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I'm Bubba Dam*it

fine69

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 12, 2004
Messages
975
Location
Maryland / D.C.
Corvette
'69 Convertible Vette; '72 Z28 Camaro Rally Sport
I decided to take a ride this evening in my 1969 mobile sauna - it's in upper 90s, but so what... I've got the timing pretty much right (save for slight lurches when going 30-40 mph). The gauges - all working.... I keep driving and it gets dark.

I tentatively pull on the light switch; the left side headlight slowly rises up. I depress the clutch, give her some gas and get the RPMs up (just to help her a bit)... then the right side lethargically rises up. That's cool - I've got lights! Wait, something's not right... THE DASH LIGHTS AREN'T ON! I WIGGLE THE SWITCH, NOPE. UGGH!

I go straight home, and check the fuses – they’re all good. With that "Corvette OCD" cloud over me (it's after 9:00 pm) I lower the steering column, remove the lower dash screws and access the headlamp switch. Using a low volt penlight, I find that the switch is not powering the green wire when turned on. Of course, I've recently learned from the good folks here at CAC that the green wire provides power to the gray wires that give life to those pesky dash lights.

This particular headlight switch is only a few months old and I really don't feel like spending another $40 on another replacement - or having to keep my dash opened up. So I did it... with a length of 16 gauge green wire, I crimped a small terminal on each end and jumpered the light blue wire to the green wire. Voila, the dash light work again.

Yeah, that's right I jury-rigged it... call me Bubba. I'm talking big I know... but I also know that reality is that Corvette OCD won't let me keep the switch jumpered like this. Any idea why the switch would go bad?

Thanks for allowing me to vent again...:ugh

Ralph
 
You realise that Bubba's last name is

MURPHY'S LAWS

  1. Nothing is as easy as it looks.
  2. Everything takes longer than you think.
  3. Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
  4. If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will cause the most damage will be the one to go wrong. Corollary: If there is a worse time for something to go wrong, it will happen then.
  5. If anything simply cannot go wrong, it will anyway.
  6. If you perceive that there are four possible ways in which a procedure can go wrong, and circumvent these, then a fifth way, unprepared for, will promptly develop.
  7. Left to themselves, things tend to go from bad to worse.
  8. If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something.
  9. Nature always sides with the hidden flaw.
  10. Mother nature is a biotch.
  11. It is impossible to make anything foolproof because fools are so ingenious.
  12. Whenever you set out to do something, something else must be done first.
  13. Every solution breeds new problems.
 
You realise that Bubba's last name is

MURPHY'S LAWS
  1. Nothing is as easy as it looks.
  2. Everything takes longer than you think.
  3. Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
  4. If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will cause the most damage will be the one to go wrong. Corollary: If there is a worse time for something to go wrong, it will happen then.
  5. If anything simply cannot go wrong, it will anyway.
  6. If you perceive that there are four possible ways in which a procedure can go wrong, and circumvent these, then a fifth way, unprepared for, will promptly develop.
  7. Left to themselves, things tend to go from bad to worse.
  8. If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something.
  9. Nature always sides with the hidden flaw.
  10. Mother nature is a biotch.
  11. It is impossible to make anything foolproof because fools are so ingenious.
  12. Whenever you set out to do something, something else must be done first.
  13. Every solution breeds new problems.

boy! if that ain't the truth;shrug;shrug!!!!!!!!!!
 
Ralph, your 69 sure is testing your patience. This type of stuff sure would drive me nuts...not that you aern't...LOL. This past weekend I made complete round trips to Woodlawn as well as Annapolis. The Vette, at one point, read 210 on the temp guage while on the Interstate doing around 65-70 mph. It has been pretty hot and humid so probably nothing to worry about but a couple of successful lengthy trips. Good Times!
 
Keep a close eye on that light switch problem Ralph. In a couple of months, I would suspect that another problem crop up with it. It sounds like too much draw through the switch, and the extra current could be burning the contact. Make sure you do a good trace to find out where the exact problem is in the dash lights.

I went to a local cruise night the other evening, the car was running GREAT. I have put a lot of time into getting it to this point. About halfway there, the damn thing started to miss badly, like a fouled plug. I was in heavy traffic, trying to just keep the thing running. I made it to the parking lot with all the C5 and C6 cars in our club. I was kinda worried! It turned out that one of the spark plug wires had popped off the plug, I ahd NEVER had that happen before!

The cruise home was a GAS!
 
tell me about it

i run ceramic plugs on mine.. they pop off now and then

and on mine.. it ALWAYS overheats the starter when my wife drive it... never fails... so she gets stranded for 15-30 minutes waiting for it to cool so she can fire it and go... and then she lectures me...

won;t do it with me driving
 
I decided to take a ride this evening in my 1969 mobile sauna - it's in upper 90s, but so what... ...
Ralph

Funny! :L Not too long ago we were complaining about the winter storms...;LOL

This morning, I noticed the sun a little lower on the horizon than what lately's been at 6:00 A.M. The summer will soon be over. Enjoy that warmth!:rotfl

Sorry for the hijack!
 
Keep a close eye on that light switch problem Ralph. In a couple of months, I would suspect that another problem crop up with it. It sounds like too much draw through the switch, and the extra current could be burning the contact. Make sure you do a good trace to find out where the exact problem is in the dash lights...

Mike,

You're right, there's gotta be something else.

I couldn't leave it "Bubba'd - up"... I checked it closer today and the there's also an intermittent clicking noise, and the solenoid behind the tachometer gets really hot!... I'm probably gonna have to take the dash apart again.

Ya know what? I aint screwing with it right now. We're heading down to Myrtle Beach tomorrow for a much-needed vacation. I'll work on this "good-bad girl" when I get back... JEEZ, the drama with this car!

:w
 

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