next prob on list - blowing main fuse no int lights or stop/tail/signal/dome

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jasonmrenda

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so now that the 318 is installed, i am having a prob blowing a fuse.

none of the following is working:
rear stop lights
rear turn signals
dome light
dash light
console light

these are all connected to the same 20 amp fuse.

we removed the windshield washer bottle and ground that brown wire. wondering if that could be the issue?

yet the headlights, front turn indicators and the little triangular indicators all work. the hi beam indicator on the dash works. can't tell if the brake light switch is working or not - it was on until i fixed some leaks in the brake lines so either the brakes are good and the light is good, or the brakes are bad and the light is bad?

any idea where to begin troubleshooting to look for a pinched/broken wire?? i know there was a wire pinched under the steering col but i know we fixed that since the car wouldnt start until we id so. perhaps there is another one pinched there?
 
Washer bottle first- the only time current flows to the bottle, should be when you push the button. Then current flows back to the battery thru the black wire which should be screwed to the fender well... ground. If you tied the wire supplying current to the washer bottle motor to ground, that is an error.

All of your rear light wires current flows from the various switches, thru the bulbs, and back thru the metal chassis to ground. In the trunk, there may be a harness plug that you can disconnect (unplug), thereby eliminating any faults to ground. This will reduce the size of your potential failures. If (with harness unplugged) fuse doesn't blow, then you know failure is at the back.

The dome light is a bit trickier. I believe the hot wire goes directly to the bulb, and the path to ground is switched at the doors and also at the headlight switch. to eliminate this possible failure, I believe you can unplug the yellow wire under the drivers side kick panel (next to your left foot).
 
ok weird
so i undid the piece that mounts the steering col to the dash and seperated the wires. now the fuse oesnt blow but ALL THE LIGHTS STAY ON!!! lol. including dash light, rear stop lights, etc but still have no turn signals and the light to the ash itself seems to not work either.

as in all shade tree mechanic issues, everything was working till i messed with it lol.
 
ok couple more things now
- interior dome light is fixed (i had the hazards on - idiot)

- get no turn signals at all either side
- no turn signal marker lights either
- DO have flashers both sides
- rear lights on all the time except the drivers will go out if i put the turn signal to LEFT. but the left brake light stays on.
- tail/stop lights stay on with no key in car
- pulled brake switch at the prop valve an no change in lights anywhere
- nothing in dash lights up except the hi beam indicator light and the ammeter light

i had turn signals before? all of a sudden everything is just gone. weird.
 
Now I think you have open (or high resistance) grounds. when current can't find its way back to ground through the normal path, it will use any path it can find. Where ever you have black wires bolted to the chassis, make sure they aren't corroded, and are tight.

If you're not blowing fuses, I would call that an improvement because there are no short circuits to ground. try to keep track of any steps you take. Any plugs removed or plug and unplug, in case you need to back track. Also, check to make sure you haven't blown bulbs along the way (it was working before, now it won't). Slow down... one small circuit at a time.
 
It would help to know what car and year of car you are working on. Grounding the washer wire is not good... keep it unconnected if you're not using it. Wish I could help more.
 
thanks cuda and neil
car is a 67 dodge dart

from the research i've done it seems like the first and easiest place to start is the turn signal flasher. i dont get flasher at all - they are either on with no flash or off completely. everythung had been fine till a couple days ago so i am hoping that just the switch went out.
 
If what you are saying is that the turn signal stays on and doesn't blink... This is by design. if you have a bad bulb (I.E. front bulb okay, rear bulb burnt), the circuit is designed to not blink. Why? I'm not sure... I'm only an electrician. not an engineer. When my sister calls from Kaalifornya to tell me her woes, I say "Hold the phone up to it, and let me have a look." (someday soon she probably will be able to, and I'll be sorry I ever said that)
Make sure both front and rear bulbs are okay for both directions.
Now then... Does it hurt when I do THIS?
 
If you go to Google.com and search { '67 dart wiring diagram } the page that appears has 4 images. The first 2 are your car. click on the first image. click on "see full size image". Save target as (P.C.) or File save as (mac) to your desk top. Then zoom in and see all the funny black lines.
Electric current is as complicated as water flowing thru a pipe (sort of). It will show you where the electrons are supposed to flow. Of course "electron theory" supposes that current flows from negative to positive (in which case the British had it correct, and we're wrong... but we won the revolutionary war, so we can ground the negative terminal... and Lucas is the prince of darkness) but none of that is important. Functioning lights is important.
 
well pulled the sq flasher that is behind the dash lights and no change
the flashers stay on solidly (no flashing) when the hazard switch is on.
now the left brake light goes out when the turn signal lever is put to signal a right turn and the right brake light goes out when i signal left? odd

an still the brake lights will stay on even when car is off - have to undo battery
 
jasonmrenda said:
well pulled the sq flasher that is behind the dash lights and no change
the flashers stay on solidly (no flashing) when the hazard switch is on.
now the left brake light goes out when the turn signal lever is put to signal a right turn and the right brake light goes out when i signal left? odd

an still the brake lights will stay on even when car is off - have to undo battery
Click to expand...

I believe the flasher is a "bi-metal" strip. when current is flowing thru the strip, it gets warm and warps the metal, breaking the contact until it cools and makes contact once again. This happens about every 1/2 second.

Can you disconnect the brake light switch at the brake pedal? I don't see it on the wiring diagram, but it must be routed thru the 10 pin plug on the steering column. This switch is a path to ground, and completes the brake light circuit. If you disconnect it and the brake lights still burn, then there must be a short circuit to ground for them somewhere on the steering column.

Right turn is the brown wire, left turn should be dark green. Pins 8 and 6 respectively on the 10 pin steering column connector. If you unplug the connector from the column and put 12 volts to them (one at a time), you can determine if the problem is in the harness and connections going to the rear of the car, or if the problem is in the steering column harness.
 
Replace your brake light switch. The cars were wired to blow the fuse that runs the dome light and the panel lights when the brake switch shorts out so the owner will get things fixed. A shorted brake light switch also kills your turn signals and hazard flashers.
 
thanks guys

ok pulled the brake switch and the lights went out but the blinkers still dont work (but the flashers do now) and the dome light stays on without key. so going to AZ to see if a new switch will do it
 
ps - what is the bulb type for the auto console shift? mine is bunk and i cant rea the numbers on the housing?
 
jasonmrenda said:
thanks guys

ok pulled the brake switch and the lights went out but the blinkers still dont work (but the flashers do now) and the dome light stays on without key. so going to AZ to see if a new switch will do it
Click to expand...

I studied your wiring diagram, and the turn signal flasher is a separate device from your emergency light flasher. If they are the same you may be able to swap them for test purposes...???
 
I seem to remember turning on the dome, and letting car sit all night- slow crank in the AM. Check headlight switch for being turned on to dome.
 
thanks guys - i am picking up a new brake switch today and also got a new turn flasher to install. hoping these will alleviate the issues. then need to install a new pow steering belt and finish the exhaut. winter is deciding about interior
 
You should easily be able to test the brake light switch with any meter or tester instead of buying parts you don't need. It's either on or off, pretty simple. When you reinstall it be sure it's adjusted to open when the pedal is not depressed.
 
Grumpus is probably on the right track these cars have all these little tell tale tricks in the wiring , I know mine drove me bonkers for a while every time I hit the brakes a map light under the dash came on who knew it meant my brake lights weren't working { okay except for RedFish who is the god of all things electrical with these cars} I couldn't see them from the drivers seat . The most common cause of brake light failure is ----- blown turn signal switch in the steering column again go figure but apparently it's an always hot circuit and the switches interrupt the power instead of providing it { which might be a clue to some of your troubles } like the others say pick one circuit and work it back but first clean every ground you can find and check your fuse box for corrosion and replace all you fuses , I was lucky I had a bad fuse terminal which had blown the fuse in a way where it didn't show so after many hours of frustration and actually giving up on a whim I bought a half dozen 20 cent fuses and with a little sand paper around a pencil I hand dremmeled the fuse clips , replaced the fuses and voila it all worked -good luck and better patience than I have lol
 
thanks everyone - got it mostly sorted
replaced the brake switch and turn flasher and 1 bulb in the flasher light at the front. everything is good xcept i now still have no brake lights at all? went from brakes lights always on to lights never on?

now i am pretty new to all this wiring stuff so please forgive my dumb question, but in my mind i am thinking that since the new brake switch has a "plunger" type thing, the brake lights must come on when the plunger is disconnected from the pedal - ie when the pedal is pushed forward it breaks contact with the plunger and thus the lights come on? is this correct? if so, shouldnt my brake lighst be on all the time if i were to remove the switch?

just trying to test the circuits etc. i put the new switch in and the brake lights turned off -good. but they never come on anymore - bad! if i disconnect the switch altogether i get the same issue. i dont think i blew both lights simultaneously and all the fuses are fine.

any more thoughts?
 
jasonmrenda said:
thanks everyone - got it mostly sorted
replaced the brake switch and turn flasher and 1 bulb in the flasher light at the front. everything is good xcept i now still have no brake lights at all? went from brakes lights always on to lights never on?

now i am pretty new to all this wiring stuff so please forgive my dumb question, but in my mind i am thinking that since the new brake switch has a "plunger" type thing, the brake lights must come on when the plunger is disconnected from the pedal - ie when the pedal is pushed forward it breaks contact with the plunger and thus the lights come on? is this correct? if so, shouldnt my brake lighst be on all the time if i were to remove the switch?

just trying to test the circuits etc. i put the new switch in and the brake lights turned off -good. but they never come on anymore - bad! if i disconnect the switch altogether i get the same issue. i dont think i blew both lights simultaneously and all the fuses are fine.

any more thoughts?
Click to expand...

Found this link. It's for a '70... Might help you some more?

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=48529
 
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