Lights!!!!!

-
T

Torrance00

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2010
Messages
119
Reaction score
3
OK for a long time now I've had no "map light" dome light.. does not work from the
door jam switches, does not work from the headlight switch. So since I have been
working on the 74 Dart, I thought I'd install a new headlight switch... oh boy.
So I bought one off of Ebay, and it seemed to be a "used" unit.
I did a ohm test and only the headlight circuit was working and sure enough
when I installed the switch, only the headlights worked, no side or back light.
So now I'm pissed and I told the seller.. He said he'd send me another unit.
But I went down to my local Autozone and bought a new one for $17.50.
Let me stop here and say something, when I pulled into the autozone lot, I checked
the lights and guess what, yet headlights, side lights, back lights all working,
one guy from Autozone was sweeping up the lot, so I asked him to watch and see if
the brake lights came on... they did not.
BTW, at this time the switch was just hanging from under the dash.
So got home and checked the new switch, and the headlights, side lights and back lights
worked, could not check the brake lights. and the dome light was still not working
so I installed the new switch and pulled the knob out... NO lights...what the XXXXXX
so I jiggled the unit and still nothing. took it out and the lights are back.
now I know the lower instrument screws ground the cluster, so I double checked them and
pulled the one under the light switch, thinking maybe it's touching some... still no lights
Since it does work or at least parts are working when not installed in the dash,
that makes the unit grounded by a wire and not by the metal case..
I'm no electrician but this is screwed up
So if anyone has run into this same problem regarding the grounding of the swithch
or if you have had the problem with no interior lights... (map) or from the door jam
pass on the info....
Best
and for all you trick or treater's be safe....
 
The only thing the ground on the does is cause the light switch dome light function to work. Has nothing to do with any of the other lights working, and has nothing to do with the door operated switches.

If the park / tail / side lights don't work, it has nothing to do with the switch ground. Might be a switch problem, might be the harness connector / other wiring problem, or socket grounds and bulbs

BRAKE lights have NOTHING to do with the light switch at all. Brake light power goes from the brake light switch "output" directly to the turn signal switch and no other place

The TS switch routes the brake light power to the rear turn signal filaments.

You can get fooled. You might think the turn is working, when it really is being grounded through the tail circuit. So check the socket grounds and bulbs. Once you have done that, if you have no brake lights, check for power OUT of the brake light switch. If you have that..........then what you have wrong is a bad turn signal switch.
 
Check at the roof light bulb socket and see if you have power there, since the interior lights have power normally and grounding by the door switches is what makes them turn on.
(Just re did all of mine)
Since mine had power to the roof light all I had to do was trace or run new wire for the door jamb switches to give it a ground when the doors opened.

Sounds to me like you need to trace back from the headlight switch to find the loose connection/s for your lights.
Try connecting a test light to your (power out of the switch) and start wiggling wires and I'll bet you find it.

Brake lights are a little different story since they run through the turn signal switch.
Do your signals work?
If they do that's probably as simple as the brake light switch or the power supply to it.


I see Del beat me to it. :D

One thing that REALLY helps trace ground problems very easily is to connect a nice long wire to your battery negative and use it to touch socket bases and other things while those accesories are supposedly on.
If they come on or start working when you touch that wire to their grounds it immediately answers that question.

Also don't discount that it could be a loss of power and a ground problem both.
 
I believe the harness junction you want to check is behind the drivers side kick panel.... If somebody did a carpet job on it you may want to check under the sill plate as well for pinched or grounded wires.
 
mguner said:
I believe the harness junction you want to check is behind the drivers side kick panel.... If somebody did a carpet job on it you may want to check under the sill plate as well for pinched or grounded wires.
Click to expand...

That being the case he probably wouldn't have tail lights either (unless it's just a corroded connection or something like that.)
Def worth a look though.
 
thanks guys. Its not like I have not checked. the cigarette lighter has power but will not
heat the fillement. the dome light has power, but will not come on. the left door switch
has power, but dome light does not come on.
For those that read my posting, I had headlights, side marker lights and tail lights.
yesterday morning, later I had none.
I did the carpet myself and made sure there were no wires damaged.
this is just a gremlin. sometimes I have a horn other times no, no 4 way flasher ever
I have a 73 Chrysler service manual and I am using the Valiant wiring diagram which
looks just like the 74 Dart, way better then the Haynes
Well it looks like the next few days will be fixing (all) electrical problem.
Best
 
Torrance00 said:
thanks guys. Its not like I have not checked. the cigarette lighter has power but will not
heat the fillement. the dome light has power, but will not come on. the left door switch
has power, but dome light does not come on.
For those that read my posting, I had headlights, side marker lights and tail lights.
yesterday morning, later I had none.
I did the carpet myself and made sure there were no wires damaged.
this is just a gremlin. sometimes I have a horn other times no, no 4 way flasher ever
I have a 73 Chrysler service manual and I am using the Valiant wiring diagram which
looks just like the 74 Dart, way better then the Haynes
Well it looks like the next few days will be fixing (all) electrical problem.
Best
Click to expand...

If you have power at the door switch and ground that wire to the body you should have a dome light come on. (That's all those switches do is supply a ground to the body when the door opens)
Those switches can look like they work, but not make the contact.
I just replaced both of mine because that was exactly the case with them.
 
Torrance00 said:
I had headlights, side marker lights and tail lights.
yesterday morning, later I had none.

I have a horn other times no, no 4 way flasher ever
I have a 73 Chrysler service manual and I am using the Valiant wiring diagram which
looks just like the 74 Dart, way better then the Haynes
Well it looks like the next few days will be fixing (all) electrical problem.
Best
Click to expand...

One thing to keep in the back of your mind............

In the black ammeter wire, coming off the ammeter, up under the dash, is a great big factory splice. That splice branches off (depending on year) and feeds power to

The headlight switch power

To the fuse panel "hot" buss

To the ignition switch

That splice HAS and DOES fail although RARE.

You can check power TO the headlight switch, and by know you may realize the switch has TWO power sources.......

One......comes from the above splice to feed only the headlights

Second one comes from the fuse panel from the tail fuse.

I would then check headlight power, power from the tail fuse, and monitor power to the fuse panel "hot buss." Shake and wiggle things under there. Suspect the connector itself

You can buy the Packard 56 terminals around the web for those connectors. Price varies. One good place I found is simply called "Clips and fasteners:"

http://www.clipsandfasteners.com/Packard_56_Series_Male_16_14_Gauge_Terminals_GM_p/w31c030.htm

W31C030-2T.jpg
 
Just for the sake of saying you did check it... check chassis ground(s). There should be a ground jumper from engine block to firewall, right side. 73 model would have additional jumper from radiator support to neg' battery terminal.
 
Got to be dash or switch grounding. Had similar problem in past and ran a wire from dash frame to body and body to neg. battery. In my case that was it.

Let us know what you find.

Dave
 
67dart. funny I own a 56 Packard 400...
thanks for everyone's input... I think tomorrow I'll find the problem..
Best
and I'll let you know what the problem was.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top