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Helping a fellow 64 owner fix his brake lights. His turn signals, parking lights and headlights work. Only the brake lights to not. He claims they did work but the brake light switch burnt out. I put the wires together on the brake light switch and no brake lights. I cannot get power it seems to the switch. I used the 'battery' pole and hot wired the switch to the blue or in the schematic black white wire and still no brake lights. Ideas?
I would start by finding the 12vdc that should be at the switch. If you have voltage and you bypass the switch by connecting the two wires together. Take your multi meter to the wire thats connected to the brake light and see if you have voltage. If you have voltage and you know your bulb is good then I would check your grounding.
The 12v to the stop light switch comes from the bottom fuse. If the courtesy lights work, the fuse is ok. If not, pull the fuse and measure. They can look good but be separated under the end cap. Post back whether you have voltage on both sides of the fuse or not.
If there's no voltage on the fuse (and thus the switch), it won't even get to the turn signal. The turn signal IS the next step though if he has 12v on the white wire leaving the stop light switch and going to the turn signal switch. That's the part I'm waiting to hear.
With the key on the turn signals work. With the key off and the turn signal lever activated, I hear the flasher clicking but no lights work. The black/white wire that the schematic shows coming out of the curved column connector is actually dark blue. I cannot find a black/white anywhere in the area of this connector.
If the turn signals and running lights work wouldn't that indicate that the bulbs are ok?
If there's no voltage on the fuse (and thus the switch), it won't even get to the turn signal. The turn signal IS the next step though if he has 12v on the white wire leaving the stop light switch and going to the turn signal switch. That's the part I'm waiting to hear.
Agreed, but he also said he applied 12v to that wire and the brake lights still didn't work.
Last edited by wombvette; Nov 1, 2015 at 01:05 AM.
If the turn signal clicks with the key off, you've got a different problem. The flasher shouldn't have voltage unless the brown wire from the ignition is hot. It's the same brown wire source that feeds the wiper motor directly and several other things through the fuse box.
If the turn signals and tail lights work, that means ALL the grounds and bulbs and wiring to the back are good. Your problem with that is from the fuse box, to the brake light switch to the input on the turn signal switch. From the output of the turn signal on, everything is good. You could have bad or loose connections in the turn signal switch causing the brake lights not to work, but the first step in troubleshooting is to get your brake switch connected properly and voltage from the bottom fuse connected to it. The clock and courtesy lights work off that same fuse, are they working?
If the turn signal clicks with the key off, you've got a different problem. The flasher shouldn't have voltage unless the brown wire from the ignition is hot. It's the same brown wire source that feeds the wiper motor directly and several other things through the fuse box.
If the turn signals and tail lights work, that means ALL the grounds and bulbs and wiring to the back are good. Your problem with that is from the fuse box, to the brake light switch to the input on the turn signal switch. From the output of the turn signal on, everything is good. You could have bad or loose connections in the turn signal switch causing the brake lights not to work, but the first step in troubleshooting is to get your brake switch connected properly and voltage from the bottom fuse connected to it. The clock and courtesy lights work off that same fuse, are they working?
He says that the clock has never worked as long as he's had the car. The courtesy lights also do not work. The brake light have been working but recently quit. I connected both brake switch wires together with 12v from the fuse panel and got no brake lights. So you're saying that the wire coming out of the column connector goes into the turn signal switch and may be not getting contact there?
The car is coming to my house on wednesday. It will stay a few days. I will have the time to diagnose at that time. Seems the consensus is the turn signal area. I will concentrate there and report back. Thanks for the advice guys.
Last edited by MasterDave; Nov 2, 2015 at 09:17 PM.
Once you get 12v to the wire going from the brake light switch to the turn signal (usually white), the contacts inside the turn signal (or the harmonica connection on the steering wheel) are the only things that should cause the brake lights not to work with your other conditions. Here's what the turn signal contacts look like inside. When you turn on the turn signal either way, it interrupts the voltage to the brake light from that side and inserts the flashing 12v from the flasher.
This diagram is for a 58-62 and the colors of the wires are not correct for 64, and the fuse at the bottom left is labeled "stop/courtesy" on the 64, but it shows the wiring for how the brake voltage and flasher voltage are switched with the turn signal switch.
Dave, when you have the car, check the Harmonica connection first. If some of the wires are not properly seated, no turn signals. Sometimes the individual wires can push back instead of connecting if the connector is worn. Had that problem once before I replaced the entire main harness. Pilot Dan
OK, got it fixed.......sort of. There is no power to the brake switch from the orange/black wire. I initially thought the white wire from the turn signal switch was power but power to it is supplied thru the orange/black. That wire is dead thru the system. I put a fused jumper wire from the fuse block (stop/turn) directly to the brake switch and it worked. This is temporary as he needs a complete harness. Thanks for the great advice guys.
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Electrical question
Pilot Dan
