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K5 Front Light Wiring Problems

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mathieu109

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Saint Augustine
Hey there everyone, finally got a K5 again after selling my last one a couple years back.

I am almost to the point of having this rig on the road and one of the last thing in my way are these blasted front lights. :angry1:

So here is the issue I am having. First off, low and high beams work perfect, I have the grill with two headlights and two parking lights below those NOT the quad headlights.

So anyways both side marker lights are crazy dim and neither front parking light worked. I wiggled the BLUE wire on the passenger side and the side marker got bright and the front parking light started working then stopped soon as I stopped messing with it. I cannot get the driver side to come on or the marker light to stop being dim no matter what wire I move.

I am not great with electrical or wiring diagrams and have spent about an hour in the Haynes manual and figured out nothing yet.

What would you all recommend checking and or fixing first to get these things working properly?
 
I had a similar issue last year with one that had sat a while, pulled the bulbs cleaned connection and added electric grease. I would try that first, I've had no issues since.

If that doesn't work, check your ground, might be bad connection.
 
Yeah, those marker/blinker lights are all kinds of weirdly wired. They are neat to have blink separate but the wiring was interesting to understand. I wired mine once, couldn’t remember how if I tried.
 
yeah the 194 bulbs in the side markers clean be a pain in the sockets. so 1st question what year is your truck ? Idk of 2 headlight with 4 bulbs for marker turn signal. The blue wire is from the headlight switch power.
 
Wes Harden said:
yeah the 194 bulbs in the side markers clean be a pain in the sockets. so 1st question what year is your truck ? Idk of 2 headlight with 4 bulbs for marker turn signal. The blue wire is from the headlight switch power.
Click to expand...

It is a 86, I thought the same until I saw the orange bulbs in the lower set of lights and the high and low beams don't effect them coming on only dimming and brightening the upper bulbs, I attached a photo from google of the front end I have as I am not home currently.

attachment.php
 
lamberthkp said:
I had a similar issue last year with one that had sat a while, pulled the bulbs cleaned connection and added electric grease. I would try that first, I've had no issues since.

If that doesn't work, check your ground, might be bad connection.
Click to expand...

I will give that a shot as well, do you know where these things ground or how they ground?
 
The turn/park lights ground to the radiator support. One on each side, as I remember. You will have a brown wire, that is the park light circuit. You will have a dark blue wire on one side, and a light blue wire on the other light. These are your turn signal circuits. The small side market lights are wired to the brown, and the blue wires, with no connection to the black ground wire. This allows the little bulb to use the turn signal bulbs as a ground, allowing them to come on when the park lights are turned on. When the turn signal is turned on, the marker light goes out, blinking opposite of the turn signal.
 
On your turn signal light sockets, there will be a black ground wire on the side of the socket, away from the brown and blue wires. These are notorious for losing connection. Turn your park lights on, and push and pull the black wire in and out of the socket. You will feel a little movement. Some times this will make them work for awhile, but some times the socket will need to be replaced.
 
500$k5 said:
On your turn signal light sockets, there will be a black ground wire on the side of the socket, away from the brown and blue wires. These are notorious for losing connection. Turn your park lights on, and push and pull the black wire in and out of the socket. You will feel a little movement. Some times this will make them work for awhile, but some times the socket will need to be replaced.
Click to expand...

Thank you; I will try this also. Is that ground connected to the frame or body somewhere or part of the loom elsewhere in the truck?
 
mathieu109 said:
Thank you; I will try this also. Is that ground connected to the frame or body somewhere or part of the loom elsewhere in the truck?
Click to expand...
Should be on a bolt, on both sides of the radiator. One kind of behind the battery, and one in the same place, on the drivers side.
 
Okay everyone, a BIG thanks for the help, I should have know to keep it simple... the sockets need replaced.

The grounds are shot in both to where electric jelly will not even help and the passenger side ground flag that goes into the socket broke right off. I put a multimeter on my battery positive and on each parking light ground wire and got a solid reading so they are good to the body just not the socket.

As for the blue wire it seems fine "I think". I think it just made it seem like that was the issue because as I twisted the socket the ground would randomly get contact.

Also taking any recommendation for where to get new parking light sockets. I am going to check LMC and Brothers and see if they have them.
 
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