I'm trying to get both of my brake lights working. The rh side does not work when the brake is applied. I have changed the bulb out for a known good bulb. The running light portion works. Like when the headlights are on. Just no brake or signal on the rh side only.
The lh side is working as it should.
A friend who is a mechanic told me that this problem could be caused by a problem in the turn signal switch???? How can this be?

Anyone else ran into this problem?

I placed a stick on the brake pedal to activate the lights and then I tested the wires from the rh brake light socket all the way to the fuse box and they are not hot. I stopped when I got to the fuse box because this confused me.

Is it really possible for the problem to be in the turn signal switch in the column???

help....................

 

Yes, absolutely could be turn signal switch. The power for the brake lights goes thru the turn signal switch as it must also blink them.

 

I went through the same thing last summer on my '71, It started out with my brake lights not working, then the hazard lights started acting up too, finally my turn signals didn't work properly. I traced the wires all the way from the brakes through the engine compartment into the dash and behind the instrument cluster. Finally I pulled my head out of my butt and checked here, only to find that what I probably needed was a new turn signal switch. Which ended up being the case. LMC has them and they only take an hour or so to replace. do yourself a favor and buy the correct tool to remove the pins from the connector so that you can run the wires down the steering column, it's much easier than cutting and splicing, but be sure to draw a picture of the Plug and label it so you don't have to remember where they all go.

NDemmitt
'71 F100 Longbed 429

 

C9TZ13341C .. Turn Signal Switch

Still available from Ford (where do you think lmc is buying them from?)

Ford suggested retail price: $61.98 / ftepartsguy.com price: $44.63.

Fits: ALL 1967/68 F100/350's / 1969 F100/350's before serial #G30,001.

 

thank you NDemmitt and Freightrain.

Bill, you are incredible. Definitely a huge asset to this site. Thank you very much.

I will definitely look into buying a new turn signal switch.

but..........is it possible that the problem could be bad tail light sockets?

seems the lh side turn signal is only working from time to time now.

If it is the turn signal switch, is it possible to fix it somehow or is the problem inside or where it's not serviceable?
I'm really short on money and it would be great if I could repair the switch.

 

It's always the turn signal switch. When it's the turn signal switch you have all kind of intermittent problems with your tail lights, blinkers, brake lights, etc. One will work then not, then the other, and so on and so on. You'll spend hours and hours looking at wires, sockets, bults, fuses, and then when you pull off your steering wheel, you see that the switch is a mess. The one I put in my truck was a cheaply made plastic POS. I paid $70 and the plastic is so thin and brittle that it's only gonna break again. I babied the darn thing every time I turn the signal but as soon as I lend out the truck, the cancelling cam comes back broken for one direction. I put in a new $10 cam, lend it out a year later, and it comes back with both directions broken. So even though you can probably fix your problem with a new switch, it's just junk and will fall apart again unless you baby it and don't lend it out.

NDummy, are the ftepartsguy.com switches junk like the one I bought from a local Carquest dealer for $70? I'm thinking about getting another but I guess I'll have to never lend out the truck again.

 

dennis-carpenter.com price is $25

 

Wow....didnt think FORD offered much of anything for these trucks anymore. Figured by now it's all NLA thru a dealer.

 

that's gotta be junk

 

The turn signal switch is a Genuine Ford Part.

It's not some made in China crappola.

FTE sponsor ftepartsguy.com is Ed Olson @ Parr Ford in Bremerton WA.

So...not only is the switch genuine Ford, but you're buying it from a Ford Dealer's part department.

And...I might add, at a discounted price taken off the actual Ford suggested retail price.

 

What I was wondering is, since you were a parts guy, have you had much experience with the switches for these old rigs. Specifically, how long does the plastic stuff hold up? The replacement I put into my truck looked exactly like the original Ford part that I took out. So it seems to me that even if it is made in the USA, the Ford part didn't seem much better. Granted, the original was made a long time ago but it was also in pieces and since it was that way when I bought it, Maybe it lasted two years out of the factory and then fell apart. What upsets me is the design of these switches. The plastic parts that contact with steel are not very tough at all. Why is it that the switches on newer vehicles last forever but replacements for these old rigs don't. They can't be that much different.

Anyway, that was just a rant. What I was hoping I'd hear out of the ole parts guy was something like: "hell no, these Genuine parts are not junk. They're much better than the originals. The plastic is better, it's reinforced, and they're guaranteed to last a lifetime (sarcasm). I've held hundreds of these things in my hands and have never had a complaint."

That's all I was wondering. I typically avoid the stealership. Mainly due to cost. There have only been a handful of times I've had to actually go to the dealer and that was because nobody else made the part. My point is, I've never had problems with aftermarket parts.

 

In the autobiz, where does most of the profit come from, sales of vehicles?

Heck no...

All automakers are in the partsbiz, where the real profits come from.

If parts don't wear out, ppl won't need them.

I cannot recall a time when we had defective turn signal switches, but who knows if the quality of the parts made back then, is the same quality today.

My guess, prolly not.

This is especially true of gypo parts (not Gen-u-ine Ford), most of which comes from China today.

 

I bought some plastic bushings for my 92 F150 from LMC truck. They have the Genuine Ford logo on them and are made in China. Is this possible?

 

Welcome to outsourcing...yep, between licensing and/or pirating anything is possible!

 

You just said that you didnt have power in the wire, so I dont think it would be the sockets.