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Hi,
I have the headliner out of my ’32 Model 54 Club Brougham and I thought I’d get the overhead courtesy light to work right. I have two power wires and one ground wire up there. One power wire works correctly with the toggle switch on the rear passenger side door post. The other power wire is hot all the time and that cannot be right. I’ve traced the wire back along the roof until it descends behind the rear seat back cushion. Should this wire work with the door switches? My running board lights work independently with the door switches meaning that the driver side courtesy light only comes on when the driver side door opens.
How should all of this work? I’d like to fix this before the new headliner goes in.
Thanks,
Bill
Door switches are almost always making a ground connection, so a hot wire to the light is normally correct.
I assume you don’t have a wiring schematic?
Greg Long
The 34 sedan I’m finishing has the following:
-solid wire, ground
-hot wire from junction behind rear seat, “Y’s”, with one hot going to panel toggle switch, one hot going to door plunger switch
-one wire from toggle and one wire from plunger going to dome light
If your toggle works, and other wire to dome light is hot, then the plunger switch has shorted, Take it. Out and test…
Thank you David, I stand corrected, i thought the door plungers made the ground connection, not a hot wire connection in our Pierce Arrows.
Greg Long
David,
Both plunger switches work normally. I think something has been jumpered incorrectly behind the rear seat. Does the wire for the cigar lighter in the vanity also have a junction behind the seat back?
Bill
The car I rewired is a ’34 840 four door sedan. That’s how it was factory wired.
It could be that other models were done differently.
On the 34, if you remove the back seat cushion, there’s an electrical junction station on the floor, passenger side, at rear of car.
A live feed from battery goes to this group of push-in connectors. The live feed for lights comes from there, as well as a heavier gauge wire that goes to the cigarette lighter.
Most of the wiring is behind the passenger side rear side panel, You could remove enough to get to wiring, but it’s taking out some upholstery that isn’t made for easy removal and replacement.