- This topic has 5 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 8 years, 12 months ago by
.
-
Topic
-
1991 Chevy C1500 5.7 vortec no tail lights. Simultaneous failure suggests a common fault in the circuit (both lights do share a common ground which does appear to be heavily corroded.) Since the tail lights are wired in parallel, a burnt bulb will not disable the entire circuit.
Back probed the circuit until I got to this junction box located under the hood on the fire wall next to the master cylinder. This is the first place I could detect voltage:
Appearantly, at some point awhile ago a power steering hose sprung a leak and doused this entire quadrant with ATF including this junction block.
So far I’ve tried electrical contact cleaner & q-tips to no avail. Might have to go with a wire brush.. but there is so much corrosion I might have to consider replacing this junction block which doesn’t look easy.
As a last resort I might consider just splicing the tail lights directly into the headlight circuit.
-
Replies
-
The picture is a little fuzzy, so I’m going to assume the worst. It’s the black spots that worry me most. I encourage you to do some more exploring into that harness and the junction block first. Pull that block out of the firewall, free up some of the harness so you can to give yourself a little room to work comfortably, then pull that back cover off and pull the conduit back a foot or so to start. Look for burnt or melted wiring off that block. Give the wires a feel to be sure they’re still flexible. (Make your own call on what kind of voltage testing you need to do right now.) If it’s all good from there, you could probably get away with depinning the junction block, crimping new connectors onto the very ends of the wires, and repinning a new junction block. There are options for special crimpers and OE terminals so you can do a clean install without making a mess of the harness. And if that blocks’ not so bad, just depin and fix the terminals you actually need to repair.
You are absolutely right… the black spots are exactly what I need for tail lights… will dig more into this when ohio temps come up above freezing.
Thank you btw on the repinning & wire harness inspection advice… will definitely put your helpful tips into practice.
Well, you can spend your time trying to rehabilitate that junction block, or you can replace it. Since it will have to come out either way, I’d be inclined to replace it.
It seems that this would be an excellent opportunity to visit the local salvage yard to retrieve the necessary parts.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.