no brake lights

abyars111 · Post by **abyars111** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 4:49 pm

I cannot get the rear brake lights to work on my 1970 F250. The reverse lights have been coming on when I pushed the brake pedal, that's because someone wired the revese lights to the brake light switch uder the dash. I found the correct red/black stripe wire for the brake light switch and connected it. I have power passing through the brake light switch and to the plug on the steering column but no power is passing through the geen & yellow wires that go to the back. This leads me to believe the turn signal switch has issues. What do you guys think? My hazzard flashers come on but don't flash, tail lights work, turn signals work, reverse lights don't because they are disconnected from the switch. I have a wiring diagram, color coded

. Any input is appreciated.

basketcase0302 · Post by **basketcase0302** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 8:13 pm

Anthony,
Wire #282 & #283, (green wire and a yellow colored wire coming from the turn signal switch) should have power on them when you press the brake pedal if the brake switch is wired properly and the turn signal is working properly. Nine times out of ten it will be the turn signal switch.
http://www.fordification.com/tech/wirin ... master.jpg
Wire color chart:
http://www.fordification.com/tech/wirin ... -chart.gif
And here's a evilboy vendor that sells a decent switch for our trucks:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-1969-1972-F ... da&vxp=mtr

abyars111 · Post by **abyars111** » Sat Nov 10, 2012 8:52 pm

Thanks. I checked those two wires (283 & 284) and they don't have power when I press the brake pedal. Wire 810 (red/blk tracer) has power at the turn signal plug when I press the brake pedal. I can't see anything else that can be wrong other than a bad turn signal switch. I've checked the wiring several times. I don't know how the turn signal switch works but it's not passing power from wire 810 to 283 & 284. I guess the previous owner didn't want to replace the turn signal switch so he wired the reverse lights to come on when you press the brake pedal.

I will order a switch and replace it. Any tips on replacing a turn signal switch? How do you remove the termals from the connector?

Thanks again for your confirmation.

Ks Highboy · Post by **Ks Highboy** » Sun Dec 09, 2012 3:40 pm

I am in the same boat as abyars111. I have turn signals and tail lights but no brake lights. I noticed first that my blinkers would blink maybe once when I first turned them on and then quit. I thought the flasher might be going out so I replaced the flasher and now they blink but still no brake lights. My blinkers seem to take a second to come on when I apply the signals, They wait a second and then start blinking. I have checked the brake light switch at the peddle and I have power on both sides of the switch when the peddle is depressed. I am no wire guy so I am hoping maybe someone can shed some light on this.

Ks Highboy · Post by **Ks Highboy** » Sun Dec 09, 2012 5:19 pm

I did some more checking on my truck. Mine is a 67 so I do not have a yellow wire coming from the signal switch. I do have a green, green/white, white with blue stripe, blue with yellow stripe and a baby blue. When I press the brake pedal and test light the connection coming out of the colum the green is hot and the blue flashes. These appear to be the same wires I see upon having the steering wheel removed that are visible on the cancel cam. I also put a test light on those two wires that I can see on the cam, the blue wire and the green. The green is hot when I press the pedal and the blue is hot when i run the blinkers. But, why is the blue hot and blinks at the connection coming out of the colum when I don't have the blinkers on but the pedal is pressed?

abyars111 · Post by **abyars111** » Mon Dec 10, 2012 3:19 pm

1967 wiring schematic: http://www.fordification.com/tech/wirin ... ghts02.jpg

Look at wires 282 & 283. From what I can tell those feed the rear stop/turn lights. I don't know the colors on a 1967 but it looks to me they are in a seperate plug from the turn signal switch.

Ks Highboy · Post by **Ks Highboy** » Tue Dec 11, 2012 11:05 pm

Not sure what I should be looking for. I don't see the turn switch in the schematic. Just know that I have turn signal and tail but no brake. I don't have the emegency flashers on the rear either but on the front they work. I was told by a local mech that its the turn signal switch. He said I could just replace the cancel cam and that the contacts are just bad. Wouldn't it be better to replace the whole turn signal switch. looks to me if the cancel cam contacts are bad then the contacts on the rest of the switch could be bad. The turn signals cancel fine.

basketcase0302 · Post by **basketcase0302** » Wed Dec 12, 2012 6:12 am

Ks Highboy on Tue Dec 11, 2012 11:05 pm
Not sure what I should be looking for. I don't see the turn switch in the schematic. Just know that I have turn signal and tail but no brake. I don't have the emegency flashers on the rear either but on the front they work. I was told by a local mech that its the turn signal switch. He said I could just replace the cancel cam and that the contacts are just bad. Wouldn't it be better to replace the whole turn signal switch. looks to me if the cancel cam contacts are bad then the contacts on the rest of the switch could be bad. The turn signals cancel fine.

Hate to say it but your "mechanic" evidently doesn't know much about our trucks as the "cancel cam", (plastic fingers of sorts) is built into the switch itself. Better grab the switch below and fast as you never see them at this price especially NOS. If your trying to run a bazillion lights through your brake light and turn signal and hazard switch, (as in camper lights) you'll continue to burn up switches and wiring.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1967-ford-truck ... 57&vxp=mtr

abyars111 · Post by **abyars111** » Wed Dec 12, 2012 9:00 am

That is a great deal. I just paid $55 for a NOS turn signal switch.

Like Basketcase said, if you have a lot of trailer lights you can power them with a relay triggered by the brake & turn light circuits.

Ks Highboy · Post by **Ks Highboy** » Wed Dec 12, 2012 12:08 pm

Not running a bunch of lights. I pull a small trailer but nothing that is all lit up. I think the switch is aging and gave up. I thought you could change the cancel cam by taking the little retainer snap off and putting a new one on. The local NAPA has em so they sell em. IDK.

Thanks basketcase, looks like I need to jump on that switch. Thanks for the link. Hope thats the fix.

Ks Highboy · Post by **Ks Highboy** » Wed Dec 12, 2012 1:11 pm

Basketcase, Mine does not have the dual horn springs as the one in the pic. Not sure how I can be sure its the right one. My switch is blue with a white cancel cam like the cancel cam has been replaced. Plus, I don't have a yellow wire in the plug and my wires up top on the cancel cam are blue and green. Doesn't look like all the wires match up with mine. Unless mine is not original. Also, the wire length looks really short in the pic like it wouldn't be long enough to exit out of the colum. Mine looks more like the one in the first link you provided that is a sponsor.

abyars111 · Post by **abyars111** » Wed Dec 12, 2012 1:31 pm

Could your truck have a 1968 & up column?

Ks Highboy · Post by **Ks Highboy** » Wed Dec 12, 2012 4:11 pm

abyars111 wrote:Could your truck have a 1968 & up column?

I suppose. I have owned the truck since 1993 and I have never touched the colum but I guess someone could have at some time. The truck was really original and clean when I bought it and the colum appears to be unmolested. Is the 68 switch not compatable with the 67? Not sure what would be different.

abyars111 · Post by **abyars111** » Wed Dec 12, 2012 6:15 pm

I'm sorry I made a mistake. The switch changed during the 1969 model to the switch Basketcase posted for me. Since you said your existing switch like like it I just wondered if the column had been changed. My 1970 has one plug at the base I the column with all the column wires. The way I interpret the 1967 wiring diagram there are two plugs at the bad of the column that contain the wiring for the turn switch. Maybe someone else will chime in. I don't know the color code for 1967 wiring if you could find that it would help.

basketcase0302 · Post by **basketcase0302** » Wed Dec 12, 2012 6:41 pm

This may be time for someone else to chime in here that knows a little more about the switches.

I do see the 67 switch has wires #49/2/50/3/810A/810/44 coming out of the harness and wires #2/3/810/44 feeding the switch.

And the 68 switch has wires#49/2/50/3/810A/810/44 coming out of the harness and wires#2/3/5/9/10/44 feeding the switch.

And here's the wiring color schematic to show you the colors:

I would have to guess that the switches are in fact different-I don't really know for sure.

This might also be a mid year change to your truck to have had a 68 switch put in it? And yes there are two plugs for the earlier switches. One I believe had two wires with the other harness having six wires?

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