| Requesting Help with Ramco Mirrors Blinkers Wiring [message #231940] |
Sun, 01 December 2013 20:41  |
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SteveW
Messages: 538
Registered: June 2005
Location: Southern California - Ora...
Karma: 1
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Greetings All -
Thank you in advance for your help and suggestions.
I spent some time today installing a new set of Ramco mirrors... Great project. I'll leave out the part about the PO using 9/16" bolts in the 1/2" rivnuts for two holes... (socket head sizes)
I got the controls to work just fine - exactly per the wiring diagram.
I expected the blinker / marker lights to be a simple circuit - just parallel connections to the front blinkers or the side markers. So I tapped the black and white wires from the mirrors' lights to the marker lights.
BLOWN FUSE on the "Tales" circuit. when I turn on the marker lights.
When I reverse my tapped connections - no blinkers !!
So... I'm led to conclude that the two wires to the side lights are NOT power and ground. One must be the running lights circuit and one must be the blinkers circuit. I don't understand where these lights are getting grounded...
So the real question is: what's the proper wiring for the black and white lights wires from the Ramco mirror arms ??
Thanks again,
Steve W
Southern California
1973 23'
Steve W
1973 : 23'
Southern California
[Updated on: Sun, 01 December 2013 21:08] Report message to a moderator |
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| Re: Requesting Help with Ramco Mirrors Blinkers Wiring [message #231944 is a reply to message #231940] |
Sun, 01 December 2013 21:06  |
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mike miller
Messages: 3576
Registered: February 2004
Location: Hillsboro, Oregon
Karma: 0
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| SteveW wrote on Sun, 01 December 2013 18:41 |
...
So... I'm led to conclude that the two wires to the side lights are NOT power and ground. One must be the running lights circuit and one must be the blinkers circuit. I don't understand where these lights are getting grounded...
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I might not be able to say exactly how to wire your mirrors, but I do know how the front sidelights work.
The front side lights are wired between the "hots" of both the blinkers and the running (marker) lights. They get their ground THROUGH the other lights. The theory is that when you place two lights (same voltage) in series, only the light lowest in wattage lights up. (Granted it doesn't light as brightly as if connected directly to ground.)
So when you turn on the blinkers, the front side light gets its ground through all the other marker lights. As the combined wattage of all the other lights is greater than the one side light, the side light is the only bulb to light up. The light blinks WITH the blinkers.
With no blinkers, when you turn on the marker lights, the front side light gets its ground through the all the blinker blubs on that side. (front/read and dash light.) Again the combined wattage of all the other bulbs is greater than the one side light, the side light is the only bulb to light up. So it is ON with the marker lights.
With the marker light lit and you turn on the blinkers, the front side light LOOSES its ground through the blinker bulbs every time the blinkers come on. So the side light blinks OPPOSITE the blinkers.
As the current flow is reversed, depending on what system is powered, this system doesn't work easily with LED's. There ARE ways to keep this behavior but.. beyond the scope of a simple answer. 
Does this help?
Mike Miller -- Hillsboro, OR -- on the Black list
(#2)`78 23' Birchaven Rear Bath -- (#3)`77 23' Birchaven Side Bath
More Sidekicks than GMC's and a late model Malibu called 'Boo'
http://m000035.blogspot.com
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| Re: Requesting Help with Ramco Mirrors Blinkers Wiring [message #231946 is a reply to message #231940] |
Sun, 01 December 2013 21:15 |
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SteveW
Messages: 538
Registered: June 2005
Location: Southern California - Ora...
Karma: 1
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Thank you Mike !!
Yes - that helps tremendously.. and makes sense too.
I've revise my work to tap elsewhere.
Sounds like one wire from the mirrors lights is a ground and the other is hot - either from the blinker circuit or the marker lights circuit. Depending on the desire for the mirrors light to be a blinker or a marker.
Can I still tap from the side marker lights or might that screw up the "other lights grounds" circuitry ??
That'll be tomorrow evenings' project.
Refreshments are my treat when we find each other in the same place at the same time. 
Steve W
Southern California
1973 23'
Steve W
1973 : 23'
Southern California
[Updated on: Sun, 01 December 2013 21:44] Report message to a moderator |
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| Re: Requesting Help with Ramco Mirrors Blinkers Wiring [message #231954 is a reply to message #231946] |
Sun, 01 December 2013 23:42 |
Bullitthead
Messages: 1411
Registered: November 2013
Karma: 5
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The brown wire to the marker light is the parking light power, same as elsewhere in the GM wiring kingdom. The other wire (dark blue)is the ground through the turn signal filament that Mike referred to. This wire will ground your additional lights when the parking lights are on and will be positive with every flash of the turn signal. So when the signal comes on, the marker light goes off, like Mike said. You can hook up LEDs to the brown wire for positive and the blue wire for negative and they will behave just like the marker lights. If you don't want them to flash with the marker lights, just use the brown wire for power and run the negative lead to a good ground. You cannot ground the dark blue wire going to the marker light because you will pop the fuse, like you did. I do not have the Ramco mirrors, but I do have LED lights powered by the marker lights. The ground wire for the lights in your mirrors is probably tied to the mirror structure inside the unit and that's why you blew the fuse when it was hooked up backward.
Terry Kelpien
ASE Master Technician
73 Glacier 260
Smithfield, Va.
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| Re: [GMCnet] Requesting Help with Ramco Mirrors Blinkers Wiring [message #231955 is a reply to message #231954] |
Mon, 02 December 2013 01:21 |
Mr ERFisher
Messages: 7117
Registered: August 2005
Karma: 2
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these links might help
http://gmcmotorhome.info/chassis.html#MARKER
gene
On Sun, Dec 1, 2013 at 9:42 PM, Terry <mrbullitt@verizon.net> wrote:
>
>
> The brown wire to the marker light is the parking light power, same as
> elsewhere in the GM wiring kingdom. The other wire (dark blue)is the ground
> through the turn signal filament that Mike referred to. This wire will
> ground your additional lights when the parking lights are on and will be
> positive with every flash of the turn signal. So when the signal comes on,
> the marker light goes off, like Mike said. You can hook up LEDs to the
> brown wire for positive and the blue wire for negative and they will behave
> just like the marker lights. If you don't want them to flash with the
> marker lights, just use the brown wire for power and run the negative lead
> to a good ground. You cannot ground the dark blue wire going to the marker
> light because you will pop the fuse, like you did. I do not have the Ramco
> mirrors, but I do have LED lights powered by the marker lights. The ground
> wire for the lights in your mirrors is probably tied to the mirror
> structure inside the unit and that's why
> you blew the fuse when it was hooked up backward.
> --
> Terry Kelpien
> 73 Glacier 260
> Smithfield, Va.
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
>
--
Gene Fisher -- 74-23,77PB/ore/ca
“Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today --- give him a URL and
-------
http://gmcmotorhome.info/
Alternator Protection Cable
http://gmcmotorhome.info/APC.html
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| Re: Requesting Help with Ramco Mirrors Blinkers Wiring [message #231969 is a reply to message #231940] |
Mon, 02 December 2013 11:16 |
midlf
Messages: 2212
Registered: July 2007
Location: SE Wisc. (Palmyra)
Karma: 1
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| SteveW wrote on Sun, 01 December 2013 20:41 |
I expected the blinker / marker lights to be a simple circuit - just parallel connections to the front blinkers or the side markers. So I tapped the black and white wires from the mirrors' lights to the marker lights.
BLOWN FUSE on the "Tales" circuit. when I turn on the marker lights.
When I reverse my tapped connections - no blinkers !!
So... I'm led to conclude that the two wires to the side lights are NOT power and ground. One must be the running lights circuit and one must be the blinkers circuit. I don't understand where these lights are getting grounded...
So the real question is: what's the proper wiring for the black and white lights wires from the Ramco mirror arms ??
Thanks again,
Steve W
Southern California
1973 23'
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I had the same problem with my Ramco's. One is hot, one is ground (I don't recall which was which as I type.) However the negative one is also grounded to the mirror mount. They cannot be used to parallel the front marker lights.
I chose to make my Ramco lights act as turn signals only, and converted the front side marker light to be marker only with no turn signal function.
Steve Southworth
1974 Glacier TZE064V100150 (for workin on)
1975 Transmode TZE365V100394 (parts & spares)
Palmyra WI
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| Re: Requesting Help with Ramco Mirrors Blinkers Wiring [message #231971 is a reply to message #231969] |
Mon, 02 December 2013 11:44 |
Bullitthead
Messages: 1411
Registered: November 2013
Karma: 5
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Senior Member |
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Steve found out the negative lead of the Ramco is tied to the body of it, so if you want the lights in the mirror to flash with the turn signals you can wire the positive lead from the mirror to the wire at the marker light that goes positive with the turn signal flash (not the brown wire), and connect the negative from the mirror to ground. Then the mirror light will only light with the turn signal and will not be lit any other time.
Terry Kelpien
ASE Master Technician
73 Glacier 260
Smithfield, Va.
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| Re: [GMCnet] Requesting Help with Ramco Mirrors Blinkers Wiring [message #232853 is a reply to message #232828] |
Tue, 10 December 2013 17:55 |
Bullitthead
Messages: 1411
Registered: November 2013
Karma: 5
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Senior Member |
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Jim,
Thanks for the info, I already knew how to wire them, or virtually anything on a vehicle for that matter. I am apparently the electrical guru in the local area, the auto shops I've worked at always seem to send their electrical problems to me. Sometimes it's a curse when it comes to older vehicles that someone has already monkeyed with...you know, twined wires and masking tape and wire nuts on stranded wire, that type of thing. Wires run from the battery through the firewall with a fuse on the INSIDE, fuses wrapped with gum wrappers etc.
I wired my LEDS to the marker lights so I can have them flash with the turn signals or have them on steady with the parking lights or have them on without the parking lights, and even put a dimmer in the circuit. My LEDS are not in mirrors and not grounded, but if they were I would have done what you described to get around that obstacle. I'll have to get a pic of them on the photo site soon if I can find it on one of 5 computers.
I thought Glenn was requesting wiring diagrams for the coach and I found that link from Bdub on that GMC site, but I never went to it.
It was all kinds of fun when the PO of my coach had wired one side of the 220 volt breaker box to the ground of the water heater! Fortunately, nobody touched the RV in the rain after I had hooked up the proper power supply. I chased that voltage through every 110 circuit until I finally ended up at the water heater...I guess it had already been replaced by the dingus boys, as I had to fabricate a new mounting scenario for it too...it was being held up by the plumbing connections!
Just some more adventures in GMCing!
Terry Kelpien
ASE Master Technician
73 Glacier 260
Smithfield, Va.
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