QuestionQUESTION: Dick,
Thanks, again for your assistance this week. I believe I am close to resolving my 64 Bonneville brake/turn signal/tail light issue, thanks to you sharing your expertise with me. I believe that I need to replace the 6 rear sockets (3 per side...2 are dual filament, one is single), but first, I will solder a ground wire to each, and ground all 3 to a screw in the trunk.
In addition to the poor grounding of my existing sockets, I also thought I might have had a defective brake light switch. However, as you suggested, I removed the leads, then connected them with a piece of wire, and the brake lights glowed. When I put the leads back, and depressed the pedal, the brakes came on, as they should. Maybe the terminal was dirty...or just a factor of my poor grounds.
The brakes lights now work fine.
Now, my question is, on the 1157 bulbs, which filament operates the tail lights, and which filament controls the combination brake and turn signal. The filaments, as you know, are different heights....is the "taller" one for the tail lights? Also, when I replace my sockets, what is the best or easiest way to determine which wire controls which filament?.
Thanks, again!!!
Vince Carbone
ANSWER: The brake and turn signal filament is the much brighter one - so it is the one with the heavier wire, and is probably the shorter of the two (to allow for the heavier weight without breaking), but I've never actually made note of which is shorter.
The way to determine which terminal operates which filament is to temporarily hook up a wire to the + terminal of your battery, hold the copper outer shell of the bulb on the - terminal of the battery, and touch the end of your "hot" wire to each terminal in turn. One will be MUCH brighter than the other - that one is the brake/turn filament.
Actually, once you attach the ground wires to the existing bulb receptacles, you have a much better design than the original, and you can simply leave it that way - you'll never have this problem again with that car.
By the way, the front bulbs also are subject to this same problem (except the headlights, they DO have ground wires).
As I said, all cars built these days have those ground wires - you don't see this problem anymore.
Dick
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Good morning Dick,
Well, thanks to you, I solved my inoperative brake/tail/turnsignal issues! Last Saturday, I purchased 6 new sockets, soldered a ground wire to each, then grounded all wires to a screw in the trunk. Everything works perfectly now. I told several of my neighbors how you provided me with help 3,000 miles away....I sung your praises in my suburban Phila neighborhood! Once again, MANY THANKS, Dick!
Have a great weekend!
Vince
AnswerOk, Vince, glad to hear it worked out.
Re: Philly - my first job as an engineer (in 1953!) was in Philadelphia- at the old Atwater Kent building out on Wissahickon (then owned by Philco, and used to build hush-hush stuff) - I lived in Germantown at that time. I liked the city (but I like Southern Cal a lot better!)
Enjoy your Pontiac!
Dick
