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1950 Chrysler Windsor Questions


Guest DanSully

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Guest DanSully

Hi all, new here. I have a question that you may be able to help with, 1950 Chrysler Windsor Highlander, actually two questions.

1. My interior lights have decided to stay on. I have checked all door jam switches, and still on, any ideas?

2. My wipers up and stopped working. I can seemed to find anything anywhere regarding the wiper motors on these cars.

Background on car: 36,055 miles on the car, its like looking at a new car other than a stained headliner and soon to be upholstered seats.

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Regarding your first question....does the light switch turn to brighten the dash lights? If so, they may have been turned one notch too many. Some cars had a switch that operated the dash lights and interior lights. Try and turn the knob to the left a little bit and see if the dome light goes out.

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Hi all, new here. I have a question that you may be able to help with, 1950 Chrysler Windsor Highlander, actually two questions.

1. My interior lights have decided to stay on. I have checked all door jam switches, and still on, any ideas?

2. My wipers up and stopped working. I can seemed to find anything anywhere regarding the wiper motors on these cars.

Background on car: 36,055 miles on the car, its like looking at a new car other than a stained headliner and soon to be upholstered seats.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]277079[/ATTACH]

Question #1 - Look on the door center post on the drivers side - check passenger side, too. Usually there is a slide switch to control the interior lights. That may be in the on position.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Guest DanSully

Thanks everybody. I have checked everything. Even replaced the panel switch for the lights. Good news is my shop repair manual came in today. I will start digging into it. Looking at the electrical schematics, looks fairly simple, not many points of failure in this car. Unlike today's cars. One question I have is can these breakers be stuck in the on position? Or stuck in the trip? I ask because the previous owner at one point stuck a 12v battery in it for about an hour. When I aquired the car more than on item needed replaced. I am done with all the replacements except this interior light issue and wiper issue. Any advice or help would be great. My background in cars, is building 70s and 80s hot rods. Now that I am approaching 50 years old. I want to slow down and have a real classic. This 50 chrysler is a different animal. When I came across this windsor I could not pass it up. 36 thousand miles and had been setting in a garage since 71. The 22 year old kid inherited it 2 months ago when his grandfather died and wanted my almost complete 91 mustang on an even trade. Told him give me 15 minutes to go home and get my title. Hehe. Any way that is the background.

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You will need to get a manual or wiring diagram (especially if the wiring is modified). The factory manual is not particularly expensive or hard to get, they made thousands of them (one for each dealer) and there are still lots around, usually under $100 on Ebay or auto flea markets.

Then take your test light or multi meter and start testing. Is electricity getting to the wiper motor? The wiper switch gets its power directly from the back of the ammeter through a 10 amp breaker that also serves the backup lamp. So if the backup lamp is working chances are power is getting to the wiper switch.

#12 red wire is the power wire. Are you getting power?

#16 Black is ground

#16 Red is low speed

#16 Green is hi speed, if I am reading the diagram correctly. There are other details to it, like a resistor to control the low speed. It should be on or near the wiper motor.

The breakers are trouble free, don't think they stick, but if one did, a few taps with a screw driver handle should jar it loose. If power is getting to one side and not coming out the other you will know there is a problem.

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The wiring diagram shows power going directly to the dome light and then, grounding through any one of 4 door switches, the switch on the pillar, or the instrument light switch. If any of the wires after the dome light is grounding, it is the same as the switch being on. You will have to test all the switches and wires or, just take out the bulb for now.

You do know that the light will be on as long as one door is open, the door pillar switch is on, or the instrument light switch is on?

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Guest DanSully

Update

Wiper motor, no back up lights so it appears no power to the switch. So may question would be where is this 8 amp breaker be? Is it something I can get to from under the dash?

Interior lights.

It seems to me by this schematic, that the dome light is separate from the map light and is operated by the rear door switches and the switch on the pillar. Is this right? If so, it may be the switch that is stuck in the on position. I removed the door switches and the light remains on. So I will disconnect the switch, if light goes off I have the point of failure. Am I thinking correctly here?

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Yes the dome light operates separately. If the ground side of the light is grounded, the light will be on. There are 5 switches, 4 operated by the doors and 1 hand switch on the door post. A short in any of them will make the light light up.

You are correct, if the light goes off you have found the problem.

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On some models of 1950 chryslers... mainly the upper line cars the front map lights are controlled by the front A-pillar door switches and also the "PANEL" dash dimmer control switch.

Turning it CCW from straight up will turn on the front lower compartment map lights on 4 doors if the car has this type of switch.

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Edited by c49er (see edit history)
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Guest DanSully

C 49er, it does not have this type. So I have removed the switches all at the same time. Lights are still on. I am gonna pause on the.light issue before I give myself a migraine.

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OK...Yes Time to take a break from it!

One note... the correct type/style and # of dome and map light bulbs need to be installed properly-the one in the roof and one on the left and right sides of dash.

The drivers side Map/E-brake warning light should be a dual wire light bulb socket and uses a #1158 bulb that needs to be indexed correctly so as to make the higher candle powewarning light blink when the key and the hand brake is pulled on.

The right side single wire map light requires the 1129 six volt bulb.

Use a 1158 six volt bulb for the left side map and e-brake warning light if the socket is a two wire socket. This is a common option on 1950 chryslers.

Bob

Edited by c49er (see edit history)
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As rusty and you probably know the 8 amp 3/4" X 1" little metal breaker box with two stud terminals needs power to it to feed the wiper motor and the back up lights.

It gets power from the accessory terminal of the ignition switch. If it has power to it then an ohm test needs to be done to check the 8 amp breaker.

I have never seen one burn out.

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Guest DanSully

Ok,

Wiper problem solved. Bad breaker. Have NOS breaker on the way.

The light situation I am waiting on bulbs. I will give you an update as soon as I get the bulbs.

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I have to make a correction on the left side dual wire type map and emergency brake light bulb requirement. The shop manual calls for a #1110 6 volt bulb. 21/21 CP even bayonet style.

Good luck ever finding one of those now days cheap. One of my cars has a #1002 in it and it works fine and the other car has a 1154 with one index tab filed off! It works fine too.

I have to leave it up to you to figure yours out if you even have the dual left side map and brake light. All this might not apply at all as for your front map lights staying on.

A door switch is grounded as mentioned, the yellow wire grounded or someone re-wired the map light system wrong at some time.

Get a factory shop manual too-that would be a good thing to have.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 7 months later...
Guest bwolfy

Fun that I found this thread!  I bought this car from DanSully back in June!  Awesome car.  Truly a gem.  Awesome guy.

 

Just to close the loop on the dome light.  I just had to put in the correct bulb.  The correct bulb must be a dual contact non base grounding bulb.  

 

The important bulb number is 1130 for the dome light.  

 

Most of the other bulbs ground at the base, this would close the circuit and thus the light would be on the whole time.  

 

Here are some more pics.  

IMG_0448_zps8an5mkoh.jpgIMG_0446_zpsp94a67qz.jpgIMG_0447_zpscro3k0ve.jpgIMG_0444_zpsptcqyanj.jpgIMG_0445_zpsqavxwusm.jpgIMG_0443_zpshgsor95x.jpgIMG_0442_zpsllfe7mlx.jpg

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Guest bwolfy

Thanks!  Not sure Dan put these on.  I love them.  Glad that he did this.  He put on the brand new coker tires as well.

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Guest bwolfy

I see you have a Plymouth or Dodge  clutch pedal on your car.

The original clutch pedal will have  Safety Clutch moulded into  it.

Your brake pedal is turned sideways also. The lines in it should be vertical... just FYI :)

Wow great eye!  Thanks.  I may have to order one of those clutches.  Thank you!

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