Visit our Popular Forums

Midamrail · 07-26-2018, 09:57 AM

So...with the hopes of replacing the worn 1156 light socket in the porch light over the door of Alex, my 1975 Argosy 26, I cut the two wires to the socket and removed the socket from the light cover.

I attached a new socket with brass wires to the porch light wires - white to white, blue to black. However, I've somehow killed the entire circuit, so the porch light, the two lights over the front couch, and the front ceiling light aren't working. My multimeter is not picking up anything at any of those four lights/their wires, including for the switch for the porch light and the plug for the fluorescent round tube on the ceiling. Installing a new switch for the porch light didn't seem to help.

The fuse for the brown wire (which I understand is the wire powering the circuit for those four lights) is good, and everything else 12V in the trailer works (always knocking on aluminum

).

I know I opened the circuit and need to close it again; I can't figure out where the problem lies. Is it joining aluminum and copper wire (not a good practice, I know)? Not grounding the new 1156 socket by not riveting it to aluminum? Pulling the wires for the porch light or its switch too hard? Something else altogether?

Alex the Argosy and I are headed out to the Rocky Mountain Vintage Airstream Rally in Colorado next week; I'd love to fix the issue by then but, more importantly, make sure the old boy will be safe with this issue, regardless of whether I'm able to fix it before the long drive or not.

uncle_bob · 07-26-2018, 11:27 AM

Hi

Ok, you have +12 (relative to the skin of the trailer) at the fuse panel.

1) Do you have +12 on the other side of the fuse for this circuit?

2) Do you have +12 on either wire at the switch?

3) Do you have +12 on either wire coming into the socket?

4) Do you have +12 on *both* wires coming into the socket?

5) .... errr .... is the light bulb you are using ok .... I have experience with that one ....

Either you have "lost" +12 somewhere along the way or you have "lost" ground. Track along the circuit with the multimeter, reading to the handy aluminum reference provided ...

Bob

rugjenkins · 07-26-2018, 01:33 PM

Many of the exterior lights use the skin for the ground.

Midamrail · 07-26-2018, 02:36 PM

Thank you bunches. I'm wondering if it's because I no longer have the true ground at the bulb (i.e. the new socket is not riveted to the trailer as the old one was). Would a lack of a physical ground there be enough to kill the entire circuit to all four lights involved?

As Bob indicated, I do need to check further back in the wiring, i.e. I think head back to the breaker box with the multimeter.

uncle_bob · 07-26-2018, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midamrail

Thank you bunches. I'm wondering if it's because I no longer have the true ground at the bulb (i.e. the new socket is not riveted to the trailer as the old one was). Would a lack of a physical ground there be enough to kill the entire circuit to all four lights involved?

As Bob indicated, I do need to check further back in the wiring, i.e. I think head back to the breaker box with the multimeter.

Hi

If everything ties to ground through that single rivet, then sure ... you could kill them all. You should read +12 on the ground lead (with bulbs in place) if this is the case.

Bob