IronDuke 4 #1 Posted February 12, 2013 Hey, i am trying to switch out my old brake lights with some new LED ones, my problem lies within the pop rivets, i drilled through them and they are still not coming out/off. any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated. by the way its an 88' 312-8 if it makes any difference. Duke Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
IronDuke 4 #2 Posted February 12, 2013 i cant believe how well built they are Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rmaynard 14,864 #3 Posted February 12, 2013 Most pop rivets used on Wheel Horse are 1/8". A 1/8" drill bit should do the trick. However, the parts diagram for your tractor shows that they were afixed with screws and nuts. You may have a larger rivets, and a larger bit may be needed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
IronDuke 4 #4 Posted February 12, 2013 thank you, i solved it by using a hammer and chisel very carefully it that worked like a charm, now i am waxing the light indents Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tankman 3,515 #5 Posted February 12, 2013 I'm puttin' new lights on my 520-8 using 10-24 x 3/4" Phillips head screws. I call them "tail" lights, a little different than "brake" lights. Oh, I'm getting so technical in my old age. The screws I'm using have the built on star (dig in type) washers. I want to be sure to get a good ground. The small nuts are locking nuts, don't want 'em shakin' off. :-) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thunderlizard 1 #6 Posted May 27, 2013 Hey Fellas~ Sorry to chime in a bit late, but i just picked up a 312-8 (1990) and am puttin some lovin on it as I learn about this beauty. She's been washed, waxed, tuned up, carb adjusted, given a front end alignment, adjusted the PTO drive belt, rebuilt the ignition switch connector, and greased every Bessed fitting I could find! Anyway, the headlights work on the 312, but I can't get teh tail lights to work! Bulbs are good, wires look good, ground looks good...just can't figure it out! Any suggestions? is ther a hidden connector somewhere? I had to rewire the ignition switch as the connector was falling apart. Spade terminals worked fine for the damaged areas. Besides that she runs wonderfully and cuts great (42" deck). Finally, what are teh 5 lights for on the dash? I got them to work, and 4 of the 5 come on (and the bottom one will flash). There's no sticker, so I'm clueleff about this one. Thanks for teh help and all the great info on this forum! I just finished printing out the owner's manual! I have a 212-5 but the electric PTO blew and the deck has a rust through spot so I didn;'t feel it was worth the $$ to fix. This is my first time on this forum. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Duff 206 #7 Posted May 27, 2013 Hi, Thunderlizard, and ! Great to have you with us! I'm shooting from memory here, but I think my taillights on my 312's were grounded through the sheet metal of the fender pan to the frame originally. I've since rewired them so I have direct connections to the light switch and the battery ground. Just a thought.... As to the lights on the dash, I'm at work and don't have my manuals here with me, but those are basically warning lights for various systems on your tractor. If yours work you're way ahead of a lot of us! Maybe one of the other members will chime in with what their configuration is, but if not I'll try to look them up for you tonight. My machines are pre-1990 and the circuit boards the lights attach to were so bad I just yanked them out and replaced the dash panels with ones that weren't predrilled for the lights. Again, welcome aboard! ~Duff Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thunderlizard 1 #8 Posted May 29, 2013 Well, I found the issue with the brake lights - the pop rivet had loosened up on ground wires, so a little "crush" with pliers, and *poof*! Lights! And regarding the dash lights, I put a volt meter on the leads and learned that they run off of 2 - 2.3 volts. SO for those who replaced bulbs with 12V (thiniking that because this is a 12V system) the bulbs woudl be too dim to see and may appear that the ircuit board doesn't work! I bought 2.5V bipin LED's from Radio Shack and it was relatively easy to solder them in. They all work perfectly, and yesterday, the emergency brake warning light did its job! (forgot it was set!) I'm lovin the dash lights! I will start another thread and post my pictures for reference. And thanks for the Welcome. Lot's of great stuff here! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
