Backup lights are driving me crazy(er)!

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Lone Yankee

Lone Yankee

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Goffstown, New Hampshire
Hello folks: Any assistance here would be greatly appreciated. My ride is a 73 Duster 340 with the 4-speed. Since I want to try to get an inspection sticker on the old girl before the cold weather (any minute now up here in New Hampshire) I wanted to get the backup lights connected. The previous owner had wrapped the wiring around one of the torsion bars and left it there to be slagged by the exhaust pipe. I figured I'd replace the wiring, hook it up and be on my way. The only problem is I can't figure out where this thing hooks up to! I sprung for wiring diagrams but they don't indicate where the other end of this connector is. In the attached pic (assuming I got it to post this time... if not see below) you can see the red and blue spade connectors and the two worn plugs hanging over the shift linkage. I've searched all over this and other sites and I am running out of hair to pull-out. Any suggestions?

-LY

Duster.Wires2.JPG
 
Sorry, a little explanation of what you are seeing. This is the under-side of the car with the front to the top-right of the pic. You can see the spedo cable just over blue and red spade connectors where they attach to the back end of the trainy. The backup-light connector is those two spade connectors followed by about 3 feet of abused wiring and terminates with those two plugs you see in the middle of the pic. I've traced the wiring back from the lights themselvs but no joy thus far. Thanx.
 
the two wires with the crimp on ends looks like someones attempt to get it working by running wires from somewhere??
Looks like you are missing part of the harness...the harness should plug into that 3 prong plug in your photo and has a round rubber plug that goes on the transmission switch...
In all the ones ive seen anyway...
 
If it makes you feel any better mine are completely connected and intact but the lights have not worked since I bought the car. I guess it probably doesn't seeing as how I don't have a solution for you, but sharing my problems is the next best thing, right? :angry4:
 
In the late 60`s cars the reverse light connector should lead to the bulkhead connector on the firewall. I`m not sure of the letter of the connector on the bulkhead or if your car is the same, but try tracing the wires back and they should lead you to the bulkhead connector.HTH.
 
Lone Yankee said:
I've searched all over this and other sites and I am running out of hair to pull-out. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
A toupe? (sorry, couldn't resist) :lol:
 
Lone yankee,If you need the wiring diagrams I can send them to you or I can call you and help you through finding the problem.My number is 450 424 0445 after 6PM during the week.Mrmopartech

One thing to check,do you have 12volts at the reverse switch? and if you jump the switch with a jumper wire do the lights work?
 
On my Camaro, I ran a switch, under the dash, for the backup lights.

I spent hours trying to get the under the car setup to work,
and finally said, the heck with it, and did something I knew would work.

Are you sure the bulbs are ok?
 
Major thanks to you all for responding. I'm glad I am not the first person to hit this particular hair-ball as I was starting to fell like a complete sped. I may just take caveman's suggestion and put a manual switch next to the one I am probably going to install for the horm (THAT is anthother prob all-together). Mrmopartech, thanx for the suggestions. I'll do a bypass and hook the meter up to the switch and see what I come up with. As for the wiring digrams, big thanx, the ones I bought are technichally accurate but I need another manual to figure out how to read them. I'll look under the bulkhead for the other end of the connector and also have a look at 340Mopar's digrams. BIG thanks, folks.

Hair, what hair? -LY
 
I had the same problem on my 73 340 sport. It wasnt the wiring but something I did when I rebuilt the tranny. No matter what I did the switch would not get enough internal contract from the trans to turn on.

Getting back to your question - on 73's there is a three wire connector near the bulk head that is used for hooking this up. plug the end of your wires coming from the switch into the two leads that have black and black with a white tracer. The thrid wire on the plug is for the neutral safety switch on an automatic car.

When I couldnt get mine working I decided it was not worth pulling the trans apart to fix it. I cheated and put a hidden switch in place for the reverse lights. Dumb - but it works, and nobody really knows.
 
FIXED IT! Major thanks guys, I would have been beating myself over this problem for the next year if it were not for all of your help.

Major Thanx! -LY
 
If anyone else needs to fix it there are 3 wires. The outside wires are for the reverse lights the center is ground to the starter relay
 
AdamR said:
If anyone else needs to fix it there are 3 wires. The outside wires are for the reverse lights the center is ground to the starter relay
Click to expand...


Wiring can be a hassle,

I own a 1987 W150 Dodge, that is a rusty beast,
I use to plow the side street.

I have been working on it to get it ready for winter,
while the weather has been nice here.

I lost all the parking/clearance lights.
After checking the fuses, and replacing a bad bulb,
I used a test light for about 20 mins, with no luck.

I ran a jumper wire to the side marker light near the battery;
all the lights came on. Rather than waste any more time, I bought a
HD Toggle switch, and now can turn the parking lights on/off.

I got the power from the fuse panel, a circuit thats only live
when the key is ON. The circuit is marked "Windows" but this truck
doesn't have electric windows.

I refuse to let a corroded connection, some place unknown,
keep my lights from working, You can always add a new switch,
just be sure to either use an inline fuse, or get power,
from a fuse protected circuit.

I drilled a hole above the stock headlight switch, in the dash panle,
where if the truck had A/C a vent would have been.

I also had to replace the valve covers today,
because they had rusted thru.
 
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