Re: Vintage Electrical Problem - Sonett Taillights - Saab Sonett Bulletin Board - Saabnet.com
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Re: Vintage Electrical Problem - Sonett Taillights
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Posted by juanm [Email] (#201) [Profile/Gallery] (more from juanm) on Sun, 24 Sep 2017 16:55:20 Share Post by Email
In Reply to: Vintage Electrical Problem - Sonett Taillights, Scott Paterson [Profile/Gallery] , Sat, 16 Sep 2017 11:02:17
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I just had the same issue you did. I bought my Sonett about seven months ago. Electrical issues were everywhere. I had various sizes of fuses ranging from 8AMp to 25AMP!!! Electrical problems like yours (and mine) are to be expected from cars that are old and/or have been in storage for some time. Oxidation, bad connections, bad wiring, mice and other issues caused my problems. here is what to do:
1. Find your nearest harbor freight tools store (cheap stuff both in price and quality but the tools get the job done) or find a similar store.
2. Buy a cheap VOM electrical meter. something you can check for voltage across a circuit. Easy to use, very necessary to determine where is a circuit you loose power.
3. Buy some Contact Cleaner, get a pencil with an eraser and get some very fine sandpaper and even an emery board;
3.clean every electrical connection and contact using the eraser where appropriate - use it to erase the dirt away. yOu could even use the emery board or a strip of the fine grit sandpaper to clean the contacts. Then use the Contact Cleaner, use it liberally. The wiring harness to the back lights is goes through two connectors above each wheel. Take it apart and spray each side. clean the contacts whatever way you can.
4. Remember that you have to have a good source of power and a good GROUND. Without both, the lights don't work. Check for power across the fuse, check for power at the harness connector in the trunk BEFORE the lights. Check the wiring to see if it is not frayed and is grounding out (or perhaps some small critters chewed on the wires).
5. If you have power at the harness connector now proceed to the lights. check for voltage here. Check ground. the battery is in the trunk so run a wire directly to the ground on the battery to make certain that you have a ground going to the lights.
6. Check the bulbs. I have bought new bulbs only to find they died on the way home or were dead to begin with.
7. There are only two wires that are needed to make the lights light up. A positive and negative. So figure out what isn't working, the fuses, the wiring, the connectors, the bulbs, the ground or whatever. it is not hard to do.
8. perhaps you do need new contacts in the rear lighting fixture but you can easily get some strips of copper and attach them to replace what you have.
8. it has been said that every six months you should roll your fuses to make certain that they are not getting oxidized and not make contact. No contact no electricity.

It's simple but frustrating to solve this problem and it takes a bunch of time, sometimes. I know I was in your place three months ago.

Good luck.

where are you located?


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