Brake Light Challenge
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Brake Light Challenge
OK, for all you electrical guru's, here's the challenge:
1967 F250 retro-rod, used a Painless 18 circuit non-GM column wire harness an IDIDIT tilt column, and I made a custom dash with all Auto Meter gages. Everything worked great for several years then all of a sudden the brake lights and the turn signals are not working. What’s more, when I step on the brakes, both turn signal lights on the dash light up and the front turn signals light up. OK, it gets even weirder, when I pull out the emergency flasher button on the steering column, everything changes. Now when I step on the brakes, the dash lights stay off and only the right side brake lights up. When I use the turn signals, they work, but opposite corners light up, so right turn gives left rear and right front. I’ve looked at the connections on each brake and turn signal, nothing obvious as I kept the old connectors. I pulled the turn signal switch from the column and it also looks OK. So, anybody got any suggestions on how to proceed? I know there's some smarts guys out there that could figure this out in about 5 minutes but I'm a dummy when it somes to electrical stuff
1967 F250 retro-rod, used a Painless 18 circuit non-GM column wire harness an IDIDIT tilt column, and I made a custom dash with all Auto Meter gages. Everything worked great for several years then all of a sudden the brake lights and the turn signals are not working. What’s more, when I step on the brakes, both turn signal lights on the dash light up and the front turn signals light up. OK, it gets even weirder, when I pull out the emergency flasher button on the steering column, everything changes. Now when I step on the brakes, the dash lights stay off and only the right side brake lights up. When I use the turn signals, they work, but opposite corners light up, so right turn gives left rear and right front. I’ve looked at the connections on each brake and turn signal, nothing obvious as I kept the old connectors. I pulled the turn signal switch from the column and it also looks OK. So, anybody got any suggestions on how to proceed? I know there's some smarts guys out there that could figure this out in about 5 minutes but I'm a dummy when it somes to electrical stuff
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From: Virginia
This will be interesting, since this is all custom. Do you have a diagram? I am assuming you have some sort of instructions for the column and it's turnsignal switch? If not, can you get it off their site?
If you get the instructions, you are going to have to use them or their generic diagrams to figure yours out. Everything you are describing points to the turnsignal switch as the culprit, or something in the column that was mentioned by a previous poster.
Get a voltmeter and set it to ohms. Unplug the turnsignal switch, and then make sure it's in the middle position. Looking at the diagram of the switch, put one meter lead on the terminal that went to the brake switch, and put the other meter lead on one of the terminals leading to the rear brake/turn lights. You should have a low ohm reading between the brake switch input terminal, and both the left and right rear turn with the switch in the middle. Once you get this, leave the lead on the brake input terminal, and then start touching the other terminals on the switch. If you get continuity(low ohm reading) on any of the other terminals, the switch is bad.
If you get the instructions, you are going to have to use them or their generic diagrams to figure yours out. Everything you are describing points to the turnsignal switch as the culprit, or something in the column that was mentioned by a previous poster.
Get a voltmeter and set it to ohms. Unplug the turnsignal switch, and then make sure it's in the middle position. Looking at the diagram of the switch, put one meter lead on the terminal that went to the brake switch, and put the other meter lead on one of the terminals leading to the rear brake/turn lights. You should have a low ohm reading between the brake switch input terminal, and both the left and right rear turn with the switch in the middle. Once you get this, leave the lead on the brake input terminal, and then start touching the other terminals on the switch. If you get continuity(low ohm reading) on any of the other terminals, the switch is bad.
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Jim VA.
1948 - 1956 F1, F100 & Larger F-Series Trucks
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Jun 18, 2003 07:23 PM
