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Author Topic: 1972 Instrument Cluster Brake Light  (Read 2630 times)

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Offline 1972 Wagon

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1972 Instrument Cluster Brake Light
« on: January 26, 2017, 02:58:09 PM »
All my instrument cluster lights now work except for the brake light which has the pigtail. As the light is supposed to only come on briefly when the engine is started, it is difficult to check if it is working. Is it powered by the pigtail or the cluster printed circuit? If it's the circuit, I may just need to tighten it some. That worked with the fuel gauge light. If I understood the electrical schematic (I'm not very good at interpreting them!) the pigtail wires run to the brake pedal switch and then to the master cylinder. Before the rain started, I was able to check the master cylinder connection, which though externally dirty, seemed tight. The rain started and I couldn't get the brake pedal connection checked. The brakes and emergency brake work fine as well as the rear brake lights. Suggestions?
*The Original Family Car: A 1972 Pinto Wagon*
Ordered by my folks from Bunnell Motor Company, Inc., Bunnell, Florida
Delivered: June 20, 1972
Entrusted to my care: August 1976

Offline pinto_one

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Re: 1972 Instrument Cluster Brake Light
« Reply #1 on: January 26, 2017, 06:54:03 PM »
The light only comes on when you cranking the engine to test the bulb , the only other time it will come on is when you have a half a brake failure,  eather the front or rear brake system , the switch for that is under the master cylinder in the engine bay , it has one (or two) wires plugged into it , with the duel system both sides have equal pressure untel one side fails , a shuttle valve will move to one side and the switch will make the dash brake lite come on ,  later pintos had a extra switch for the brake handle between the seats to let you know you had the hand brake on , it used the same lite , yours does not have it ,
76 Pinto sedan V6 , 79 pinto cruiser wagon V6 soon to be diesel or 4.0

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Re: 1972 Instrument Cluster Brake Light
« Reply #2 on: January 26, 2017, 08:00:10 PM »
The brake light doesn't come on at all, even when I am starting the car. It has been many years since I have driven the Pinto and it has taken me a while to remember its "quirks." I even had to resort to reading the owner's manual to jog my memory that the brake light should light momentarily when starting the engine! If the bulb needs to be seated better in the printed circuit, I'll do my pretzel act again and reseat the bulb. Never thought to crank the engine when the cluster was out to test the brake light. My main concern was to be able to see the speedometer (Gas gauge hasn't worked in years!). I wasn't sure where the bulb's power source was and wanted to make sure that it was connected.
*The Original Family Car: A 1972 Pinto Wagon*
Ordered by my folks from Bunnell Motor Company, Inc., Bunnell, Florida
Delivered: June 20, 1972
Entrusted to my care: August 1976

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Re: 1972 Instrument Cluster Brake Light
« Reply #3 on: January 26, 2017, 08:23:42 PM »
Well I would wait untel I send you those bulb sockets, I would not remove the panel too many times because you have a chance to mess up the printed circuit board in the back , they are very thin , does other lights come on when you crank the car , like the engine lite , if not might check the fuse or clean them , to check the fuel gauge is easy , find the wire plug to the gas tank , it's on the driver side , one wire , unplug it , get a short piece of wire and strip both ends , have someone turn on key and touch one end of wire to the bumper and the other inside the plug where the fuel sender unit stud goes , the gauge should go to full, if it does the tank sender is bad , if it does not you TVR on the circuit board is bad , or no power , which might explane why the brake and engine light on the panel does not work ,
76 Pinto sedan V6 , 79 pinto cruiser wagon V6 soon to be diesel or 4.0

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Re: 1972 Instrument Cluster Brake Light
« Reply #4 on: January 26, 2017, 10:30:00 PM »
The fuel sending unit test was done and the gauge didn't budge. We had the sending unit and float repaired about 20 years ago and within a year it stopped working. After that, I kept a notebook with the mileage recorded so we wouldn't run out of gas. The alternator and engine lights come on as the engine is started and then go off. I had forgotten that the brake light should come on as well. Senior moment! I knew the light should come on if a brake issue was detected (Had a master cylinder leak one time and remembered the light.) The Pinto has been sitting in our garage for probably 8 or 9 years without being driven. We occasionally started it and had nicknamed it the Zombie Car because sometimes it would not turn off and/ or the starter would not disengage. The last time it was started was a few years ago and the battery exploded. The hood has a small dent as a reminder of that event! After that, the car collected dust. In September, we had the Pinto towed to our mechanic for fluid changes, new battery, new tires, and mechanical checkup so that it would be road worthy. We like to do minor repairs such as chasing vacuum leaks  and such because it is within our very limited capabilities! I appreciate the suggestions that you have provided as sometimes the manuals are Greek to me! The Pinto has always been my 90 year old dad's favorite car and he is enjoying seeing it on the road again.
*The Original Family Car: A 1972 Pinto Wagon*
Ordered by my folks from Bunnell Motor Company, Inc., Bunnell, Florida
Delivered: June 20, 1972
Entrusted to my care: August 1976

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Re: 1972 Instrument Cluster Brake Light
« Reply #5 on: January 27, 2017, 08:44:35 AM »
Ok , fuel sender unit was tested by grounding the wire at the tank, make sure when you do that wait at least 10 seconds to make sure , they do work very slowly , next it could be your TVR, it is located behind the insrument panel , it lowers the votage to 5 volts for the fuel gauge and they go bad with age , will look and see if I have one , on the dash brake light I have to check that one, been a long time on the pig tail light , also it might be that it does not come on when you crank the engine , you have to remove the wire on the brake shuttle valve under the hood and ground it to check it , in 74 they quit using the pigtail , have to remember that this is a very simple car but a reliable one too, but keep it inside to save it and drive it  , letting them sit is very bad . hope this helps , tomorrow I will dig up the parts for you and send monday , later Blaine
76 Pinto sedan V6 , 79 pinto cruiser wagon V6 soon to be diesel or 4.0

Offline 1972 Wagon

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Re: 1972 Instrument Cluster Brake Light
« Reply #6 on: January 27, 2017, 02:53:03 PM »
Thanks for the suggestions, Blaine! I had wondered about the IVR but didn't know if a bad one would also make the cluster lights fail. As I said, we have very limited mechanical knowledge and the Ford Shop Manuals we have often don't have easy-to-understand explanations or good diagrams. My owner's manual states: "Dual Braking System Warning-- When ignition key is turned to Start position, the light (Brakes) glows red until engine starts." Is the brake shuttle valve located right under the master cylinder? The part I found has a pigtail connected and there are what I assume to be brake lines also connected. I didn't pull the pigtail out as there is a lot of crud on it and I didn't want to contaminate it if it wasn't the correct part! Thanks again for helping.
*The Original Family Car: A 1972 Pinto Wagon*
Ordered by my folks from Bunnell Motor Company, Inc., Bunnell, Florida
Delivered: June 20, 1972
Entrusted to my care: August 1976

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Re: 1972 Instrument Cluster Brake Light
« Reply #7 on: February 10, 2017, 07:20:13 PM »
Blaine's Pinto care package arrived Wednesday and today we had time to install the instrument cluster sockets and the cluster regulator that he sent. This time I removed the multi-pin connector and it disconnected easily. After the struggle with the speedometer cable that was a pleasant surprise. While the cluster was out, I replaced the brake light bulb (pig tailed socket) and it lit. However, when the bulb was placed into the cluster spot, the alternator light lit. I realized that years ago, someone had switched the alternator socket with the pig tailed brake socket. Now the issue is that the alternator light doesn't work. The bulb is brand new and we even tried switching the socket with ones from Blaine. The alternator and battery are brand new and the car starts perfectly. What do I need to check? The "new" cluster regulator didn't make my gas gauge work but at least I can rule that out as a possible cause. Getting the brake light into the correct spot may be a small victory but it is a move in the right direction!
*The Original Family Car: A 1972 Pinto Wagon*
Ordered by my folks from Bunnell Motor Company, Inc., Bunnell, Florida
Delivered: June 20, 1972
Entrusted to my care: August 1976

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Re: 1972 Instrument Cluster Brake Light
« Reply #8 on: February 10, 2017, 08:00:37 PM »
Well first thing you will have to have a volt meter to check to see if the alternator is working , if key on engine not running the ALT should be on , key on engine running the ALT should go out , and battery voltage should be 14 to 14.2 volts , if so charging system is good , have to do some checking for you on the wireing , on the fuel gauge you have to make sure when you pull the plug off the fuel tank sender you must have a good ground to the wire to double check , the next thing you could check is the plug that comes from the back of the car to the front , might have some corrosion on one of the pins , remove the panel next to the dimmer switch , look in the hole behind it , the plug should be there , if all else fails take a weekend vacation and drive over here and I can fix it all for you ,  ;D
76 Pinto sedan V6 , 79 pinto cruiser wagon V6 soon to be diesel or 4.0

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Re: 1972 Instrument Cluster Brake Light
« Reply #9 on: February 10, 2017, 09:08:38 PM »
 Our success was short lived. We just went out to see how bright the cluster was as it is easiest to check when it is dark. The pig tailed light is the alternator light and not the brake light as I discovered when I put the ignition into the Accessory spot and the brake light came on. Going back out now to change it back. We also need to check one illumination bulb for the speedometer as the right side is very dim. At least the nonworking fuel gauge is now very well-lit! So we still have a nonworking brake light. I wish we could take a Mississippi trip! We don't travel any more as there is no one to take care of my folks. Even last Friday's Moultrie Car Swap excursion had to be a day trip which was exhausting but fun.
*The Original Family Car: A 1972 Pinto Wagon*
Ordered by my folks from Bunnell Motor Company, Inc., Bunnell, Florida
Delivered: June 20, 1972
Entrusted to my care: August 1976

Offline 1972 Wagon

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Re: 1972 Instrument Cluster Brake Light
« Reply #10 on: February 10, 2017, 10:20:15 PM »
Success! The cluster brake light works! We went out to switch the brake and alternator lights around and replace the very dim speedometer illumination light. The entire cluster is now fully lit. I can clearly see the speedometer and the gas gauge. All cluster lights work as they should. The only stubborn one was the brake light. We again switched bulbs and sockets but to no avail. Then I popped the hood and wiggled the brake warning light connector at the pressure differential valve. I had done this in the past and the light still didn't work. I got back in the car, turned the key, and the cluster brake light lit! I tried the turning the key several times and each time the brake light lit as it should. At least if the light stops working I now know what I need to do.Thanks again, Blaine, for the sockets and cluster regulator. Hopefully this is the last time I have to pretzel myself for awhile. Going to take some Advil for a stiff neck!
*The Original Family Car: A 1972 Pinto Wagon*
Ordered by my folks from Bunnell Motor Company, Inc., Bunnell, Florida
Delivered: June 20, 1972
Entrusted to my care: August 1976