'47 Foglamp operation

[MartinC]

Can someone explain how these should operate please? My handbook does not mention them at all.

I'm guessing that the Foglamps and sidelamps use a 'one or the other' system? i.e. when the light switch is pulled out either the fogs or the parking lamps illuminate depending on whether the foglamp knob is turned to the left or to the right, and that it isn ot possible to have both lit?

At the moment I have the small upper bulbs lit but not the larger central bulb. The filaments look okay but not lighting. The second filament of the large centre bulb is flashing as a turn signal. Is that right? It's not very bright and flashes quickly and only briefly. Also, the tell-tale on the dash only flashes once when they are turned on and doesn't continue. Any ideas why?

The rear indicators (turn signals!) are very dim too.

[Bill Ingler #7799]

Hi Martin: Your 47 fog lamp Assembly should have 2 bulbs. A 1022 bulb which is a dual filament bulb. One filament is for the directional signal and the other half of the bulb is for the fog lamp. The small bulb in the upper part of the reflector is a 55 bulb and is the parking lamp. If you have the headlamp switch properly wired then when you pull out the headlamp switch knob to the first postion only, your front and rear parking lamps are lite. Pulling the headlamp knob out to the first position also makes your fog lamp switch hot. Turn the fog lamp knob and you will have the fog lamp bulb lite. Now if you pull out the headlamp switch knob all the way out you will have head lamps on but the fog lights are out. You can never have both head lights and fog lights on at the same time.

As for the dim lights, I would start checking to make sure your taillight  bulb assemblies are properly grounded. Make sure your 1022 bulb has good ground. Take out the 1022 bulb and make sure the bulb is making a good contact with the receptacle. The receptacle has 3 contact points with small springs. All need to be clean for a good ground.
NOW A WORD OF CAUTION ON REMOVING THE 1022 BULB. DO NOT GRAB THE BULB HIGH WHEN YOU PUSH AND TURN THE BULB TO REMOVE. What this does when you hold the bulb high to turn is it puts too much torque stress on the small part of the glass and it can break the bulb. There goes $25-30 out the widow. Grab the bulb as low as you can and push in and gently turn at the same time.If you have not had the bulb out recently, squirt the 3 contact points on the bulb flange with some penetrating oil and let set before trying to remove the bulb.   Have fun   Bill

[MartinC]

Hello Bob,

Thanks for the advice. It does indeed have the two bulbs.
Not having both headlamps and fog lamps at once is very odd, but is probably more to do with the low output of the generator!

So should it be possible to have both front parking lamps and fog lamps lit simultaneously?

The fog lamps are in good clean order and I've had all four bulbs out without issue.

[Bill Ingler #7799]

Martin: The front parking lamps get their power through position 2 on the headlight switch. Fog lamps get their power from the same postion 2. Anytime the head lamp switch knob is pulled to the first position, the front parking lights come on and I said before, power is now hot to the fog lamp switch. Turn the fog lamp switch knob to on and now you have both fog lamps on as well as both front parking lights. Now pull out the head light switch all the way and power is no longer directed to postion 2 of the head light switch so no front parking lamps nor fog lamps. Head lights are wired through postion 4 on the light switch and this position on the head light switch only gets power when the switch knob is pulled all the way out. Tail lights are wired through postion 3 and that has power anytime the headlight switch is in the first or the full on postion. Stop lights through postion 7 which is always hot regardless of the postion of the headlamp knob.    Bill

[MartinC]

Thanks Bill, I'll get that checked out.

At the moment when the Fog switch is rotated the front parking lamps extinguish. There are 3 wires to the Fog switch so I had assumed they were power in, then out to either parking lamps or fogs, depending on direction of rotation, but not both. I'd have expected only two wires for the on/off system you describe.

Also very odd that you cannot have Fogs and headlamps at the same time!

[Glen]

It is my understanding that in fog conditions normal headlights produce a lot of reflection off the fog making it hard to see the road.  Fog lights are mounted low with a different pattern to reduce the reflection and light the road ahead. 

With that in mind it would not make sense to have both fog and head lights on at the same time. 

Many people seem to think fog and driving lights are the same.  Driving lights have a different pattern lighting the road further than normal headlights.