Changed tail lights. Now car wont start...

azzatron Seriously Crusin Dubber

152 posts · joined Feb 2011 · 21 May 2011, 4:12 pm

#842069

HELP!

Switched tail light assembly over this afternoon, tested blinkers etc after I did it and all worked fine.

Went to start the car 5 minutes ago (a couple hours after I installed the lights), and now it wont start at all. No lights on the dash etc.
I had a look at the fuses under the dash and couldn't see anything that was blown.

I also tried jump starting the car but no luck either.

Can someone suggest something else I can look out for?
This had to happen the day before the Nationals ofcourse.

Oh, below are pics of the connectors on one of the lights on my old assembly and one from the new one. One of my new lights has extra connectors it seems. I have no idea what to do with them? could they be the cause of this?

Old light:

New light (connectors circled in red) :

Any help is appreciated!!

__my '65 1500s notch project__

h fractals - an ever changing lifestyle

7,671 posts · joined Feb 2005 · 21 May 2011, 4:23 pm

#842074

ok get a multi meter n see if the battery is still alive as it may have died..
did u leave the lights on after the job testing that they work n then went and drank beer..
that what i do often..

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greedy53 Bishop of Volkswagenism

3,062 posts · joined Mar 2006 · 21 May 2011, 4:41 pm

#842078

yep check battery do the easy stuff first if thats ok than pull each light wire of untill something happens also check that the terminals are tight

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azzatron Seriously Crusin Dubber

152 posts · joined Feb 2011 · 21 May 2011, 4:42 pm

#842079

Cheers h.
Don't have a working multi meter unfortunately. Had a basic one sitting around for years. Went to use it earlier today the found out parts are missing.

Could the weird connectors on the back of my new light have something to do with the problem?
Also are there any other fuses around the car I can check besides under the dash?

thanks

__my '65 1500s notch project__

h fractals - an ever changing lifestyle

7,671 posts · joined Feb 2005 · 21 May 2011, 4:46 pm

#842080

check all fuses then
then if no luck n no multi meter swap back to old lights n see if it works
n if so prob with new light assemblies maybe

fractal geometry; the inner most limits of mind altering abuse

Fantasy http://seventhchronicle.com

Z = Z2 + C1/r = 1/0 = infinity

Barrels www.barrelman.com.au

VW Workshop - aircooledgarage.com.au
allcooled.com.au

azzatron Seriously Crusin Dubber

152 posts · joined Feb 2011 · 21 May 2011, 4:54 pm

#842081

Ok well there seems to be power in the battery.. When taking the jump leads off they touched slightly and sparked.
I'm going back over the fuses under the dash but they all seem to be perfectly normal.
Will install the old assemblies now I guess.

__my '65 1500s notch project__

VolksVair Officially Full-On Dubber

252 posts · joined Apr 2010 · 21 May 2011, 4:56 pm

#842082

If your battery is absolutely so flat that the dash lights dont light up, well push starting wont work either, as someone previously stated, You have obviously left the lights on while you went walkabout for a couple of hours, got a battery charger??

Adventure Before Dimentia

azzatron Seriously Crusin Dubber

152 posts · joined Feb 2011 · 21 May 2011, 5:20 pm

#842083

VolksVair wrote:If your battery is absolutely so flat that the dash lights dont light up, well push starting wont work either, as someone previously stated, You have obviously left the lights on while you went walkabout for a couple of hours, got a battery charger??

If the battery was that flat would it still spark when touching ends of the jumper cable?(like it did) I don't know a hell of a lot about batteries. Cheers

__my '65 1500s notch project__

h fractals - an ever changing lifestyle

7,671 posts · joined Feb 2005 · 21 May 2011, 6:12 pm

#842089

yep if the batt was flat n not enuff cranking amps etc it will spark still a wee bit but not enuff to run it prolly..
if it is DEAD flat u get nuthin
multimeter try n bum one off a mate or something or rip it out n charge it up for a few hours n see how you go..
sounds like battery to me

fractal geometry; the inner most limits of mind altering abuse

Fantasy http://seventhchronicle.com

Z = Z2 + C1/r = 1/0 = infinity

Barrels www.barrelman.com.au

VW Workshop - aircooledgarage.com.au
allcooled.com.au

azzatron Seriously Crusin Dubber

152 posts · joined Feb 2011 · 21 May 2011, 6:54 pm

#842095

Cheers h.
Yeah it's on a charger at the moment, will connect it up in a few hours and see if i get any dash lights at all (and see if it starts too).

The thing that's weird though is I 100% didn't leave the blinkers on after testing them. I know this because I tested the lights before I put the plastic covers back on. I spend another 10 minutes fitting the covers and cleaning them and never saw the blinkers operate. I also made an effort to check this specifically as I've left lights on once before and didn't want to make the same mistake.
Is it possible for a bad connection to drain the battery etc? I know jack shit about electrics.
Anyway, hopefully it's just a flat battery.

__my '65 1500s notch project__