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Tail Light / Brake Light Issues With Walck's Harness

Discussion in 'Early CJ5 and CJ6 Tech' started by TonyM, Sep 21, 2019.

  1. Sep 21, 2019
    TonyM

    TonyM Member 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Middle Tennessee
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    1956 CJ5, F134, 6 volt...

    I need some help from the experts getting my brake/tail lights working and am hoping that someone here has been down this road. A little history...

    I rewired the tail lights / brake lights a couple years ago (rear wiring was shot) and they were working fine until I installed a new Walck's OEM style harness the other day. I've got everything working properly EXCEPT the rear and it's driving me crazy.

    Though the harness has all the wires for signals, I am NOT installing turn signals. I wanted the option just in case for the future and cannot figure out the rear wiring. I talked to Carl Walck a few days ago and he said to use the harness without signals I needed to take the non-hot green wire from the brake light switch and connect it to the two yellow wires on the rear harness, leaving the red wire from the light switch (dash harness) connected to the red rear harness wire. I did this - no joy.

    Doing the above, I can get the tail lights going, but not the brake lights. If I switch the wiring around (I don't remember what configuration I used - I was getting frustrated) I can get the brake lights, but not the tail lights so I know the brake light switch works (it also worked prior to the new harness install).

    Here's where I'm further confused - there is only one yellow and one red wire running to the lights on the back of the jeep, though there are two yellows at the beginning, or front, of the rear portion of the harness. I've tried using just one of the yellow wires, but that doesn't work either.

    I suppose I could bypass the new harness all together and wire it myself but i'd really like to use the Walck's wiring.

    Has anyone been in this position that has a work around that utilizes the new Walck's wiring without using the rear turn signal wires? There's got to be a way but I cannot figure it out.

    Thanks in advance for the guidance!
     
  2. Sep 21, 2019
    Howard Eisenhauer

    Howard Eisenhauer Administrator Staff Member

    Tantallon, Nova...
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    These the same diagrams you have?

    upload_2019-9-22_0-35-29.png


    upload_2019-9-22_0-35-58.png
     
  3. Sep 21, 2019
    TonyM

    TonyM Member 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Middle Tennessee
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    Yes - Carl sent those instructions with my harness. But... the only wires I have that go to the tail/brake lights at the rear of the rear harness are 1 red and 1 yellow on each side (8, 9, 10, 11). No blue, or any other color.
     
    Last edited: Sep 22, 2019
  4. Sep 22, 2019
    Renegade ll

    Renegade ll Member

    Thayne Wyoming
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    Do you have power in the brake lite wire and tail lite wires? If no, then make sure everything is connected properly to the lightswitch. I think your power comes from the lightswitch or ignition switch. Are all the grounds good?
     
  5. Sep 22, 2019
    Howard Eisenhauer

    Howard Eisenhauer Administrator Staff Member

    Tantallon, Nova...
    Joined:
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    Better check with Carl on that, sounds like he boo-boo'd on the wire or you got the rear harness for a different year.

    Hook up the reds to your tail lights, hook both yellows to the brake lights.

    Up front where the triple barrel connector is (down by the firewall) make a three way wire jumper to connect from where the green wire goes up to the turn signal (from the brake light switch) to the two single barrel connectors connecting to the yellow wires going back to the brake lights.

    upload_2019-9-22_11-58-4.gif


    From this-

    upload_2019-9-22_12-4-33.png




    To this-
    upload_2019-9-22_12-7-49.png

    Oddly enough it looks like my '55 harness has the two yellow wires as well instead of the blue shown on the sheet that came with it- I do recall having to swap connections to get the turn signals flashing on the correct sides in back.:rolleyes:
     
    Last edited: Sep 22, 2019
  6. Sep 22, 2019
    TonyM

    TonyM Member 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Middle Tennessee
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    Thanks guys. Howard, the colored diagrams are MUCH better than trying to use the b&w in the manual. Thank you for those! Your "to this" graphic shows what Carl was describing to me. I'll get out there tonight or tomorrow when it cools down and try again. It's got to be something simple that I'm missing.

    UPDATE: went out to the garage... 15 minutes of minor tinkering: tail lights & brake lights are now working. Thanks to all, especially Howard for the colored schematics.
     
    Last edited: Sep 22, 2019
    ojgrsoi, Walt Couch and Glenn like this.
  7. Sep 22, 2019
    Renegade ll

    Renegade ll Member

    Thayne Wyoming
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    What was the problem?
     
  8. Sep 22, 2019
    TonyM

    TonyM Member 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Middle Tennessee
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    It was a combination of mislabeled instructions from Walcks and and user error on my end in ID-ing the various green wires and which is left off when bypassing the turn signal unit.
     
    Glenn likes this.
  9. Sep 22, 2019
    Howard Eisenhauer

    Howard Eisenhauer Administrator Staff Member

    Tantallon, Nova...
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  10. Sep 22, 2019
    47v6

    47v6 junk wrecker! 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

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    Jeez guys... The diagram makes it look really complex.. I do recall that it all goes through the spartan turn signal.
     
  11. Sep 22, 2019
    TonyM

    TonyM Member 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Middle Tennessee
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    And that’s the issue, or part of it... If you aren’t installing a spartan (or similar) turn signal unit you’ve got to bypass portions of that part of the harness. Good news is that’s it’s nothing permanent so signals may be added later if desired.
     
    ojgrsoi likes this.
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