid around a bit so it took a couple tries to get everything
>>> rights. I am ready to install the dynamat insulation on the roof and
>>> begin windlacing installation. I have started installing
>>> weatherstripping on the doors. I seriously wonder how well these cars
>>>  were sealed in the first place. The original weatherstripping was
>>> crushed in many places leading me to believe it never quite went the
>>> direction it was intended even when new. As soon as the headliner
>>> goes in I can start on the carpet and installing the interior which is
>>>  already finished.
>>>
>>> The engine and transmission have now both been overhauled a second
>>> time due to botched work the first time. My Dad is coming down next
>>> week and we are going to get the drivetrain installed. This should all
>>> go very qwickly as we have now done it once before! I really plan on
>>> finishing the car sometime next Spring. this is my fourth year in
>>> this frame up restoration. We are then going to get the front
>>> sheetmetal on.
>>>
>>>
>>> Then the real troubleshootinng can begin. Once everything is hooked
>>> up I
>>> can see what does and does not work. I have laboriously added a
>>> factory original power lock system from a parts car using the original
>>> wiring harness and nos transformers. I still need one actuator for the
>>>  driver's door. It will be things like this that I am dying to know
>>> if they actually work.
>>>
>>> It's going to be looking like a car again soon!
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Richard Burgess
>>> '60 Crown
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Rob van der Es wrote:
>>> Hi Donn,
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Ahhh, the joys of owning and maintaining a 1960 Imperial...
>>> Been there, done that and as a matter of fact.. Still do!!
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Isn't it great fun to find yourself under the dash upside down (not
>>> too easy when you are size XXL :) trying to repair something that is
>>> hidden there?
>>>
>>> Right now I am trying to fix the wiper motor, it suddenly stopped
>>> working and haven't found out yet what is wrong. Since both the switch
>>>  and the wiper motor are really hard to accesss this aint a job for
>>> the faint hearted!
>>>
>>> Another problem is that the EL dash lighting system from time to time
>>>  fails to work, I have already thrown in a new (=rebuild) power pack
>>> but the dash still gets dark every now and then (after a few days
>>> everything is working again for an hour or so..) Must be one of the
>>> gauges that is shorting out I guess, so in a short time I will finding
>>> myself again under the dash pulling white leads from the gauges to
>>> find out which one is guilty.
>>>
>>> Then we have the strange problem with the dome-light, it stays on
>>> when the doors are closed.. And even stranger it shines it's light at
>>> half power or so. There must be a shortcircuit to ground (and no, the
>>> doorswitches are ok and so is the manual switch: with all those
>>> switches disconnected the dome light is still working at half
>>> power..) but I haven't found out yet where.
>>>
>>> I learned from Richard Burgess that there is a connectionpoint under
>>> the headliner, running from the manual switch to the domelight and
>>> then to left rear wheel well where it connected to the doorswitches,
>>> so problably the shortcircuit is in this area...
>>>
>>> Apart from all these electrical problems (the electrical system of
>>> the 60
>>> model year isn't of the same quality as the rest of the car if you ask
>>>  me) the car drives beautifully. Running strong and is shifting gears
>>>  perfectly, all I have to do in this aspect is to sort out a rough
>>> idle. I
>>> might be in for a new harmonic damper since the timing mark seems to
>>> have slipped..
>>>
>>> So enough work to do, but it is worth every minute of time that I
>>> have spend so far to make the car better then it was before I bought
>>> it:) It
>>> is fun, and to see all those faces of people looking at a car that
>>> they have never seen before...Well, it makes it all worth I guess!
>>>
>>> So Donn, keep up the good work and keep it runnin'
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> All the best,
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Robert
>>> 1960 Crown 4 door Hardtop
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Op Di, 17 oktober, 2006 5:16 am, schreef Donn Reese:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> In fits and starts the Imperial is getting more roadworthy, but
>>>> good grief is it putting up a fight! Maybe it's just tired and WANTS
>>>> to go sit in a pasture forever. I've certainly been ready to oblige
>>>> a couple times recently.
>>>>
>>>> The heater fan was making a loud scraping noise and the heater
>>>> control valve had been bypassed so I decided to pull the heater and
>>>> at least fix the fan. I was surprised how easy the heater unit was
>>>> to remove, just three screws. Turns out the plastic housing on the
>>>> outside face of the squirrel cage had deformed inwards pressing
>>>> against the squirrel cage itself. I used my heat gun to heat up the
>>>>  plastic then pushed the face out, reforming from a concave to a
>>>> convex (btw, it's pretty crappy
>>>> plastic). But it's much quieter now and I didn't have to cut a hole
>>>> in the housing.
>>>>
>>>> With that fixed I removed the heater control valve and (assuming it
>>>>  was just froze up with corrosion) proceeded to lubricate it and
>>>> get the valve working again. I reinstalled it and hooked up the
>>>> heater hoses and fired up the car. That's when I found out why it
>>>> had been bypassed, it leaks. Soooo, I bypassed it again and will
>>>> have to scout around for a new one.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> I discovered the cause of the slow turn signals at idle that I
>>>> reported here recently.....bad flasher. I put a new one in and now
>>>> it works regardless of idle. Seems strange to me though.
>>>>
>>>> Amongst all of this, last week the speedometer started making a
>>>> horrendous noise and the needle would jump around. The OIC archive
>>>> came in handy, found the same symptoms there....who would have
>>>> guessed you have to lubricate the speedo head periodically.
>>>> Definitely a new
>>>> one on me. Especially surprising considering they don't make it easy
>>>>  to get any of the instruments out to do any kind of maintenance.
>>>>
>>>> I made another little test run down the highway and back and
>>>> everything seems to be fine for now. Let's hope it stays that way as
>>>>  we're now getting frost at night and working outside is getting
>>>> chilly.
>>>>
>>>> Donn Reese
>>>> 1960 Custom 4dr hdtp
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
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