[C2] Electrical problem
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 4,191
Likes: 951
From: Corpus Christi, TX
It does sound like a switch problem if you can make the taillights work by jumping terminals at the switch. If it were a ground problem, there would be other things not working.
FWIW, the parking lights work correctly. The front parking lights are supposed to turn off when the headlights are turned on. Tail lights work in both park and headlight positions.
FWIW, the parking lights work correctly. The front parking lights are supposed to turn off when the headlights are turned on. Tail lights work in both park and headlight positions.
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From: San Antonio, TX/Mahopac, NY
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The chances of two switches having the exact same problem is remote.
Reproduction switches tend tend to be junk in that the internal circuit breaker can’t handle the headlight current and opens causing the lights to go out then come back on as it cools. Anyway, I would check your wiring carefully.
Reproduction switches tend tend to be junk in that the internal circuit breaker can’t handle the headlight current and opens causing the lights to go out then come back on as it cools. Anyway, I would check your wiring carefully.
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 71
Likes: 10
Switch
i agree how ever the new switch was parts store cheap and second switch is used
if I jump from hot red at switch to brown and tail lights work isn’t the wiring good from there back ?
if I jump from hot red at switch to brown and tail lights work isn’t the wiring good from there back ?
The chances of two switches having the exact same problem is remote.
Reproduction switches tend tend to be junk in that the internal circuit breaker can’t handle the headlight current and opens causing the lights to go out then come back on as it cools. Anyway, I would check your wiring carefully.
Reproduction switches tend tend to be junk in that the internal circuit breaker can’t handle the headlight current and opens causing the lights to go out then come back on as it cools. Anyway, I would check your wiring carefully.
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 4,191
Likes: 951
From: Corpus Christi, TX
Check the tail light fuse in the fuse block. I agree that two similarly failed switches are very unlikely. The red wire at the switch gets power through a circuit breaker above the driver's kick panel. The tail lights get power from a second brown wire to the switch. The second brown wire may be dead because of a blown fuse.
Thread Starter
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Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 71
Likes: 10
Lights
so you are saying the one brown is hot from fuse block ?
Check the tail light fuse in the fuse block. I agree that two similarly failed switches are very unlikely. The red wire at the switch gets power through a circuit breaker above the driver's kick panel. The tail lights get power from a second brown wire to the switch. The second brown wire may be dead because of a blown fuse.
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Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 4,191
Likes: 951
From: Corpus Christi, TX
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 22,154
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From: Kannapolis NC
The brown wire for the tail lights is only hot when the park or headlights are on. The voltage comes from the fuse marked "tail" (second from bottom) and if that fuse is blown you won't have dash back lights either. Both the tail and instr fuses must be good to get dash lights, but the tail lights get their power before the light switch from the fuse I mentioned.
Measure the voltage on that "tail" fuse on the CLIPS that hold the fuse in the panel. The fuse can look good or even be good and still not have power to the clips. If the clips of fuse have any corrosion the fuse won't make contact and you won't get tail lights (or dash lamps for the reason I gave earlier). If you measure that and post back we can quickly narrow down the problem.
That is the only problem you have in your description, everything else you mentioned is working as designed.
Measure the voltage on that "tail" fuse on the CLIPS that hold the fuse in the panel. The fuse can look good or even be good and still not have power to the clips. If the clips of fuse have any corrosion the fuse won't make contact and you won't get tail lights (or dash lamps for the reason I gave earlier). If you measure that and post back we can quickly narrow down the problem.
That is the only problem you have in your description, everything else you mentioned is working as designed.