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Are the front parking lights supposed to work?

Tiny
AUTORACINGBEAR
  • MEMBER
  • 1964 BUICK WILDCAT
  • 6.4L
  • V8
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 80,000 MILES
I have the vehicle listed above, 4 door. The front turn signals were flashing on both sides on either left or right turns. I don't believe the parking lights were working, and the rear turn signals/brake light are working properly. When I pulled the pass lens to check the bulb, I found that some had replaced the front sockets with newer ones that have 3 wires. The center one is the ground, and if I disconnect one of the outer wires, the front turn signals work correctly, but no matter what I do, I can't get any front parking lights, but I seem to remember some of the early 60's cars not having front park lights.
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Friday, June 23rd, 2023 AT 1:03 PM

9 Replies

Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 13,577 POSTS
The 64 should have front parking lights that come on with the taillights. The turn signals should be the light blue (left) and dark blue (right) The bulb should be an 1157A (2 filament amber glass. 32 cp turn, 4 cp parking) The parking lamp feed should be a purple wire. The stock unit uses only 2 wires, the bulb ground wasn't wired in it was the shell of the lamp in the metal lamp housing with the ground coming from the lamp housing bolted to the bumper and the bumper bolted to the frame. If someone has changed those out for different holders with 3 wires you need to sort out which one is ground. For that use a test light and turn on the turn signal and probe the wires, the one that flashes is the turn for each side. Now turn on the parking lights and find the park light feed. Now check that the ground is actually connected to a ground. Attached are the OE wiring and routing.
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Friday, June 23rd, 2023 AT 2:38 PM
Tiny
AUTORACINGBEAR
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
Thank you for the reply. I believe my issue is the aftermarket newer style sockets someone had previously installed on both front lights. I am going to check the wires for signals and park lights with the sockets disconnected and replace the sockets with originals style.
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Tuesday, June 27th, 2023 AT 6:21 AM
Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 13,577 POSTS
They likely didn't connect them properly. Your description sounds like the lights are trying to ground through the bulb and not through the proper ground. As such you turn on the marker lights but they don't see a ground because the turn signal side isn't connected when the switch isn't in either turn position. However when you select the turn position the power goes through one side of the bulb and then jumps to the other filament and finds a ground path through all of the other marker bulbs.
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Tuesday, June 27th, 2023 AT 8:13 AM
Tiny
AUTORACINGBEAR
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  • 4 POSTS
With the wires unhooked from the sockets, I have the proper signal and parking light power at each wire. The original sockets would have grounded through the body as they are metal, but these new sockets are plastic, and although they have a ground wire going to them, I suspect they are just not either wired right or I have one shorted socket.
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Tuesday, June 27th, 2023 AT 8:27 AM
Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 13,577 POSTS
Simple to test, use a meter and trace out which wire goes to which terminal in the replacement sockets. There will be a ground and a wire to each terminal in the socket.
A fast way to test is to put an 1157 in the socket. Connect the battery ground to one wire then touch one of the others to positive. Look at which filament lights up. If it's the dim one, that's parking, bright one is turn. If you have both lit up the wire that isn't connected is the ground. I generally do all three, that tests the bulb and socket as well as gives you the correct wires. Then just connect the bright one to turn, dim one to parking and run a ground wire from the third to a handy spot on the core support.
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Tuesday, June 27th, 2023 AT 4:31 PM
Tiny
AUTORACINGBEAR
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  • 4 POSTS
My earlier post described how I had already done this test and verified power at both wires and the ground, and determined there is an issue with the replacement sockets, which original replacements have been ordered.
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Wednesday, June 28th, 2023 AT 1:55 PM
Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
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Okay, hopefully the new parts are made correctly.
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Wednesday, June 28th, 2023 AT 4:25 PM
Tiny
AUTORACINGBEAR
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
The original style sockets work properly on both front corners, now I just have to remove the bumper bracing to install them.
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Friday, June 30th, 2023 AT 7:37 AM
Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
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It's always something. Glad you have it figured out.
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Friday, June 30th, 2023 AT 7:37 PM

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