Cabin light connectors?

[vanquishings]

In the middle of doing my cabin lights. Anyone know how to get these connectors out without snipping them? 

 

Feel like I might be able to get crafty and keep them original while wiring up the Euramtec A-7180-BC s I got to slot in. 

 

Got a bit fiesty with a flat head, but no luck. Didn't want to press it before I snapped something. 

 

Not the end of the world if I have to cut them, just figured I'd take the right approach before I put out the hammer and angle grinder. 

[eaglescout526]

They should just pull out once you have the clip open. If you have to you can bust the clip as well since it’s some impossible to find French connector. You will have to modify the opening of one of the terminals for the euramtec light. 

[vanquishings]

7 minutes ago, eaglescout526 said:

They should just pull out once you have the clip open. If you have to you can bust the clip as well since it’s some impossible to find French connector. You will have to modify the opening of one of the terminals for the euramtec light. 

 

Ahh, okay. That's what it looked like, but I was giving it a good pull. I'll have to go a bit harder. You wouldn't happen to know which wire goes where on the euramtec, would you, @eaglescout526? Saw an older post that had mentioned a brown wire, but I've got black, black/white and red. 

[eaglescout526]

Hmmmmm

Looking at my notes when I installed them the first time I made this for myself:

From left to right;

Black wire, black wire with tracer, red wire
 

I am not sure how valid it still is. Your set didn’t come with instructions? 

[vanquishings]

3 minutes ago, eaglescout526 said:

Hmmmmm

Looking at my notes when I installed them the first time I made this for myself:

From left to right;

Black wire, black wire with tracer, red wire
 

I am not sure how valid it still is. Your set didn’t come with instructions? 

 

I'll have to check the bag, they came in, but I don't recall seeing any literature with them. If nothing else, that gives me a starting point. Way easier trying that, then flipping it if it doesn't work, than trying 9 different combinations! 

[vanquishings]

@eaglescout526you were indeed correct. A hard yank and all 3 came out on both sides. 

 

Posting the rest of the update in my Member project, as to not clutter this up. 

[eaglescout526]

I thought so. Glad you got them out just fine. 

[pizzaman09]

This is a useful thread, my Euramtec lights are coming in a few days.  Thanks for the connector tips.

[vanquishings]

7 hours ago, pizzaman09 said:

This is a useful thread, my Euramtec lights are coming in a few days.  Thanks for the connector tips.

Absolutely! Let me know how your attempt goes! I'm waiting for a bit thicker gauge wire to arrive to see if that fixes the brightness issue I'm having. Still can't figure out a way to connect all three wires and have them work as intended. But can get them working with two outta three. 

[pizzaman09]

12 hours ago, vanquishings said:

Absolutely! Let me know how your attempt goes! I'm waiting for a bit thicker gauge wire to arrive to see if that fixes the brightness issue I'm having. Still can't figure out a way to connect all three wires and have them work as intended. But can get them working with two outta three. 

Are you certain the wiring system is working correctly?  I had the problem that the interior lights were on all the time, ended up finding the driver's door switch wire that had been crushed under a bolt down near the parking brake pedal.  Now with the stock light housing, everything works perfectly.  I'll let you know about the new lights when I get them.

[vanquishings]

6 hours ago, pizzaman09 said:

Are you certain the wiring system is working correctly?  I had the problem that the interior lights were on all the time, ended up finding the driver's door switch wire that had been crushed under a bolt down near the parking brake pedal.  Now with the stock light housing, everything works perfectly.  I'll let you know about the new lights when I get them.

 

I haven't pulled the door trim out to confirm. And judging from the state of my lights, there's probably something crossed somewhere. But I am certain that the door switch works when I have it in the two wire set up. Can reach over and press the door switch and turn it on and off. Albeit very dim. 

[vanquishings]

Also worth mentioning that I've only been working on the driver side light. I wonder if my luck would change on the other side. I'll have to give it a shot the next time I'm working on it. 

[pizzaman09]

To complete my thoughts from earlier, I just got the Euramtec lights installed.  

Wiring:

Black wire goes to outside narrow in, can use original plug.

Black with white tracer wire goes to middle pin, can use original plug.

Red wire goes to wide pin, need to replace with a 1/4" wide spade plug.

 

Photo of wiring.

 

These are switched differently than the factory ones, middle is the door open light, up or down is always on.  There is no always off 

Strangely I've found the lights work differently on both side of the vehicle.  The driver's side when I switch up or down lights up all interior foot well and pillar lights.  The passenger side when switched up or down only turns on the passenger light.

[Ωhm]

1 hour ago, pizzaman09 said:

The driver's side when I switch up or down lights up all interior foot well and pillar lights.

 

Sounds like the diode has shorted allowing current to flow in both directions. Normally diodes pop open but they can also fail shorted together.

[pizzaman09]

Hmm, interesting thought.  I did pop a fuse when first playing with it as I had the hot hooked up to the center incorrectly originally. Maybe I'll investigate if I can figure out how to get it back out of the b pillar trim.

[vanquishings]

On 5/8/2022 at 8:46 PM, pizzaman09 said:

To complete my thoughts from earlier, I just got the Euramtec lights installed.  

Wiring:

Black wire goes to outside narrow in, can use original plug.

Black with white tracer wire goes to middle pin, can use original plug.

Red wire goes to wide pin, need to replace with a 1/4" wide spade plug.

 

Photo of wiring.

 

These are switched differently than the factory ones, middle is the door open light, up or down is always on.  There is no always off 

Strangely I've found the lights work differently on both side of the vehicle.  The driver's side when I switch up or down lights up all interior foot well and pillar lights.  The passenger side when switched up or down only turns on the passenger light.

Very interesting. That's exactly how I had wired mine, as well the issue I was having where there's no always off. Door switch works fine though, and that's what I was going for, mostly. I'm wondering if it's my ghetto wiring attempt, or maybe the wrong LED bulb that's causing my weak brightness. Neck time I'm working on it, I'll try the passenger side, and one of the original bulbs that came with the light. Also got some thicker gauge wire to make my little adapter for that thicker positive tab.

15 hours ago, pizzaman09 said:

Hmm, interesting thought.  I did pop a fuse when first playing with it as I had the hot hooked up to the center incorrectly originally. Maybe I'll investigate if I can figure out how to get it back out of the b pillar trim.

 

 Taking them off is easily. Little detent at 3 and 9 o clock on the euramtecs. Small little flathead should be plenty to press them and slowly wedge it out. 

[schardein]

I may be stating the obvious, but here is how the original lights work- they are fed constant power from the battery (with a pink wire, according to a 1988 wiring schematic), and controlled (turned on or off) through the ground circuit.  One ground (black with white stripe) is controlled through the door switches (opening the door) and dome light switch (turning the headlight switch knob).  The last black wire is a direct ground used when manually turning the lights on at the light (moving the light lens).

 

When experimenting with the wires, it's easy to be confused which ground is which because the doors are usually open (door switches are activated, lights are on).  So both black wires have a ground when tested with a meter.

[vanquishings]

1 hour ago, schardein said:

I may be stating the obvious, but here is how the original lights work- they are fed constant power from the battery (with a pink wire, according to a 1988 wiring schematic), and controlled (turned on or off) through the ground circuit.  One ground (black with white stripe) is controlled through the door switches (opening the door) and dome light switch (turning the headlight switch knob).  The last black wire is a direct ground used when manually turning the lights on at the light (moving the light lens).

 

When experimenting with the wires, it's easy to be confused which ground is which because the doors are usually open (door switches are activated, lights are on).  So both black wires have a ground when tested with a meter.

 

Obvious information is more than welcome! This is my first real project car. So all info is good info. 

[vanquishings]

The plot thickens. Went back in today and checked the voltage on the wires, using the actual ground as a ground, I got 12V steady, on both passenger and driver side. Also upgraded to 20awg on the little adapter for the spades for the one post. Still running into the same issue. Can get it to function as intended. But the LED is extremely dim. 

 

Here are the LEDs I'm trying to use: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07T5S73DZ?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1

 

Maybe some of your electrical wizards can look over the specs and see if I'm missing anything obvious. 

 

If it helps, I tried one of the original bulbs from Euramtec and could not get it to function in either orientation. 

[Ωhm]

Can you get the bulbs/LEDs to work using just the build-in switches? Disconnect center wires (BLK/WHT) on both switches. Do bulbs/LEDs light ON-OFF-ON-OFF as intended? May have to flip LEDs for polarity.

[pizzaman09]

On 5/10/2022 at 12:54 PM, vanquishings said:

 Taking them off is easily. Little detent at 3 and 9 o clock on the euramtecs. Small little flathead should be plenty to press them and slowly wedge it out. 

Thanks!  I hadn't studied the lights that closely.

[vanquishings]

2 hours ago, Ωhm said:

Can you get the bulbs/LEDs to work using just the build-in switches? Disconnect center wires (BLK/WHT) on both switches. Do bulbs/LEDs light ON-OFF-ON-OFF as intended? May have to flip LEDs for polarity.

 

So far, I've only gotten the LEDs to work, albeit dimly. Polarity didn't seem to have any effect on function. Works with all 3 wires, or two. No matter the orientation of the blk/wht and blk wire, all I get is permanent on/on with door open/permanent on. 

 

Mainly just trying to figure out the dim issue, now. 

 

32 minutes ago, pizzaman09 said:

Thanks!  I hadn't studied the lights that closely.

 

I know that feeling. Can be a little nervewracking if you didn't take a look before they're fully installed and locked in. 

[eaglescout526]

Did your door switches work properly prior to the conversion? If not I would suggest tossing them in some vinegar to clean any corrosion it might have on it. 

[vanquishings]

19 minutes ago, eaglescout526 said:

Did your door switches work properly prior to the conversion? If not I would suggest tossing them in some vinegar to clean any corrosion it might have on it. 

 

 

Switches work fine. I can reach down and make the courtesy light come on/off while pressing it. The truck came with no courtesy lights, so anything is an upgrade. I'm more curious what's causing the LEDs to go dim if I'm getting 12v to the wires. 

[eaglescout526]

Yeah that’s really a weird thing. Have you tried checking the resistance in the ground wire?
 

 

@Ωhm can we recommend a traditional bulb for diagnosing the issue? Or is using the LED just fine?