easyriderknucklehead

I have no tail lights in my 1965 c2 but the brake lights and signals both do work!!
I did have headlights and marker lights up front but now after re-building the headlight motors and trying to align the buckets I now have no headlights anymore either.


I checked the fuses and they all work and get power on test light except the bottom one 3 rd on left in fusebox above the one that reads tail lights hummmm. also no horn and tach .

Nowhere Man

Well I would start by replacing the fuse. But without that fuse your dash lights won't work either. No horn or tach are different issiues

easyriderknucklehead

I tried the fuse and nothing still

jprop

Did you attach the ground wire to the headlight bracket screw?

easyriderknucklehead

I did not notice a ground wire to the headlight brackets anywhere when I removed them all four just plugged into the sealed beam lamps .


Where is this ground wire located? is it possible maybe its my switch on the dash for lights? ( I was reading some forums it could also be a turn signal area where the problem as but that doesn t make sence as they both work in rear and front.

JRRHINO

Ground would be a good place to start

easyriderknucklehead

I turned the dimmer switch on headlights and thought its dark I will check the dash lights and the headlights came back on. great but still no dash lights and tail lights. where should I start looking at ground and can I run a ground from battery to rear just to be sure or from a spare battery

jprop

After I made the post I got to thinking that the ground I was referring to was for the headlight motors themselves. I think the ground for the lights is in the plug so you're probably okay there.

Try activating your dimmer switch a couple times. If that doesn't do it pull the connector on the firewall below your brake master cylinder and see if the connections are corroded. If you are going to clean them make sure you disconnect the battery first. One more thing you can check is the headlight switch. Turn the headlights on and jiggle the switch to see if the lights come on. There are copper connections in the switch that get dirty and worn. You can remove the switch, open it up, and clean the connections. It's a little tricky but it can be done.

jprop

Your tail lights are grounded. If they weren't, your brake lights and turn signals wouldn't work. Sounds like the dimmer switch is at least part of the problem. Pull back the carpet and check the connection to the dimmer switch. CAUTION! This switch is hot when the lights are on. This is a very common problem. If you are working on the wires down there then disconnect the battery! I think on a 65 the courtesy lights and the panel lights share the same fuse. If your courtesy are working then your dash lights fuse is okay.

Turn the **** on the headlights switch to see if the courtesy/dash lights resistor coil wire is not on a dead spot or all the way counter clockwise.

jprop

As a last ditch effort, most of the lighting wires go through the steering column to the turn signal switch. Of everything we've discussed, this is the most difficult thing to replace so leave it for last. I don't think this is your problem for now.

65GGvert

The tail lights don't go through the turn signal switch (brake lights do).
You're never going to get tail lights until you get 12v on BOTH sides of the 2nd fuse from the bottom marked "tailLmp". (nor dash lights). The voltage out of that fuse goes up to the brown wire on the headlight switch.

easyriderknucklehead

I took the headlight switch apart and cleaned it looked new as it had dieletic grease on it but I cleaned it up anyway and still have no tail lights and dash lights or interior, there was one small bulb under the dash and it had power.
I still don t have any power to the 3 rd fuse from bottomfor the dash lights also. will try digging under carpet and on firewall as mentioned to locate the plug under the master. ( I noticed a large plug and harness that goes up the steering column maybe that is the one I need to pull apart and check)
started snowing here today so too cold gave up till tomorrow when my fuel pump arrives and then I do electrical after) took 3 days to get a mechanical fuel pump for small block chevy in Northern lights alberta from napa parts. crazy

65GGvert

Please answer this question before you take anything else apart. Do you have 12v on BOTH sides of the SECOND fuse from the bottom? If you'll tell me if you have 12v on neither side, or one side, or both sides, I can tell you where your problem is. The plug on the steering column will not affect either your tail lights or your dash lights. It's normal to not have voltage on the inst fuse (3rd from bottom) if you don't have it on both sides of the SECOND from the bottom. I promise I can help you, but I promise I can't if you don't answer the question about the SECOND fuse from the bottom.

easyriderknucklehead

I just checked the fuse and yes I have 13.1 volts at the fuse 2nd from bottom. the car is off and has a trickle charger 2 amp on it hooked up. thanks you sound like your gonna save me $125 and hour the electric guy charges in town here . then maybe we can get my tach working too which I believe is a wire to coil ( but which colour) and we re set. this will be awesome if I tackle the electrical myself I recently just got a multi-meter so bare with me thanks a bunch

65GGvert

What I need to know is, with the black wire from the voltmeter on a KNOWN good ground, do you have the voltage on BOTH ends of the fuse when you touch them with the red? Not across the fuse or to any other fuse.
If you have a stock setup, the tach is a cable driven tach with the cable coming out of the distributor and going to the back of the tach. Not electrical.

easyriderknucklehead

yes both ends have voltage in the tail light fuse second from bottom with ignition off

65GGvert

There's a brown wire coming out of the fuse box and going to a connection on the headlight switch. It should have 12v on it. There's another brown wire in that connector that should have 12v on it when park or headlights are turned on. That brown wire goes to the rear body connector under the left hand side of the dash. Look at the diagram below. I circled both sides of the connector and put arrows on the brown wire that must have 12v to get tail lights (license plate light also) I suspect you have either a bad contact in the headlight switch, a broken brown wire to the connector, or a broken brown wire going to the rear of the car. You can eliminate the headlight switch and the connector by measuring on the brown wire coming out of the rear body connector for 12v with park or headlamps on. If it's there and not at the rear, you have a break in the brown wire going back to the license lamp and taillamps.

If you're very sure you have no 12v on either side of the 3rd fuse from the bottom, the break will be between the fuse box and the headlight switch, again the brown wire. Look at the wiring below around the fuse box and the headlight switch. The voltage for the 3rd fuse comes out of the second fuse through the headlight switch and then to the 3rd fuse left hand side. You're going to have to do some voltage measurements following that brown wire from where it leaves the 2nd fuse up in the fuse box, through the headlight switch and back to the 3rd fuse up if it indeed has no voltage on either side.

easyriderknucklehead

we are almost there I checked the voltage at the switch for 12 v at the brown wire and have power there 12v and the second brown next to it you mentioned turn lights on and check and nothing on that brown at switch ( awesome right so get a new switch and I can drive at night ) thanks will try and p .s the tach is cable type it screws in under the points distributor ) the car was sitting for 5 years and tomorrow after new fuel pump I will take it for a run and see if it kicks in

easyriderknucklehead

65GGvert

I think you're just messing with me now, I must have typed 6 times above SECOND fuse from the bottom: The third fuse is for the dash lights (dk green) and it comes through the second fuse first to feed the tail light section of the headlight switch. If the second fuse from the bottom has 12v on both sides, and you have no tail lights, trace the brown wire through the switch and rear body connector and back to the rear of the car. There are two brown wires on the switch, one from the SECOND fuse to the switch, and one from the switch to the rear body connector under the left side of the dash that goes to the rear lights, including license plate lamp. They are shown in the full wiring diagram I posted earlier.