Cargo light questions

[1972]

The light on back of the cab.

With the switch in one position both contacts have voltage and will light my cheapo test light fairly bright. Then I flip the switch the other way and only one contact will light the light, and not nearly as bright as before.

Is this normal?
Anyone have a schematic?
What is the part number for the bulb?

Thanks.

[rauto13]

on my cargo light, there are two wires to it, a power and ground, not sure what the wire colors are, but I think my switch was also just an on/off switch. I have moved the switch and done some rewiring and run a toggle switch, to make it come on one way with the doors open and the other way anytime I turn on the switch. How many wires run to your cargo light and what colors are they? Is the switch an on/off/on?

I'll try to look and see what wires run to mine and which bulb I have in it.

[Longhorn Man]

Off the top of my head, I can't recall; the bulb number...something goofey...just toss an 1156 (back up bulb) in there and it'll be fine.
The cargo is run off the done light. If the dome light is not turned on, the cargo light will not turn on. Also, a stick in the spokes of the train of thought with most ppl, the switch, is actually in the negitive...not the positive. I can't remember off the top of my head, but I'd bet a punch in the gut that the orange is power, and the white is switched ground.
So you have a hot orange and a switched ground going to the dome light.
The power then goes to the second switch. The one mounted just below the dome light. This is the off and on switch for the cargo light...however, all it does is permit the light to come on with the dome light...or not let it come on at all.
I haven't messed with a cargo light on these rigs in about 5 years or so....maybe only 4, so I can't tell you about your test light testing results. However...the way I would say to test it...assuming your dome light is working properly... Stick the probe on one wire, and the ground on the other wire. Turn on the dome light. If the test light does not light up, then make sure the slide switch that is under the dome light is in the on position....or just simply slide it to the position it is not in.
If the light comes on, and turns off with both the slider switch and then also the dome light switch, then everything is A-OK...if the light still doesn't work, but the testing outlined here comes out good..then the problem is in the cargo light assembly its self.
if the light is glowing in an odd disturbing way, then your cargo light assembly is probably grounded instead of mounted in the insulating rubber covered hardware that is it supposed to be mounted with.



If I confused you, let me know what part and i'll try to put it in terms that you can understand...I only say that becouse I actually confuse myself trying to put throughs or instructions down on paper.

[1972]

Thanks for the replies. I'll have to wait until it stops raining to mess with it again, but I'll check it out with a voltmeter and also check the wire colors. I want to hook it up so the dome light can be "off" and the cargo light "on".

1156 bulb? The socket in the fixture takes a bulb with the retaining pins(?) directly across from each other instead of stagered like an 1157 bulb, but it has two electical contacts whereas the 1156 has only one, if I remember correctly.

[Longhorn Man]

hmmm... well, like I said, it has been a few years, and I don't have access to my cargo light stuff, it's all at *her* house.

[Goose]

Here's the way mine works. Cargo light switch on - cargo light comes on when the door is opened. Or, cargo light switch is on and headlight switch is rotated to put the dome light on then cargo light stays with dome light with door shut. I don't have an option that only has the cargo light on and not the dome light. I don't have the bulb number. I'll check it later -if you don't have it already.