Front running lights keep shorting. Need advice

[Jemo]

Well, I've almost fixed all the little wiring gremlins in my '59 but have one thing that I've not sure what to do next. I have the AAW Highway 15 harness. Everything is working. Here is what's happening.

The front and rear running lights come on as they're supposed to. Turn off and on, no problem but I keep smelling a burning smell. Seems to only be coming from the passenger side front light. At one point I saw smoke. I took it off and can smell the burn odor in the housing. The grille is well grounded to the painted panel in a spot with bare metal and a star washer. The dim filament comes on with the running lights. The light receptacle gets very hot and is burning the rubber boot. I checked the wires going all the way back and there are no nicks or cuts in the wiring and it's wrapped in loom. Today I noticed it was working fine and I wiggled the wires going into the back of the housing and it blew the fuse instantly. This is the third fuse I've blown trying to figure this out.

Does the housing itself need a separate, dedicated ground? Any other ideas. As of now, just the brown wire and turn signal wire are going into the housing.

Thanks a bunch.

[OrrieG]

I would replace the lamp socket, sounds like an intermittent short is occuring, wriggling is the clue.

[mr48chev]

To add to what Orrie said, check the wires where they go through the socket, you either have a bare spot that intermittently makes contact or the contact terminal on the end of the wire has something going that is causing it to short out. The spring in the socket could be out of place and making contact with the wire but I think the spring would have burned in two by now.

Take the bulb out of the socket and you should be able to push the wires though the socket far enough to see the back side of them. If the wires are bad you can get replacement pigtails at most parts houses.

[Jemo]

ok, ok....wow, you were right. The spring did break into 2 pieces. I didn't even notice. Are you saying the cardboard wafer that the two contacts sit in might be bad? I'm borderline with electric stuff so still not quite understanding what is shorting. I can still smell the scorched smell but don't really see any black or burn marks.