No Tail lights

[mike914]

Hello Everyone

New to the Sweptline family

I just picked up a 71 that needs some love

Hope to get some help please

So far got her running idling new brakes and Master Cylinder

Just got front headlights working

Need help on Tailights please

I have power at the brake switch removed switch and it does actuate.

I have no power to pins through the bulkhead on firewall

Do I need to pull off steeing wheel and check for voltage at harness in sw?


ANy thoughts would help thanks

[dodgeboykim]

Taillights in regard to what part of them. Brake Light /Turn signals or just Park/Running Lights.
If its Turn Signals Brake Lights you can probe plug along side of column where wires go up it.

[Wildergarten]

I have power at the brake switch removed switch and it does actuate.
I have no power to pins through the bulkhead on firewall

Do the emergency flashers work? Are your front turn signals working?
The next place the power goes from the brake switch is to the steering column, so it could be the turn signal switch. There should be a plug not far from it. Check the white wire going in. If there is 12V there, with the switch in center position check the dark green (right) or yellow (left) coming back out.
If you don't get power coming out my guess is that the switch is defective. You can find them on eBay but they are expensive. There is a parts listing for '63-8 models on this site with which to get a part number so that you can check for compatibility. https://www.sweptline.org/1963_1968_Index.html

[mike914]

Thank You

I will check for voltage inside column at switch

no flashers nothing

Is there a trick to removing the steering wheel?

[mike914]

Taillights in regard to what part of them. Brake Light /Turn signals or just Park/Running Lights.
If its Turn Signals Brake Lights you can probe plug along side of column where wires go up it.

No power to rear of truck
No stop light
no turn signal
no flashers

[pwadventurer]

Taillights in regard to what part of them. Brake Light /Turn signals or just Park/Running Lights.
If its Turn Signals Brake Lights you can probe plug along side of column where wires go up it.

No power to rear of truck
No stop light
no turn signal
no flashers

All three circuits are separately fused. Maybe bad ground to bed of truck, or loose bulkhead connector, or turn signal switch. Attached is sketch for 70 model to help troubleshoot.

[Wildergarten]

Is there a trick to removing the steering wheel?

1. Loosen the nut a couple of turns.
2. Put your knees under the wheel spokes near the hub.
3. Put a fat punch or a smallish long socket on an old 6" extension on the end of the shaft.
4. Push up with your knees against the wheel spokes.
5. Hit the punch with a hammer (you shouldn't have to wail on it).

[mike914]

Taillights in regard to what part of them. Brake Light /Turn signals or just Park/Running Lights.
If its Turn Signals Brake Lights you can probe plug along side of column where wires go up it.

No power to rear of truck
No stop light
no turn signal
no flashers

All three circuits are separately fused. Maybe bad ground to bed of truck, or loose bulkhead connector, or turn signal switch. Attached is sketch for 70 model to help troubleshoot.

Thanks this helps a lot I will ohm out this circuit once I pull the steering wheel

[mike914]

Is there a trick to removing the steering wheel?

1. Loosen the nut a couple of turns.
2. Put your knees under the wheel spokes near the hub.
3. Put a fat punch or a smallish long socket on an old 6" extension on the end of the shaft.
4. Push up with your knees against the wheel spokes.
5. Hit the punch with a hammer (you shouldn't have to wail on it).

Thanks I will try it this week and report back

[PwrWgnDrvr]

Or, buy an inexpensive steering wheel puller, or vibration damper puller as they will also work for steering wheels.....if you want to do it right.

[Wildergarten]

Or, buy an inexpensive steering wheel puller, or vibration damper puller as they will also work for steering wheels.....if you want to do it right.

Inexpensive pullers usually don't have the cup shaped tip to keep it from slipping. I have both. The way I described takes about half the time. It doesn't take a lot of force.

[PwrWgnDrvr]

Or, buy an inexpensive steering wheel puller, or vibration damper puller as they will also work for steering wheels.....if you want to do it right.

Inexpensive pullers usually don't have the cup shaped tip to keep it from slipping. I have both. The way I described takes about half the time. It doesn't take a lot of force.

Yup, that way works good too, but if you screw up and damage the threads it takes way longer. Ive seen wheels that need the hell pounded out of them to get off. Its pretty much just pounder beware.
I made a puller decades ago out of a piece of 1/4" plate, 2 holes for thru bolts and a threaded center hole for a basic bolt. Worked great and never slipped. That was before I could afford any puller at all.

[mike914]

Hello Everyone

Thanks for all of the great sdvice.

Progress so Far:

I got a voltmeter, placed the black probe onto the ground bar of the fuse box and read 12 volts on red wire leading into brake switch.
Once I pushed the brake pedal in I was reading volts on the white wire out of the brake switch. (good so far)

I traced the white wire to a connector that powered the harness going into the steering wheel.
I read 12 volts on the incoming white wire and 12 volts on the other side of the connector going towards wheel

I read 12 volt coming out of yellow wire going to firewall bulkhead connector (good so far)

Then I realized the p.o. made his own connections from inside the bulkhead to outside the bulkhead in the engine compartment
He did not follow the color code or connection points in all of the wiring diagrams.

Anyway I was able to trace the new harness leading to the back of the truck

He used red-black- blue and orange

I am getting 12 volts when stepping on brakes Red to blue Drivers side and red to orange passenger side.

So my question is how are the blinkers controlled?

Red is common to both circuits does the switch in the column toggle on and off?

I cant seem to get the tail lights to flash

Any help would be appreciated

thanks

[PwrWgnDrvr]

Brake and turn sig use the same filament in, and the same feed wire to, the rear bulbs. The sig switch in the column removes the brake switch power and connects the flasher power to whichever side is actuated for a turn sig.
Maybe the flasher is bad?
To test the switch, remove the flasher, step on the brake, turn the sig switch to either left or right - in that situation, one of those 2 red wires that have 12+ at the rear would now be zero. Turn the sig switch to the other side and that red wire would now read 12+ and the other side zero.
Re-install the flasher and do the test again. If it now reads 12+ no matter which way you turn the sig switch, the flasher is bad. If it reads the same as with no flasher, it could be a bad flasher, or bad wiring, or a blown fuse.

[mike914]

Thanks for the wiring advice

I mis spoke there is only 1 red wire supplying power to both lights

Kind of like the brown wire does in the correct drawing

Also how does one remove the flasher switch?

So I must keep track of polarity to both tail lights?

[PwrWgnDrvr]

The flasher switch doesn't need to be removed. The "flasher" is a device that switches the power on/off to create the "flash". It is a small aluminum "can" that plugs into the fuse block.
https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/ECHMC23 ... 9VEALw_wcB
The brown wire in the drawing above is for the running/parking lights, NOT the turn sig/brake lights. Yellow is left sig, green is right sig.

[mike914]

OK more Progress

I wired up the tail lights ,when I hold the brake pedal down both lights go on (good)

However when I push the turn signal down for the drivers side the light goes out
When I return it to center light goes on again

Same with other side

Looked at fuses and the fuse for the flasher was blown

Miswire??

Any advice would be great thanks

[PwrWgnDrvr]

OK more Progress

I wired up the tail lights ,when I hold the brake pedal down both lights go on (good)

However when I push the turn signal down for the drivers side the light goes out
When I return it to center light goes on again

Same with other side

Looked at fuses and the fuse for the flasher was blown

Miswire??

Any advice would be great thanks

Install a new fuse and try again. The lights going out is exactly correct if the fuse is blown, or there is otherwise no signal power to the sig switch.

[pwadventurer]

Keep in mind, the turn signal flasher works with ignition key on only. Brake and 4-way hot all times.

[Wildergarten]

Keep in mind, the turn signal flasher works with ignition key on only. Brake and 4-way hot all times.

I've never understood why Mopar never used a single unswitched supply through one flasher for both emergencies and turn signals instead of two flashing circuits, but then I've never really traced all that out.