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Turn Signals and Brake Lights

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zmattmanz View Drop Down
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    Posted: 27 Sep. 2022 at 5:44pm
When I got my Willys it had some LED taillights on it that (bottom photo), in my humble opinion, looked strange, so I switch them out to the hall style taillights (these were the closest to the period I could get).



Anywho, I tell my mechanic to put them on but I think he's over his head because he said he can either get the brake lights or turn signals to work, but not both. There's surely a way to wire this up for brake lights and tail lights, right?


Edited by zmattmanz - 28 Sep. 2022 at 2:36pm
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Oldpappy View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Oldpappy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Sep. 2022 at 6:06pm
Your mechanic isn't much of an electrical guy Wink

Interesting tailgate. 
If you can't get there in a Jeep you don't need to be there!
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zmattmanz View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote zmattmanz Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Sep. 2022 at 6:22pm
Originally posted by Oldpappy Oldpappy wrote:

Your mechanic isn't much of an electrical guy Wink

Interesting tailgate. 

What's the deal with this tailgate? I've never seen one like it, but assume it's a reproduction?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Steelyard Blues Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Sep. 2022 at 7:24pm
Without knowing how things are wired, I think it is hard for us to have an opinion. 

I bought a modern tailgate LED strip light that I was going to mount on a tailgate tool rack I have on the Jeep. I could not get the turn signals to work. I had the company send me a new one. It would not work either. I tried it on my 2017 F150, which they claimed it was made for, neither of them would work but they did on a neighbor's van. 

Micah
1947 CJ2A 106327, Engine J109205, Tub 97077. Luzon Red

https://www.thecj2apage.com/forums/steelyard-blues_topic41024_post397981.html?KW=micah+movie#397981

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ol' Unreliable Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Sep. 2022 at 12:48am
Originally posted by zmattmanz zmattmanz wrote:

Originally posted by Oldpappy Oldpappy wrote:

Interesting tailgate. 

What's the deal with this tailgate? I've never seen one like it, but assume it's a reproduction?

It's either homemade or taken from something else and modified...to be homemade.  Not Bubba work, though!
There's a reason it's called Ol' Unreliable
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote cpt logger Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Sep. 2022 at 3:43am
As far as the tail lights & brake lights not both working at the same time, this sounds like a grounding issue.

IME, Many of the odd ball electrical issues can be traced to bad ground(s).

Check that the mounting bolts for the tail light assembly are clean & the steel that they bolt to is also clean. If the surface of the light assembly +/or the tub has paint between them +/or the bolts, nuts & washers, the assembly might not be making a good ground. An easy way to check this is to use a pair of jumper cables & connect the inside of one bolt to the bumper or frame. If that fixes the problem, fix this grounding issue. If the jumper cables do not fix the problem, try jumping from the negative battery post to the frame. If the frame ground cable is corroded or missing that will often lead to weird electrical problems.

IHTH, Cpt Logger.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ron D Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Sep. 2022 at 10:29am
Did the strange looking LED lights work correctly (stop, turn, and brake)?
Are the new lights incandescent or LED?
If incandescent, how many bulbs are inside each housing?
And are they single or dual filament bulbs?

Originally posted by zmattmanz zmattmanz wrote:

Anywho, I tell my mechanic to put them on but I think he's over his head because he said he can either get the brake lights or turn signals to work, but not both.
Sounds like mis-wired (mis-matched) to me. Too many or not enough single or dual filament bulbs for the turn signal switch and brake lights.

Originally posted by zmattmanz zmattmanz wrote:

There's surely a way to wire this up for brake lights and tail lights, right?
There's a way.
Search and choose between two different wiring schematic diagrams.
Pick one and follow it.
If I remember correctly, one has a 4-wire turn signal switch, the other has 7.

Good luck!


Edited by Ron D - 28 Sep. 2022 at 11:16am
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TERRY View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TERRY Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Sep. 2022 at 12:38pm
Also a circuit with relays that has posted here before will work if your turn signal switch does not have a brake lamp input.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Downs Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Oct. 2022 at 11:18pm
There's a good chance if that is a dual filament bulb that the black wire may not be a ground.  Many times these are grounded though the body of the light to the body of the tub, and the black wire is actually a power wire.  I had to figure that out one time while installing a new wiring harness in a CJ2.  My wiring to my tail light actually had to be reversed, black to red and red to black, and the ground was though the body of the light into the tub.  Took a little troubleshooting and trying different things to figure that out and a multimeter helped as well. 
1946...ish CJ2A
1976 CJ5
1995 XJ
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