Help Needed With Reverse Lights

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Braunsteina

Braunsteina

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I have a 65 barracuda, my reverse lights don't work. I have tested my switch which is located in the shifter. Where is the power originated. I have looked at my service manual and I can't identify the originating point for power. I have tested my wiring from the connector on the floor, drivers side. I jumped power from the battery to the connector. My reverse lights work. This means my power is missing as far as I can tell. My neutral safety switch is a single pole switch. It appears good because I can start the car in neutral or park. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
Braunsteina,
I don't have a wiring diagram in front of me, but the power should originate at the fuse box (after the ignition switch). Does your manual not show the backup light switch? I recall it is a dashed line for console shift cars. I remember tracing it in my 65 (w/ console shift). It was a little confusing. I vaguely recall the power comes thru a terminal on the wiper switch. Look for a double terminal there. It has nothing to do with the wiper; that was just a convenient place for the designers to tap into +12V. There are several different wiper switches. Mine is the simple 1-speed.
 
Bill,
I will check my connections on the switch. I just converted to a variable speed wiper motor and switch. I have a wire which I connected to the post annotated as "B" on my wiper switch. It was not connected and may have needed to be on my fuse block. I will connect it back to the fuse block. Check my lights and them if it works, I will jumper it back to my wiper switch. Thank you for your help
v/r
Al
 
To clear up some confusion... In the beginning the neutral safety switch wire was routed directly from the starter relay to the switch on the trans as a single wire passing through no other connectors. The reverse lamp wires went to a switch inside the car.
before 1970 the only wires that went through the bulkhead connector at far right were those to the wiper motor. The only quantity of unused ports in the bulkhead connectors were in this far right side member. So, When the reverse lamp switch was moved to the transmission the only practicle route was through 2 of those ports. Easy enough to join the NSS wire there too.
Aftermarket vendors like Evans may have refered to that far right connector as "wiper connector" for any year model. They might refer to the other 2 as forward light connector and engine/charging connector only because those terms loosely describe what circuits pass through them. This arangement was only for ease of production line assembly. Othrwise they could have put any wire anywhere and when they needed to, they did.
 
RedFish said:
To clear up some confusion... In the beginning the neutral safety switch wire was routed directly from the starter relay to the switch on the trans as a single wire passing through no other connectors. The reverse lamp wires went to a switch inside the car.
before 1970 the only wires that went through the bulkhead connector at far right were those to the wiper motor. The only quantity of unused ports in the bulkhead connectors were in this far right side member. So, When the reverse lamp switch was moved to the transmission the only practicle route was through 2 of those ports. Easy enough to join the NSS wire there too.
Aftermarket vendors like Evans may have refered to that far right connector as "wiper connector" for any year model. They might refer to the other 2 as forward light connector and engine/charging connector only because those terms loosely describe what circuits pass through them. This arangement was only for ease of production line assembly. Othrwise they could have put any wire anywhere and when they needed to, they did.
Click to expand...

I looked at the wires and presently put in a local switch, bypassed the floor shifter switch. Ran it directly to the fuse box - then to switch - then to the lights. When I shift into reverse, I flip switch manually and back up. It works for now. I can revert if I can identify the connection you describe. All my diagrams have excellent descriptions. I will review what you posted and know exactly where the wiper connection is. I don't know if it has power to it. I will figure that out and see what happens from there.
thanks again
 
I put a toggle switch on the back up lights of a 59 Ford Galaxy I drove years ago.
I forget to turn them off once and got a ticket from a state trooper.
The reverse lamps on that car were up on high corners. Officer said it looked like some wierd head lights, like something comming at him the wrong way. LOL
 
REVERSE lamp power on these cars originally was hooked to the wiper switch. The wiper switch receives UN fused power from the "in harness splice" coming from the ammeter circuit, and has a circuit breaker on or in the wiper switch. Wiring for your lights should be white (or violet/ white), power, and violet, cold side of switch to lights

Here's part of the '66 factory manual, which you should have. You can download it from "MyMopar:"

http://www.mymopar.com/downloads/servicemanuals/1966_Plymouth_Service_Manual.zip

from here:

http://www.mymopar.com/index.php?pid=31

The page numbers in that manual do NOT follow conventional Mopar numbering. Diagrams are on pages approx. 305

Here are some excerpts from the 66 manual:

At the bottom of the wiper, B1 also feeds power off to the backup light switch. Wiring depends on whether it's stick (goes through bulkhead, to manual box) or console, so either wiring goes to colum switch or to console connector

In the drawing of the console connector, "3", (B1) is power to the switch, 1 (B2) is switched lamp power, which then goes to the kick panel connector for the rear harness

The same conector is shown in "console wiring" showing B1 and B2 C to the switch, B1A and B2D

The largest drawing shows a column mounted reverse switch, the dotted lines showing stick instead of auto wiring.
 

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According to the 65 FSM the white wire from the B/U switch routes to the "B' terminal on the wiper switch. The violet wire from the B/U light switch is routed eventually to the rear thru the rear harness. Hope this helps
 
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