wadingthroughlife Posted June 20, 2022 Share Posted June 20, 2022 Howdy y’all! I replaced a few cracked Bargman amber covers over the cab of our ‘87 Sunrader, but since buying a few months back, they haven’t lit up. I read that they are all tied in the same line that runs down the whole truck to the rear, but I haven’t really put a meter on anything. I guess I was wondering which order of operations I should take to investigate. I definitely don’t want to bother re-sealing around the markers until they’re all lighting up. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extech Posted June 20, 2022 Share Posted June 20, 2022 first find a good ground- battery neg post- and connect it with a piece of wire to the grounds on the lights and see if they light up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 Well with all of them out it's a supply issue. I'm going to guess that they have their own fused circuit. The logic would be the truck lights were all ready wired before they put a house in it's back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wadingthroughlife Posted June 21, 2022 Author Share Posted June 21, 2022 3 hours ago, Maineah said: Well with all of them out it's a supply issue. I'm going to guess that they have their own fused circuit. The logic would be the truck lights were all ready wired before they put a house in it's back. Hm.. So I have to try to find where it's going into them somehow. I'd super prefer not to remove the ceiling panel, but I will have to in order to install a solar panel at some point I guess. Maybe this project waits till then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 The wires going to the front clearance lights can be found behind the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. Not too hard to remove but be careful. You're not going to find a new cabinet to replace it Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wadingthroughlife Posted June 21, 2022 Author Share Posted June 21, 2022 22 minutes ago, linda s said: The wires going to the front clearance lights can be found behind the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. Not too hard to remove but be careful. You're not going to find a new cabinet to replace it Linda S Noted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 If there's no power there, link wires to front to a 12 volt source and see if they light up. Don't drop any of those wires. I don't know how hard it would be to fish them back out. Tape them to camper wall before you cut anything Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wadingthroughlife Posted June 21, 2022 Author Share Posted June 21, 2022 15 minutes ago, linda s said: If there's no power there, link wires to front to a 12 volt source and see if they light up. Don't drop any of those wires. I don't know how hard it would be to fish them back out. Tape them to camper wall before you cut anything Linda S Where do the wires continue on to, aside from behind the medicine cabinet? To the converter/rear fuse box area? Just thinking about other access points to test on. It'd be super cool to get these going before replacing the taillight housings with led housings (etrailer slightly shorter replacements and filling the gap with abs panels) and moving onto the stereo/speaker replacement and rear camera. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extech Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 you could also just use a powered wire from battery and touch the pos side of the light its self. if they all light up its a feed wire from rhe light switch. if it smokes you have a grounded (short) feed wire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 Power starts at rear passenger side taillights. Not from taillights directly but from same wires that supply them. If rear clearance lights and taillights work, the break is somewhere behind upper drivers side cabinets. Front lights must work when you give power or it gets more complicated Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wadingthroughlife Posted July 7, 2022 Author Share Posted July 7, 2022 Still looking into this one. Climbed under the truck to look at the wires Linda mentioned, and there was one unclipped plug and one wire disconnected. Wondering if it could play a part. I haven’t pulled off the bathroom mirror yet. And still need to meter the wires at the markers. The picture with the missing clip is from the drivers tail light by the black tank, and the other is from the drivers side back by the taillight and left marker light looking towards the black tank. Thanks for any tips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred heath Posted July 7, 2022 Share Posted July 7, 2022 Replace all those butt connectors. Probably loaded with corrosion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted July 7, 2022 Share Posted July 7, 2022 You have rear marker lights though. Don't think those wires in the rear could have anything to do with the front marker lights. Too much thinking and not enough multi metering. Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wadingthroughlife Posted July 7, 2022 Author Share Posted July 7, 2022 Just thinking about how it was noted the wiring starts back there for the over cab lights, or so I thought I read. Was hoping maybe something was simply unplugged. Or maybe someone knew what that plug went to. I’ll get to metering it. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted July 7, 2022 Share Posted July 7, 2022 Starts in rear passenger side behind water heater then goes up, around back, along drivers' side behind upper cabinets to front and across. Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wadingthroughlife Posted July 8, 2022 Author Share Posted July 8, 2022 (edited) On 7/7/2022 at 1:40 PM, linda s said: Starts in rear passenger side behind water heater then goes up, around back, along drivers' side behind upper cabinets to front and across. Linda S Replaced the corroded butt connectors on drivers side, but no change as expected. I honestly misunderstood the wiring in that it goes from both taillights forward independently. I was thinking the two tails tied into one harness that went up the drivers side and that the over cabs were tied in that way somehow. Now Insee what you’re saying after misunderstanding so badly. In any case: Zero voltage to the over cab markers. Time to pull the medicine cabinet? How do I tie in a 12v connection to test the over cab from that point? The bathroom light? Edited July 8, 2022 by wadingthroughlife Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wadingthroughlife Posted July 8, 2022 Author Share Posted July 8, 2022 (edited) On 6/21/2022 at 3:26 PM, linda s said: Edited July 8, 2022 by wadingthroughlife Consolidation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted July 8, 2022 Share Posted July 8, 2022 Well you were going to cut those wires anyway. You could run wires from a battery charger too. That's what I would do. No chance of blowing a circuit that way. Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted July 8, 2022 Share Posted July 8, 2022 OK so this is a link to another site I own. Not used much anymore but I pay to keep it alive for stuff like this. Trouble is things kind of got scrambled when I move it from Yahoo groups. You will have to join to see link. And the biggy. There are 541 pictures here. From an amazing restoration of a Nissan Sunrader but interior wiring is the same as any Sunrader. Go to pages 23,24, and 25 to see the wiring for the clearance lights. At one point Roy almost has his hand on it where it goes up from the rear passenger side. minitruckcampers@groups.io | Album black and white wires Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wadingthroughlife Posted July 9, 2022 Author Share Posted July 9, 2022 Amazing. What a wealth of info. Thanks so much on the battery charger idea too. Assuming the break is further back from the medicine cabinet, and I get power from the test charger, I’ll have to figure out wire re-routing. I’ll read through the thread on the Nissan now. Hoping this is the last of the prior owners’ gremlins to wrangle before making my own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wadingthroughlife Posted July 11, 2022 Author Share Posted July 11, 2022 (edited) So, it seems the problem is resolved. In a weird chain of events between testing the lights, scrubbing the roof, and changing the marker light covers, as well as using electrical cleaner, we’re in business. What I noticed is that when any of the markers gets pressed too tightly to the bracket, it seems to ground out the string of lights. Perhaps that means I need to pull off all the covers and strip some new copper and reattach, but I’m not sure. You’ll surely notice the center over cab isn’t working in the picture. I’ve noticed none of the LED replacement bulbs will power on, which is what is in that base for now. It works with the 57s. Any clue why the led wouldn’t work? It’s these below. Serundo Auto BA9S Led Car Bulb... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07W8G835M?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share Lastly, I have two rear markers what don’t work, and both have different bases that use a 194 bulb instead of the 57 like the rest. I cleaned those too, and the bulbs are good. Is it something about mixing and matching bulbs? Thanks for all the help All! Edited July 11, 2022 by wadingthroughlife Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extech Posted July 11, 2022 Share Posted July 11, 2022 leds need polarity correct. incandesants dont care about polarity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wadingthroughlife Posted July 11, 2022 Author Share Posted July 11, 2022 8 hours ago, extech said: leds need polarity correct. incandesants dont care about polarity I recall reading that, so I’d flipped the bulb both ways, but no dice. I’ll try a different bulb, all directions, and using only the LEDs up top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted July 11, 2022 Share Posted July 11, 2022 The fact that you have two bases that use 194 bulbs means that the PO was busy. Voltmeter time check voltage AND polarity. Turning the 57 bulbs does nothing the polarity is the same rather way. HOWEVER the socket can be wired wrong so voltmeter time again. A jumper wire and the truck battery are a simple check to verify the bulb works and what the required polarity is. P.S. 90% of marker light problems are ground related Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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