Thread: Parking light problem

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Originally posted by csf03716
YEAH OK MIKE ...I GET YOUR DRIFT....ONE DAY ONE CAR...... EH COOTER!...country bumpkin auto repair at its finest...WHAT EVER MIKE!...just like the mustang with the bad ignition switch...right?...take 2 weeks and numerous trips to your shop to finally replace it cause you just won't believe it was possible....fwaaaap!

im gonna spend about 5 min, on diagnosing the car and fix it in book time, make a little money, then go to the next job. im gonna know whats wrong with it. i dont know what you are talking about. youer the one thats taking a whack at it not me. i didnt run up and down the road on the mustang for 2 weeks he did, if i had worked on it, i would have fixed it the first time. let it go, thats your opinion and this is mine. if you think working on your buddies cars behind the house is the same as running a busy shop, then youer wrong. i have to win their trust first and you dont do that by putting stuff on they dont need. i told him how to check the sw. if he wonts to , if not fine.

Originally posted by csf03716
ok mike what ever you say...i know i aint got the biggest shop in mayberry liken ya self...but i don't have to "win"their trust they just trust my judgement without question.....

good for you.

Dang guys its just a $20 switch.


Now being a Ford man I have to question the tail lights & headlights being on the same circuit. My 61 F100 turns the park lights off when the headlights come on, factory. The tail lights of course stay on. I know Ford did this up into the late 60's on the trucks, assumed cars were the same.

Best I remember by buddies 64 Chevy 1/2 ton did the same. So I ask, are the park lights on with the headlights on a 66 Nova or not. If not this makes the switch more likely in my mind.

Originally posted by Primer
Dang guys its just a $20 switch.


Now being a Ford man I have to question the tail lights & headlights being on the same circuit.

Excuse me meant tail lights & park lights. Not questioning you Denny, just questioning if that year of car would have them on a sepperate circuit. I agree with your test, just thought if they are sepperate, a bad switch would be easier to understand.

Originally posted by DennyW
Dang Primer, go back and read what I said slowly, and you will see I didn't say that. Plus, he has a Chevy. I also have A ford.

it dont make no dif. whether the park lights burn with the head lights or not, you still need to check before replacing. why do these people have a problem with sombody checking to see whats wrong before replacing something that might not be needed? blows my mind. it can be checked in a few min. check it. unless they dont know how to check it . this is about the 3rd time ive been told how dumb it was to check something when all you had to do was replace it. the man knew he could replace it he wonted to how to check it.

Okay,

First off, I want to say thanks for all your help. I got the problem fixed, it turned out to be a dirty connection, but wouldn't have known otherwise. The park lights only come on when the switch is pulled part way out, they go off when the switch is pulled all the way out and the headlights come on. The switch is good, and all is well. Saved me a little money, but more importantly I got the problem solved and learned something in the process (get better wiring diagrams!)

Second, I received alot of flak over this thread and I'm sorry to start an argument over this. I think that LT1S10 has my same kind of view on understanding the problem first and then buy the parts required to fix it. I don't mind constructive comments, but I don't like the "shotgun" approach of fixing things. After replacing alot of low cost parts, can add up rather quickly. I was told that my inline 6 needed to be rebuilt when I bought it because the oil looked like it had some water in it. I changed the oil and did some minor tweaking here and there...and it runs strong and excellent!
It doesn't burn oil and doesn't smoke at all, the coolant has remained full after flushing the radiator and block.

Sgt Steve

Originally posted by SgtSteve
Okay,

First off, I want to say thanks for all your help. I got the problem fixed, it turned out to be a dirty connection, but wouldn't have known otherwise. The park lights only come on when the switch is pulled part way out, they go off when the switch is pulled all the way out and the headlights come on. The switch is good, and all is well. Saved me a little money, but more importantly I got the problem solved and learned something in the process (get better wiring diagrams!)

Second, I received alot of flak over this thread and I'm sorry to start an argument over this. I think that LT1S10 has my same kind of view on understanding the problem first and then buy the parts required to fix it. I don't mind constructive comments, but I don't like the "shotgun" approach of fixing things. After replacing alot of low cost parts, can add up rather quickly. I was told that my inline 6 needed to be rebuilt when I bought it because the oil looked like it had some water in it. I changed the oil and did some minor tweaking here and there...and it runs strong and excellent!
It doesn't burn oil and doesn't smoke at all, the coolant has remained full after flushing the radiator and block.

Sgt Steve

thats the way it works. check it, fix as needed.

Gentlemen, in the electronics industry they are referred to as "Black Box Technicians. They wouldn't know the first step in troubleshooting. I proved that theory on a Westinghouse main electrical buss control unit for a DC-10 back in '72 when I worked for McDonnell Douglas Aircraft in Long Beach. Really irritated an engineer when he was proven wrong.

Originally posted by csf03716
ok let me explain why when i work on my few customers cars i take the approach that they and myself do....we are all commuters...who travel by coach...some prefer to drive.. to New York city 200 mile round trip...5 days a week....16 hour day on average.....when you only have 2 days off...sat and sun..and when it comes time for service..your sat is pretty much shot if you have to wait at a shop for anything!....now, if someone brings their car to my garage, they know that there is no pressure, that anything and everything on their mind will be looked at.....if im doing front pads, and they have 4000 miles on a 5000 oil change schedule do you think they're gonna say "oh no i got another 1000 miles on that oil and filter, i"ll come back next week"...and i say..."but next week i have the O'Connors coming in!"...ok do it now while its up in the air...."oh and how close are we to a tranny service?"...."well sh*t, im already here and your going for parts(about an hour round trip)..lets getta done so i don't loose another sat for a while...do you understand what im saying?...its like...when you open the hood to do a cap and plugs...well what evers suspect or near time to do...you do it now regardless of wether its not "broke yet"....it truely is a preventive maintenace service by putting the odds in their favor, that they have piece of mind, knowing that theres less likely a chance something will just break...so its a lifestyle that you adapt to, time is precious and most of us earn 75to 100 thou a year so its money well spent versus down time in a waiting room every other saturday...i hope this clears up why i take the position that i do on certain matters...no harm to anyone/no foul...

I couldn't agree with you more Charlie, I just think troubleshooting, especially electrical problems is becoming a lost art.

Glad to hear you got the gremlin in the bag,,,,and i was thinking back to the last time i pulled the switch on an old chevy nova,,,i seem to remember they where realy simple to rebuild.
But then i've alway's rebuilt my own stuff rather than replace with new anyway,,,,,,you don't learn nothin by pulling and replacing as new.

Originally posted by csf03716
ok let me explain why when i work on my few customers cars i take the approach that they and myself do....we are all commuters...who travel by coach...some prefer to drive.. to New York city 200 mile round trip...5 days a week....16 hour day on average.....when you only have 2 days off...sat and sun..and when it comes time for service..your sat is pretty much shot if you have to wait at a shop for anything!....now, if someone brings their car to my garage, they know that there is no pressure, that anything and everything on their mind will be looked at.....if im doing front pads, and they have 4000 miles on a 5000 oil change schedule do you think they're gonna say "oh no i got another 1000 miles on that oil and filter, i"ll come back next week"...and i say..."but next week i have the O'Connors coming in!"...ok do it now while its up in the air...."oh and how close are we to a tranny service?"...."well sh*t, im already here and your going for parts(about an hour round trip)..lets getta done so i don't loose another sat for a while...do you understand what im saying?...its like...when you open the hood to do a cap and plugs...well what evers suspect or near time to do...you do it now regardless of wether its not "broke yet"....it truely is a preventive maintenace service by putting the odds in their favor, that they have piece of mind, knowing that theres less likely a chance something will just break...so its a lifestyle that you adapt to, time is precious and most of us earn 75to 100 thou a year so its money well spent versus down time in a waiting room every other saturday...i hope this clears up why i take the position that i do on certain matters...no harm to anyone/no foul...

there is harm and foul when you go off the deep end every time I suggest to somebody about fixing something compared to replacing it. looks like Mayberry may have been right on this one. i might be country and a hick, but I'm a country hick that knows more about fixing cars than a certain city slicker i know. so I'm gonna say it one more time, if you don't have anything good to say to me, then keep it to your self. SgtSteve this don't have anything to do with you, charley does this every time he suggest something and everybody don't agree with him. i though this was a open forum where everybody could give an opinion without it getting personal, but i guess not. when the day comes that I don't know what's wrong with something before i start replacing parts then that's the day ill stop working on cars.

Like i said,,,,you dont learn diddly squat from just replacing parts.
Maybee i'm old fashioned too,,,but i get the damn job done and i dont have any come backs.
Rebuilding is getting to be a lost art because we are becoming more of a throw away society,,,,hell,,,,i'm having enough problems finding brake booster rebuild kit's on my side of the fence,,,,,,and fuel pump rebuild kit's,,,,,seem's they,,, whoever they are!!! dont think us old boy's know how to do our own work anymore,,,,,,,the kids at the parts store just give me a blank look when i mosey in there expecting to find stuff we had plenty of just 30 years ago,,,,,and it just Ticks me of to no end.

While i'm on about this,,,,( i'm moving this question over to another section,,,,,) do any of you work at a rebuilders,,,,say for fuel pumps and brake boosters and such,,,,,cos i need a line in,,, to find the kits i need.