Club Cobra Gas-N Exhaust  

Go Back   Club Cobra > Manufacturers, Engine Builders, tools, and parts. > ERA---Speak with Bob Putnam

MMG Superformance
Nevada Classics
MMG Superformance
Main Menu
Module Jump:
Nevada Classics
Nevada Classics
MMG Superformance
MMG Superformance
Advertise at CC
Banner Ad Rates
Keith Craft Racing
Keith Craft Racing
MMG Superformance
December 2024
S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
29 30 31        

Kirkham Motorsports

Like Tree2Likes

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #101 (permalink)  
Old 01-25-2015, 01:59 PM
patrickt's Avatar
Half-Ass Member
Visit my Photo Gallery

 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Cobra Make, Engine: ERA #732, 428FE (447 CID), TKO600, Solid Flat Tappet Cam, Tons of Aluminum
Posts: 22,005
Not Ranked     
Default

Make sure you run the temporary ground wires to the front lights as well. There has to be a "spill over" between parking lights and turn signal lights and the front lights' ground could very well be the culprit.
Reply With Quote
  #102 (permalink)  
Old 01-25-2015, 02:19 PM
DanEC's Avatar
CC Member
Visit my Photo Gallery

 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Little Rock area, AR
Cobra Make, Engine: ERA Street Roadster #782 with 459 cu in FE KC engine, toploader, 3.31
Posts: 4,521
Not Ranked     
Default

With a 12.64 battery voltage, parking lights on, key off:

Driver side tail light 12.24 volts

Pass side tail light 12.21 volts.

Interestingly I was picking up .2 volts at the turn signal lead at the lights.

How am I supposed to check voltage drop across the trailer relay? When flashing the voltage is jumping up and down of course. I thought I might get something from the red wire on the car side from the brake switch by pushing on the brake pedal but it was only a few volts. I also noticed the same .2 volts across the relay with the parking lights turned on.
__________________
ERA 782 Running
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cfge...b1-77fqwFRu7c]
Reply With Quote
  #103 (permalink)  
Old 01-25-2015, 02:24 PM
patrickt's Avatar
Half-Ass Member
Visit my Photo Gallery

 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Cobra Make, Engine: ERA #732, 428FE (447 CID), TKO600, Solid Flat Tappet Cam, Tons of Aluminum
Posts: 22,005
Not Ranked     
Default

With the key on, and the brake pressed, put one lead of your VOM on the middle RED input wire and the other lead on one of the two output wires. The reading will be the voltage drop attributable to the trailer relay.
Reply With Quote
  #104 (permalink)  
Old 01-25-2015, 02:40 PM
DanEC's Avatar
CC Member
Visit my Photo Gallery

 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Little Rock area, AR
Cobra Make, Engine: ERA Street Roadster #782 with 459 cu in FE KC engine, toploader, 3.31
Posts: 4,521
Not Ranked     
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by patrickt View Post
With the key on, and the brake pressed, put one lead of your VOM on the middle RED input wire and the other lead on one of the two output wires. The reading will be the voltage drop attributable to the trailer relay.
Allright I will try that. I basically did that but since it was a low reading I didn't record it. In the meantime, using the brake lights I got these voltage figures

tail light to ground, brake lights - 10.5 volts

trailer fuse connection to ground, brake lights - 10.54 volts
__________________
ERA 782 Running
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cfge...b1-77fqwFRu7c]
Reply With Quote
  #105 (permalink)  
Old 01-25-2015, 02:46 PM
patrickt's Avatar
Half-Ass Member
Visit my Photo Gallery

 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Cobra Make, Engine: ERA #732, 428FE (447 CID), TKO600, Solid Flat Tappet Cam, Tons of Aluminum
Posts: 22,005
Not Ranked     
Default

I pulled my notes from the last time I took all my stuff apart. I have a voltage drop across the trailer relay of 1.7 volts. The output of the trailer relay is 10.5 volts. You DO have temporary ground wires running to all four corner lights, correct?


EDIT - "trailer" relay, not "voltage" relay.

Last edited by patrickt; 01-25-2015 at 02:57 PM..
Reply With Quote
  #106 (permalink)  
Old 01-25-2015, 03:07 PM
DanEC's Avatar
CC Member
Visit my Photo Gallery

 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Little Rock area, AR
Cobra Make, Engine: ERA Street Roadster #782 with 459 cu in FE KC engine, toploader, 3.31
Posts: 4,521
Not Ranked     
Default

Testing across the relay I got 11.95 volts at the red wire and 10.45 volts at the fuse holder. Not sure why it was .1V lower at the fuse holder this time?

Man - crawling under the driver side dash of a Cobra at 63 years age is pretty tough.

Edit - no, no temporary grouinds hooked up at this time. All of this has been with the factory grounds.
__________________
ERA 782 Running
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cfge...b1-77fqwFRu7c]

Last edited by DanEC; 01-25-2015 at 03:11 PM..
Reply With Quote
  #107 (permalink)  
Old 01-25-2015, 03:14 PM
patrickt's Avatar
Half-Ass Member
Visit my Photo Gallery

 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Cobra Make, Engine: ERA #732, 428FE (447 CID), TKO600, Solid Flat Tappet Cam, Tons of Aluminum
Posts: 22,005
Not Ranked     
Default

Remove the two fast blow fuses adjacent to the trailer relay, leave them out, and hit your brakes, and turn on your turn signals. Do any rear lights at all come on? Do the front lights behave as expected?
Reply With Quote
  #108 (permalink)  
Old 01-25-2015, 03:20 PM
DanEC's Avatar
CC Member
Visit my Photo Gallery

 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Little Rock area, AR
Cobra Make, Engine: ERA Street Roadster #782 with 459 cu in FE KC engine, toploader, 3.31
Posts: 4,521
Not Ranked     
Default

I'm through for tonight - will try that tomorrow.

Thanks
__________________
ERA 782 Running
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cfge...b1-77fqwFRu7c]
Reply With Quote
  #109 (permalink)  
Old 01-25-2015, 03:22 PM
glenview289's Avatar
CC Member
Visit my Photo Gallery

 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 69
Not Ranked     
Default

Dan, listen to Patrick on this one. You have to eliminate for sure that the ground is good before anything else or you will or have been wasting your time. Bad grounds are the cause of intermittent problems 90% of the time. These cars are known for these type problems associated grounds.

Bill
Reply With Quote
  #110 (permalink)  
Old 01-25-2015, 03:28 PM
patrickt's Avatar
Half-Ass Member
Visit my Photo Gallery

 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Cobra Make, Engine: ERA #732, 428FE (447 CID), TKO600, Solid Flat Tappet Cam, Tons of Aluminum
Posts: 22,005
Not Ranked     
Default

Alright, we'll continue "splitting apart" the circuit until we isolate the portion that is causing the misbehavior. For the next step, you will need a simple 12v test light, not a VOM. Assuming the car's lights act normally with the fuses pulled, we'll put a new bulb load on the trailer side of the removed fuses and see if they just come on normally or whether the misbehavior is present even without the rear lights wired but with just a 12v test bulb
Reply With Quote
  #111 (permalink)  
Old 01-26-2015, 09:49 AM
DanEC's Avatar
CC Member
Visit my Photo Gallery

 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Little Rock area, AR
Cobra Make, Engine: ERA Street Roadster #782 with 459 cu in FE KC engine, toploader, 3.31
Posts: 4,521
Not Ranked     
Default

Tried two tests this morning with inconclusive results:

1. Switched the parking light leads and the flasher leads on both rear sockets with the leds in case they are oriented 180 deg opposite of 1157 bulbs.

Key on, turn signal on - everything operated correctly. Before switching - all 4 lights flashed including trunk lights.

Key on, parking light on, turn signal on - the fronts flash but the rears don't. All leds on the rear bulbs were illuminated. Before switching - all lights worked and operated correctly.

2. Pulled trailer relay fuses:

Key on, turn signals on - turn signals flashed only at front

Key on, parking lights on - all lights came on, only led units associated with parking lights were lit in rear.

Key on, parking lights on, flasher on - all lights came on, only leds units for parking light lit, only front lights flash - nothing flashing at rear.

Anything?
__________________
ERA 782 Running
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cfge...b1-77fqwFRu7c]
Reply With Quote
  #112 (permalink)  
Old 01-26-2015, 10:00 AM
patrickt's Avatar
Half-Ass Member
Visit my Photo Gallery

 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Cobra Make, Engine: ERA #732, 428FE (447 CID), TKO600, Solid Flat Tappet Cam, Tons of Aluminum
Posts: 22,005
Not Ranked     
Default

Maybe. With the two fast blow fuses removed attach two 12v test lamps, not a VOM, to the trailer relay side of the removed fuses and to a nice ground. Then repeat the test. If everything is working normally, when the key is on and the turn signal is on, the front lights will flash and the appropriate 12v test lamp will flash there in the driver's seat. With the parking lights on, the back tail lights in the car will be lit, the front parking lights will be lit, and all will remain lit when the turn signal is turned on, but only the 12v test lamps will blink along with the front turn signal light, the rear turn signal lights will not blink.

Just to double check, you do have those four temporary ground wires running to the four corners of the car, right?
Reply With Quote
  #113 (permalink)  
Old 01-26-2015, 10:16 AM
DanEC's Avatar
CC Member
Visit my Photo Gallery

 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Little Rock area, AR
Cobra Make, Engine: ERA Street Roadster #782 with 459 cu in FE KC engine, toploader, 3.31
Posts: 4,521
Not Ranked     
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by patrickt View Post
Just to double check, you do have those four temporary ground wires running to the four corners of the car, right?
No - I don't have that many alligator clips. I can work on rigging something after lunch but I can see and feel each ground connection. They are not going to get any better. I can jumper the front and rear lights together and try to run them to the battery. But I don't see any of the testing that would suggest a ground issue - under certain situations everything works 100% properly (1157 or 2357 bulbs and rear LEDs as long as parking lights are on)? I don't have any intermittent operation, I don't have any dead circuits.
__________________
ERA 782 Running
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cfge...b1-77fqwFRu7c]
Reply With Quote
  #114 (permalink)  
Old 01-26-2015, 12:29 PM
DanEC's Avatar
CC Member
Visit my Photo Gallery

 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Little Rock area, AR
Cobra Make, Engine: ERA Street Roadster #782 with 459 cu in FE KC engine, toploader, 3.31
Posts: 4,521
Not Ranked     
Default

OK - tied both sets of tail lights and front parking lights together with an auxillary ground wire and then ran wires from them to negative battery pole.

One of my test lamps was burned out so I only had one and had to substitute a VOM for the other. With the fuses out I turned the key on and then the turn signal. The test lamp flashed on the one and the VOM showed a current fluctuating with the flasher unit on the other.

I put the fuses back in and re-ran testing everything stock with the ground wires tied in. Everything still operates as described earlier - no change.

Realized I didn't test everything you said with the fuses out. Took the fuses back out - hooked up test light and VOM on fuse holder, turned on key, turned on parking lights, turned on turn signal. Front lights flashed. Test light and "VOM recorded power to tail lamp flashers. Also tried brake and got about 10.5 Volts when it was pushed. But nothing flashed at the rear.
__________________
ERA 782 Running
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cfge...b1-77fqwFRu7c]

Last edited by DanEC; 01-26-2015 at 12:38 PM..
Reply With Quote
  #115 (permalink)  
Old 01-26-2015, 01:01 PM
DanEC's Avatar
CC Member
Visit my Photo Gallery

 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Little Rock area, AR
Cobra Make, Engine: ERA Street Roadster #782 with 459 cu in FE KC engine, toploader, 3.31
Posts: 4,521
Not Ranked     
Default

I just had a thought (no snide remarks please) - the people who have chimed in on this thread and said LEDs work in their tail lights in ERAs, have the round tail light option which I believe uses 4 bulbs instead of one being a reflector. Kevens2 has round lights, I know Patrick does, I think Large Arbor does. I have the rectangular tail lights with one bulb each.

Possibly, it takes the 4 LED lights together with the front ones to create the resistence properties necessary for everything to work. Without my parking lights on there just isn't enough load in the system and something is going wrong. When I turn on my parking lights the extra load on the system brings everything on and it works fine.

Is there anyone out there who hasn't given up on this thread already, with rectangular lights and had sucess with LEDs in the tail lights.
__________________
ERA 782 Running
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cfge...b1-77fqwFRu7c]

Last edited by DanEC; 01-26-2015 at 01:04 PM..
Reply With Quote
  #116 (permalink)  
Old 01-26-2015, 01:06 PM
patrickt's Avatar
Half-Ass Member
Visit my Photo Gallery

 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Cobra Make, Engine: ERA #732, 428FE (447 CID), TKO600, Solid Flat Tappet Cam, Tons of Aluminum
Posts: 22,005
Not Ranked     
Default

I have the rectangular lights. Put everything back together, with the LEDs in the back, and REMOVE the #6 fuse. Try turning on your tail/parking lights. You shouldn't be able to because the fuse is out. Now, try your turn signals and see if they work normally.
Reply With Quote
  #117 (permalink)  
Old 01-26-2015, 01:32 PM
patrickt's Avatar
Half-Ass Member
Visit my Photo Gallery

 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Cobra Make, Engine: ERA #732, 428FE (447 CID), TKO600, Solid Flat Tappet Cam, Tons of Aluminum
Posts: 22,005
Not Ranked     
Default

Now, assuming, with Fuse #6 out of the car, and both of the two little fast blow fuses installed properly, the LED turn signal still flashes all four corners regardless of whether you're signalling left or right, then I want you to remove ONE of the fast blow fuses and try the turn signals, in both directions, and report the results.
Reply With Quote
  #118 (permalink)  
Old 01-26-2015, 01:57 PM
DanEC's Avatar
CC Member
Visit my Photo Gallery

 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Little Rock area, AR
Cobra Make, Engine: ERA Street Roadster #782 with 459 cu in FE KC engine, toploader, 3.31
Posts: 4,521
Not Ranked     
Default

Duhh - yeah guess I should see you have rectangular in your avatar. But, I think you have wired in a third brake light too - which may add some load somehow.

I'll see what happens with #6.
__________________
ERA 782 Running
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cfge...b1-77fqwFRu7c]
Reply With Quote
  #119 (permalink)  
Old 01-26-2015, 02:01 PM
patrickt's Avatar
Half-Ass Member
Visit my Photo Gallery

 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Cobra Make, Engine: ERA #732, 428FE (447 CID), TKO600, Solid Flat Tappet Cam, Tons of Aluminum
Posts: 22,005
Not Ranked     
Default

You might not have noticed this, but see if when all four corners are flashing, because you're just signalling left or right, and Fuse #6 is out of the car, look and see if the panel lights for your gauges are also blinking ever so slightly. That would be a real clue if that was occurring.
Reply With Quote
  #120 (permalink)  
Old 01-26-2015, 02:28 PM
DanEC's Avatar
CC Member
Visit my Photo Gallery

 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Little Rock area, AR
Cobra Make, Engine: ERA Street Roadster #782 with 459 cu in FE KC engine, toploader, 3.31
Posts: 4,521
Not Ranked     
Default

I pulled #6 fuse killing the parking lights. When I turned the turn signals on all 4 corners and license plate light flashed including the parking light led units in the tail lights. Turn the parking light switch on for the heck of it and there isn't any change.

Reinstalled #6 fuse and pulled one fast blow TR fuse. Key on and turn signal on - all 4 corners flash with the one TS direction. In the other direction only the front light flashes and the rear are all dark. License plate light also flashes so turn signal circuit is energized.

Pulled #6 fuse and one TR fast blow fuse, key on, parking lights off, turn signal on - all four corners flash including the parking light led units as well as the flasher ones. Flipped parking light switch on but no different.

Forgot to check with #6 fuse out but I tuned off the parking lights and turned on the turn signals and the panel lights do blink with the lights. I hadn't noticed before as I had the adjustment turned to off.

Grounds still hooked up from lights to battery.
__________________
ERA 782 Running
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cfge...b1-77fqwFRu7c]

Last edited by DanEC; 01-26-2015 at 02:36 PM..
Reply With Quote
Reply


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On



All times are GMT -7. The time now is 05:25 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.0
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Search Engine Friendly URLs by vBSEO 3.6.0
The representations expressed are the representations and opinions of the clubcobra.com forum members and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and viewpoints of the site owners, moderators, Shelby American, any other replica manufacturer, Ford Motor Company. This website has been planned and developed by clubcobra.com and its forum members and should not be construed as being endorsed by Ford Motor Company, or Shelby American or any other manufacturer unless expressly noted by that entity. "Cobra" and the Cobra logo are registered trademarks for Ford Motor Co., Inc. clubcobra.com forum members agree not to post any copyrighted material unless the copyrighted material is owned by you. Although we do not and cannot review the messages posted and are not responsible for the content of any of these messages, we reserve the right to delete any message for any reason whatsoever. You remain solely responsible for the content of your messages, and you agree to indemnify and hold us harmless with respect to any claim based upon transmission of your message(s). Thank you for visiting clubcobra.com. For full policy documentation refer to the following link: CC Policy
Links monetized by VigLink