No working tail lights...63 Dart

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Dartness

Dartness

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All lights work in the rear. Turn signal and brake lights. Headlights work too, but taillights don't. Help
 
Dartness said:
All lights work in the rear. Turn signal and brake lights. Headlights work too, but taillights don't. Help
Click to expand...

Although a wiring diagram would be great to help trace wiring. Your Turn signal and Brake lights would be on the same circuit (wires) to the rear.

Your Tail lights/ license plate light would be a separate circuit and you could trace from the Head light switch.

Somewhere you have lost a feed to the rear if your front parking lights are working .

Found this wiring diagram for an 1963 -880 Dodge , which they pretty much are the same the way they work. In this case its a Black wire for the power for the tail lights, Brake/turn use the same ground with the tail lights ,so that is OK.

Link: http://automotivewiringdiagrams.net...-diagram-of-1963-dodge-880-and-custom-880.jpg
 

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On the older cars, park and tail come off different switch contacts in the headlight switch.

Tail lights go through the kick panel connector and to the rear. A good easy place to access is right in the kick panel connector, see if you have power there. If not, go right up to the headlight switch. Could be a bad terminal in the HL switch connector, or bad switch, or bad TL fuse Anything else "not work?"

You can download service manuals and simplified schematic diagrams over at "MyMopar"

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

EDIT they don't have full service manuals that old, but do have for 63 Chrysler

Wiring diagrams:

http://www.mymopar.com/index.php?pid=24
 
Dartness said:
Should my parking lights be on with my head lights?
Click to expand...

I guess the Pre-1968 us cars the parking lights went off with the headlights, I didn't realize that.
That would explain the separate contacts in the headlight switch for the Tail/Park circuits

My money would be on bad contacts at the switch for the Tail lights, but as 67Dart273 said , make it easy and check at the connector at the Kick panel for power.
 
If you have power out of the Headlight switch and then in/out of the connector at the kick panel but not at the rear , you can use a test light along with a straight pin and push through the insulation along the wire towards the rear until you loose the signal and find a bad spot in the wiring. Then use a product called Liquid tape to seal the puncture in the wire you tested.

I use a Power Probe ect 2000 checking for open circuits, works really well . I love this tool !

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ktsp6O9SiAI"]Spike TV Power Probe Commercial ECT 2000 - YouTube[/ame]
 

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Then it should be pretty easy. "From there to the rear." There is one wire at the kick panel to the rear, supplies both tail lights, So, has to be the wire, the sockets corroded, or bad / incorrect bulbs.
 
Also I should mention that the license plate light also doesn't light..I just realized it
 
Dartness said:
I'm afraid I have no knowledge to fix that. I'm not electrical savvy
Click to expand...

Sure you do. Get your hands dirty. that connector in the kick panel and that harness only goes ONE place.......to the trunk

"What's in there........" things like power to the trunk light circuit "if used,"

tail lamps which also feeds the license plate light

left turn and brake

right turn and brake

the sender wire to the fuel tank.

Let's look at the diagram.......

Posted the link earlier............

http://www.mymopar.com/downloads/1963/63DartA.jpg

http://www.mymopar.com/downloads/1963/63DartB.jpg

Look at diagram "A" top left, there's an 8 pin connector there. This is the kick panel connector

Lt. Blue goes to the fuel tank sender

Dk. green goes to one turn signal and brake

Black IS THE TAIL LAMP. Follow from the splice on the top lamp and down the page, it also feeds the lic. plate lamp and the opposite tail lamp, and appears to also feed the trunk lamp "along the way."

So what could the matter be?

First thing I'd suspect would normally be tail lamp socket problems, but since the lic. light also is out, this might get "more physical."

So...

1....DOUBLE check at your kick panel connector. MAKE CERTAIN you are checking the correct wire IE the BLACK wire

2....Next, yank out the back seat. Inspect what you can see of the harness for any abrasions or cuts.

3...Get into the trunk, and get up in there and inspect what you can get to in the trunk, again looking for physical damage.

4...I left one thing out which actually should be 1 or 2. Inspect the kick panel connector for corrosion, and work it in / out which scrapes the terminals clean, and allows you to "feel" for tightness.
 

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Wow. Thank you. Ok I have work to do this weekend. Everyone had been so helpful. I love this forum!
 
I'll be asking in Monday what he did. I need to know for when it happens again. He inspected the Dart, so I'm sure he won't charge me for it. Too busy to check it out myself. Ah the life of a freelance artist.....
 
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