Calling electric gurus, help!

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mopar56

mopar56

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Ok, so this isnt a A body but it is Mopar, I have a tilt, telescoping mopar steering column in my 56 Dodge pu, I am replacing ALL wiring and are the point of hooking up my signals, I have attached a photo of what wires exit the column, BTW this was a swap meet purchase the harness came cut, can anyone tell me what color wire needs power going into the column so can figure out with a test light what wire is left and right turn exiting the column? Thanks

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Best way is if you know the year/ make/ model the column came out of then go find that documentation.

Otherwise make a truth table

Is the hazard switch integrated into the switch? If so make a truth table, take a continuity checker and go to work

What will be inputs:

1.....Switched brake power. This comes from the brake light switch and goes into the TS switch
2.....Turn signal flasher power. this comes from the TS flasher and goes into the TS switch
3......Hazard flasher power. This comes from the hazard flasher and goes into the TS switch

Outputs.

A......Front left turn
B......Front right turn
C......Rear left turn (and brake)
D......Rear right turn (and brake)

The above is true IF IF the car had integrated stop / turn and not the separate rear dedicated turn signals and rear dedicated stop signals

"Less wires will be present"

So Now start the process of elimination

With the switch centered, the switch will pass

Brake light switch to left rear and right rear. So with switch centered find out what three wires show continuity. Temporarily mark them.

"I believe" that in hazard, ALL wires will be continuous to ALL OTHER wires EXCEPT for the turn signal flasher. "I think" If so, this means you can put the thing in hazard, and figure out which wire is not continuous, and that one is your EDIT turn flasher wire

Now turn the switch to "left". What will now be continuous is two different sets

The brake light wire will pass power to the right rear lamp

The flasher wire will connect to left front and left rear

Now turn switch to the "right" and the opposite side will be continuous from the above situation

By paying attention to what you "have" you can eliminate wires one by one.

For example, both left and right switch will only have one group of 4 wires which generate continuity to three of them........flasher to left front and left rear, and flasher to right front and right rear

When you get those groups sorted, you can tell which is rear and front, because the fronts will never have power to the brake line.



It "might be" that one way to do this is to randomly mark the wires with tape tags simply 1-2-3-4 etc before you start, and just write down what is continuous to what as you go.
 
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Ok, thanks that's excellent info, the hazard is on the column , a small button, looks like a door pull button sort of, I do not know what it came from but I do know even though its mopar, its loosely based off a gm column, like used on a seventies corvette like I said it telescopes, unusual, one question ...you say the brake lite switch wire goes in the column? Why would the brake light wire go in the column?
 
'It depends.' Some cars have separate turn signals and separate brake lamps. Typically amber rear lamps but not always. In that case the brake switch power goes straight to the rear and connects to the brake lamps

But older cars, like all the older Mopars, have only two rear lamps other than tail lamp filaments, often in the same bulb--so only 2 rear bulbs

So the brake lamp on the side that needs to flash must be disconnected

I cannot help you on the column model. Looks like it had cruise control. So it will likely have some more mystery wires. And........I forgot the horn button....it will go to ground when activated.

If it is new enough that the column controls headlights then more mystery wires.

How about wipers or at least wiper washer?
 
67Dart273 said:
Best way is if you know the year/ make/ model the column came out of then go find that documentation.

Otherwise make a truth table

Is the hazard switch integrated into the switch? If so make a truth table, take a continuity checker and go to work

What will be inputs:

1.....Switched brake power. This comes from the brake light switch and goes into the TS switch
2.....Turn signal flasher power. this comes from the TS flasher and goes into the TS switch
3......Hazard flasher power. This comes from the hazard flasher and goes into the TS switch

Outputs.

A......Front left turn
B......Front right turn
C......Rear left turn (and brake)
D......Rear right turn (and brake)

The above is true IF IF the car had integrated stop / turn and not the separate rear dedicated turn signals and rear dedicated stop signals

"Less wires will be present"

So Now start the process of elimination

With the switch centered, the switch will pass

Brake light switch to left rear and right rear. So with switch centered find out what three wires show continuity. Temporarily mark them.

"I believe" that in hazard, ALL wires will be continuous to ALL OTHER wires EXCEPT for the turn signal flasher. "I think" If so, this means you can put the thing in hazard, and figure out which wire is not continuous, and that one is your hazard flasher.

Now turn the switch to "left". What will now be continuous is two different sets

The brake light wire will pass power to the right rear lamp

The flasher wire will connect to left front and left rear

Now turn switch to the "right" and the opposite side will be continuous from the above situation

By paying attention to what you "have" you can eliminate wires one by one.

For example, both left and right switch will only have one group of 4 wires which generate continuity to three of them........flasher to left front and left rear, and flasher to right front and right rear

When you get those groups sorted, you can tell which is rear and front, because the fronts will never have power to the brake line.



It "might be" that one way to do this is to randomly mark the wires with tape tags simply 1-2-3-4 etc before you start, and just write down what is continuous to what as you go.
Click to expand...
@67Dart273 all I gotta say is.. I wish I had your electrical knowledge!
 
Ok, thanks "67" looks like I got some work to do, I gotta say I've been dreading this part for a while, I'll start digging in the next few days, I may have more questions as I move through it, thanks for your help, you are a guru, lol
 
If the switch does have all these mystery wires, start by activating the hazard switch, which hooks the "most wires to the most wires." Then you can quickly find a few wires that are connected. Then go through and check them all and bunch that amount of wires over to side, you know they are all connected.

If worst comes to worst pull the wheel. This should enable you to get in there and separate the horn circuit, and probe the wire connections on the TS switch so you know you are on the right track
 
Funny, I did that already a while ago, this is a more challenging wheel to take off because of the tilt, I had to buy a different puller and after all that I gained nothing really except broke a pretty unattainable horn insulator so I'll probably just put a horn button on the dash now, I think I'm just going to do as you suggested and work from the outside eliminating wires from the equation untill hopefully I narrow it down. Thanks again your very knowledgeable and helpful.
 
6pakbee...your right you dont, it was clipped short, not be me, it barely can be seen at the bottom of the column I have no intention of using it, this is a 4 speed truck and honestly I do not like cruise control , I have had it in all my daily drivers for 40 plus years I've turned it on twice, usless feature.
 
Hell I use the CC in my GMC going down a 25mph street. Unfortunately, none of the Mopars I've have/ had will engage below about 35
 
mopar56 said:
6pakbee...your right you dont, it was clipped short, not be me, it barely can be seen at the bottom of the column I have no intention of using it, this is a 4 speed truck and honestly I do not like cruise control , I have had it in all my daily drivers for 40 plus years I've turned it on twice, usless feature.
Click to expand...

If you are going to disassemble the column for repairs, would you be interested in trading a non-CC lever for your CC lever?
 
Ok, sorry to take so long, I got squirreld on a few other wiring issues, on a positive note my new led headlights and park awesome! So on my signals I have 9 wires, purple, black with yellow, green, blue, black with white, brown, black with blue, black and a yellow, here is what I know IF I use either a multi meter with ohms OR supply 12v to the purple wire, I get continuity or 12v out of the green and blue wires when the signal is right turn, I get 12v or continuity from the black with blue and the black with yellow when turning left. If with the switch centered I apply the hazard then putting my meter on the black with blue I have continuity on all wires except the purple, Also note at no time can I get any continuity from the yellow wire? It is also cut short maybe it was never used? Also worth noting there is a ignition key in this column but I will not be using it as I have wired a key switch in the dash where it was from the factory so maybe some wires go there? Lastly I do not yet have a brake lite switch installed I have ordered one off Amazon I think will work in my B van pedal box, is the wire that goes to the switch a ground that breaks like a door jamb switch? Or 12v that makes and breaks contact. Thankyou for your help in advance.
 
I guess I never asked you have any idea what this is out of, even brand, IE Ford, GM, Chrysler, other?
 
Its MOPAR! That is why I bought it, BUT very unique, it telescopes, and tilts, but it has OEM chrysler key switch, I would guess a imperial or something top line.
 
I guess I should add, as you had questioned what type of signal/brake lite is being used, they are LED signal/brake combo lites , one lite with three wires, signal and brake on one wire, tail lite on one wire, ground on third wire.
 
Brake light switch has one wire hot at all times. Pedal movement closes switch. i majority of classic vehicles, power goes through and up into the turn signal switch, typically on a white wire. Turn signal switch centered allows brake lamp power to pass to both rear fixtures on same 2 wires for used for rear turn. Signal switch moved left or right takes brake power away from one wire and sends on to one rear fixture. So... the proper turn signal switch for 2 of 1157 fixtures at rear, switch moved to left or right, should send turn signal current to 3 of the 4 wires, 2 front and only one rear.
It is possible that the switch you have belongs to a vehicle that had 4 rear lamps, probably all 1156 bulbs, 2 for brake, 2 for turn. Brake current doesn't go through this signal switch. It goes direct to 2 rear fixtures. I hope this doesn't read too complicated.
 
Ok, thanks that helps, and could be true, all though most Mopars back in the day, did use the 1157 bulb hence why I have been assuming it should be wired as such , however is this is not th case I was thinking of running power up through my purple wire which I think is the main 12v feed and it will flow right or left and front and back through the four wires mentioned above, then run my brake wire separately to the two wires that go rear only and possibly run two diodes , one in each rear signal wire if the power trys to back feed through them to the front signals when brakes are applied, what do you think?
 
mopar56 said:
Its MOPAR! That is why I bought it, BUT very unique, it telescopes, and tilts, but it has OEM chrysler key switch, I would guess a imperial or something top line.
Click to expand...
What I was getting at is attempting to research and figure out wire colors. Any idea what year? That wheel is not "stock" is it?
 
RedFish said:
Brake light switch has one wire hot at all times. Pedal movement closes switch. i majority of classic vehicles, power goes through and up into the turn signal switch, typically on a white wire. Turn signal switch centered allows brake lamp power to pass to both rear fixtures on same 2 wires for used for rear turn. Signal switch moved left or right takes brake power away from one wire and sends on to one rear fixture. So... the proper turn signal switch for 2 of 1157 fixtures at rear, switch moved to left or right, should send turn signal current to 3 of the 4 wires, 2 front and only one rear.
It is possible that the switch you have belongs to a vehicle that had 4 rear lamps, probably all 1156 bulbs, 2 for brake, 2 for turn. Brake current doesn't go through this signal switch. It goes direct to 2 rear fixtures. I hope this doesn't read too complicated.
Click to expand...

Thanks Red I tried to explain that earlier
 
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