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Author Topic: Brake Light Issue on my 72 Runabout  (Read 1317 times)

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Offline Crazy Lacy

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Brake Light Issue on my 72 Runabout
« on: July 10, 2018, 01:13:08 AM »
Months back I installed red l.e.d in my ((  back-up light sockets )) SO I"D Have really stand out brake lights IN THE REVERSE Sockets holes when I hit the brakes. I wired them into the orange right brake light wire. Last night I had my son do the lights while I watched from the back of car, then realized the right stock light and both back up lights would blink while the right blinker was on. When I turned the left signal on only single Stock light would blink.  so I got back into it the wires trying to make ea LED in back up socket blink left to right within the system along with brake mode. Something is going on now. The left brake light wont come on or do blinker mode. Front left will blink. The right Brake/blinker light does it all. Both rear Running lights work. The green wire with red strip on left side gets no power all the way up to the front speaker kick panel. BUT, when I check for power at the brake light light switch, power is on one side of switch, then I press pedal down, power on other side. The Orange wire on right that works the brake/blink light has power and does it all as i said before.

I've been at it for 3 1/2 hrs now trying to trouble shoot why the left rear blinker/brake gets no power.
 Going a little nuts, LOL

HELP!!!!! :)

 
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William "Crazy Lacy" Furmage
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Offline oldkayaker

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Re: Brake Light Issue on my 72 Runabout
« Reply #1 on: July 10, 2018, 05:08:54 AM »
I believe the RH side extra brake light needs to be tied to the RH OEM brake light (orange-light blue).  Similarly, the LH extra brake light needs to be tied to the LH OEM brake light (light green-orange).  The extra brake lights have to be wired separately as those circuits do dual service as brake and turn signal.  Just for my sanity, you are using a resistor with each LED or are the resistors built in to the LED's that you are using (LED rated for 12V)?  The link below has the 1972 wiring that may be of use.  Don't panic, have fun.
http://www.gt40s.com/images/torino/72ford.pdf   
Jerry J - Jupiter, Florida

Offline Crazy Lacy

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Re: Brake Light Issue on my 72 Runabout
« Reply #2 on: July 10, 2018, 04:24:32 PM »
Thanks for your input.

That's what I was thinking to do,  wire EA extra light to its side of operation. That's what I was going to do last night when I got back into it. one to the right, then one to the left. The extra lights would blink with the turn signals being called for. But my left green/orange wire has no power. My l.e.d have been working, so i believe they are 12 volts, got them from auto parts store. When I first started working on the wiring in the back with the key on, my wife said the volt gauge was flickering back and forth. Hmm... I'm starting to think my turn signal switch is bad...
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Offline Wittsend

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Re: Brake Light Issue on my 72 Runabout
« Reply #3 on: July 10, 2018, 04:52:07 PM »
It's at "THAT" point that I would just run a new wire from the switch to both of the red LED's in the back up light sockets. That would sure take less than 3-1/2 hours (But, yes, been there, done that in my own way).

BTW, how much brighter are they than just having an LED (white) in the red portion of the lens?  My Protege (daily driver) has the tail/brake lights, center brake light and then I added a spoiler with a LED strip light (Red). So when I stop there are four distinct lights. But with today's distracted drivers it probably doesn't matter.


Side note: I had a 240Z years ago. I was under the dash one day and I found a socket with electric tape over the end.  I though, that was odd. I pulled the tape to see the connector pattern, shrugged my shoulders and went back to what I was doing. Shortly thereafter I kept blowing fuses and couldn't figure out why.  After HOURS of dealing with this it turns out that the socket I had found a few days before was for factory Fog Lights I didn't have installed. The electric tape was to keep it from dangling over a screw in the console that just barely contacted the inside of the socket.  So, the tape that I didn't re-install..., did in fact have a purpose.


That only goes back to the saying of "What was the last thing you changed???"

Offline Crazy Lacy

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Re: Brake Light Issue on my 72 Runabout
« Reply #4 on: July 11, 2018, 02:24:54 AM »
LOL, That's what I did today was run a wire from the Brake light switch to the back 2 red LED I put in the reverse sockets. I still got no brake light power on my reg left side,  But at least I got my right brake light and those 2 LED. I also have Led in the regular lights in rear. I'll get a pic soon to share.
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Offline Wittsend

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Re: Brake Light Issue on my 72 Runabout
« Reply #5 on: July 11, 2018, 10:50:17 AM »
More often than not the problem if isolated to one socket is corrosion where the socket meets the casing of the light housing. I'm not sure which side is the end of the run but if the dead light is in the middle it likely isn't the wiring.

Another area to check is at the turn signal switch.  On my Studebaker Daytona I went nuts trying to figure out why the brake lighst weren't working.  Turned out the turn signal stalk was not properly returning to its centered position. I assume the contacts were between two points. Not far enough to activate the turn signal and not far enough in the other direction to light the brake light.

The contacts of the turn indicator are often coated with grease at the factory. But over time, especially if the car sat a long time the grease can dry, harden and insulate.

Offline Crazy Lacy

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Re: Brake Light Issue on my 72 Runabout
« Reply #6 on: July 11, 2018, 04:16:33 PM »
I'm thinking it's the switch. I also test the green/orange in the carpet trim aluminum area where you open the door, no power there either when pedal is press, power is there for the right side.
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William "Crazy Lacy" Furmage
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