Hidden wires to dead light fixture

Rmack1 wrote:

Bumpyroad wrote:
I'd look into prying up the floor of that cabinet to see where the wires lead and how you can fix situation. you can always put another thin bottom board into that cabinet to cover the hole you make. if you can't pry it at all, just cut a hole in the floor directly above the lamp mounting area.
are there multiple switches that control that light? perhaps bad switch?
bumpy

Wow. I'd have to grit my teeth to tear up that nice cherry wood cabinetry. I was going to take off the CD player/radio and see if I could get at the wires where the splice might be failing. Going to be challenging, because the flat screen TV is mounted right in the way. Oh well, good thing I'm retired!

I'm assuming that this is an enclosed cabinet over the table that when you put another piece of wood/masonite/etc down and put "stuff" in cabinet that it won't even be seen?
bumpy

I cursed and I sweated as I used plastic conduit in Quicksilver. What a nightmare forming bulkheads and cabinets around the tubing and pulling twice the amount of color coded wire I'd ever need. It's posts like this that help to soothe still-touchy nerves even after 30+ years. I learned fast, building commercial trawlers.

Not sure which model you have - 2104S? Below is a pic of slide area - shows 1 light in the slide. Is this it?

Is there a separate switch or integral with the light(s)? As mentioned, first suspect would be a splice that has gone bad. They don't exactly do a good job at the plants of twisting stranded wires together along with a wire nut. If there are no other 12 volt problems, it would most likely be a splice problem, then damaged wires.

If the light is in the slide, look for the wiring under the slide. There may be a junction box that is accessible. Check for a bad splice and power there. There will be a flex arm thingy that lets the wire move as the slide goes in and out. See if anything is damaged there. Try pulling the wire out from behind the light. Sometimes there is a lot of excess wire that gets shoved in behind the light and there could be a spice in there. Same with the switch.

I don't think there will be much to gain by pulling the radio out to access wiring. There is no rhyme or reason how they run 12 volt wiring and the slide light could be connected to a 12 volt circuit feeding other items anywhere.

enblethen wrote:
Radio could be fed off that circuit.

That's what I was thinking. The problem is that corner is going to be a bear to get to. Oh, well.

Radio could be fed off that circuit.

enblethen wrote:
Odds are the problem is not the wire, but a splice. Quite often a splice is made and a short pigtail comes out to the fixtures.
My guess would be the fixture or device prior to your bad fixture is where your issue is. Is there another fixture close by? Can you identify whether it is the ground or positive lead that is open?
Did your original fixture have wires connected t it or was the fixture socket/switch connected to the wire?

Thank you, that was very helpful. I think the wiring has to be over by all the other wires and the CD player/radio. I'm going to take pictures, but March Madness is in full swing right now here in usually sunny SoCal, and it's raining like mad. I'm waiting it out.

Bumpyroad wrote:
I'd look into prying up the floor of that cabinet to see where the wires lead and how you can fix situation. you can always put another thin bottom board into that cabinet to cover the hole you make. if you can't pry it at all, just cut a hole in the floor directly above the lamp mounting area.
are there multiple switches that control that light? perhaps bad switch?
bumpy

Wow. I'd have to grit my teeth to tear up that nice cherry wood cabinetry. I was going to take off the CD player/radio and see if I could get at the wires where the splice might be failing. Going to be challenging, because the flat screen TV is mounted right in the way. Oh well, good thing I'm retired!

I'd look into prying up the floor of that cabinet to see where the wires lead and how you can fix situation. you can always put another thin bottom board into that cabinet to cover the hole you make. if you can't pry it at all, just cut a hole in the floor directly above the lamp mounting area.
are there multiple switches that control that light? perhaps bad switch?
bumpy

Odds are the problem is not the wire, but a splice. Quite often a splice is made and a short pigtail comes out to the fixtures.
My guess would be the fixture or device prior to your bad fixture is where your issue is. Is there another fixture close by? Can you identify whether it is the ground or positive lead that is open?
Did your original fixture have wires connected t it or was the fixture socket/switch connected to the wire?

junction box is on the frame if its in a slide