Technical Wiring Diagrams

[farmergal]

I'm hoping someone here can help us as we are in a pinch and need some help. We've been driving our '50 Plymouth all year long without issue. Took it to a show a few weeks ago and on the way home, after starting the car to leave, we noticed the signal lights had completely stopped working. They worked just fine on the way there. We've been fighting with this for the past week trying to figure out what the issue is but can't seem to pinpoint anything.

The car is supposed to be a wedding car tomorrow evening and it's a bit of a drive and we need signal lights (CT driver's just don't pay attention to hand signals!...especially in the dark.) We've tested all the wires that we can find that could contribute to the issue but everything seems to be checking back ok? thought it could be the signal bulb in the dash? Determined the flasher was not the issue either. Hoping someone can lead us to a wiring diagram of these cars. The Car has all of the original wiring and it's in very nice shape so none of it was ever changed. Hoping to get this resolved this evening if anyone can lend some potential insight? Thanks in advance.

[gatz]

could be just bad grounding;
remove all bulbs, clean out sockets, use a thin coating of Dielectric grease when replacing.

[Mr48chev]

I might have one in my book at home but won't be home until 1pm.

Are you getting power to and through the turn signal switch?

[F&J]

I have a MOTORs Wiring manual for all US cars from 50-56 here.

Let me go look for it.

[farmergal]

yes, have check the power to signal switch and it all check out okay.

[F&J]

Here is a huge pic, let me know if you can't read some of it. I am near the Eagleville/Mansf town line if you need the book.

The sig flasher is up top, powered off the coil. There is another "flasher" down the bottom of the page, near the ign switch. That might be a convertible top warning light, not sure yet..

[VoodooTwin]

^ Frank to the rescue! Gotta love this guy.

Grab a circuit test light or a multi-meter and start checking the wiring. Start at the tail lights and work your way forward until you loose continuity/find the source of the problem.

[farmergal]

we've already tested most of thw wiring and it's coming back to us OK. Thanks F&J! We are right on the Willimantic/Mansfield town-line near Foxy Fast Lube! We'll put thatphoto to good use this evening!

[Mr48chev]

You can double click on the photo that F&J posted and it should expand to full page to be a lot easier to look at.

[F&J]

If the T/S switch was bad, it should show power going into that switch, but no other wire at the switch would have power.

Keep the test light or voltmeter on that hot wire going into the switch, as you try left or right. If that light or meter stays on, then it would either be the switch is bad, or if there is a connector bad, right as it enters the switch.


In other words; if you were testing the flasher itself, by bypassing the flasher, you would jump the powered "X" wire, to the terminal marked "L". Then as it is jumped, then try right or left. And if the switch is good and the flasher was bad, then the R or L signal bulbs should stay on, but not blink.

But you say there is power going into the TS switch, so I'd retest it's power while working the TS switch. That would be in case there is a bad connection (between the flasher and the TS switch) that only "gets bad", when a load is on it.

[gatz]

check the grounding !!

[farmergal]

Now only the right signal is worker but not the left... Gahhhh it's going to be a long night thanks for the help

[farmergal]

Thanks everyone for your help and thoughts. Unfortunately we were not able to fix the issue by wedding-time on Saturday. We worked on it as long as we could on Friday night until it got too cold that the hands wouldn't work anymore and then we had a livestock emergency to tend too (damn animals!). We got the right turn-signal to work but the driver's side is still a no-go. There is a wiring issue somewhere and we just haven't pin-pointed it yet.

Thanks F&J for finding that diagram for us! We printed it out and we've been using it to help us. It's amazing how helpful fellow HAMBers can be!

Anyways; we made it to the wedding and the old Plymouth was a great hit on the big day.... thanks again for the help

(click to make bigger)

[31Vicky with a hemi]

I find that the sockets or bulb holders wear or get corroded and cause trouble. They test fine but still don't work.

Grounds are always trouble