No brake or reverse lights?

[kuusamon]

Brake lights get interrupted by your turn signals. To complicate matters, there are TWO power sources that feed the brake lights (in the steering column).......
...If you see a wire (for example) that says, 'ORANGE-BLUE', the wire may be orange with a blue trace OR it could be a solid orange wire with a blue bullet connector.

Thanks for this info, things become a lot clearer now, to me also.

[tbird430]

There is also a "mystery" fuse that allows power for the brake lights to even work!!

Try finding the green wire off your IGINITION switch. There is a in-line fuse there that blows sometimes. I promise you it's there and not listed in the service manual. I just went through this on my '60 Bird- CRAZY stuff!!

-Jon in TX.

[villain]

mystery fuses - fun :-) would that be the green wire with the little eyelet connector thing on the end that is hanging free under the dash? I saw it when i was looking at the fuses on the back of the headlight switch.

update on this issue (the brake lights anyway) ended up being a faulty wire coming off the brake switch that is next to the master cylinder. All my parts for fixing my horn stuff in the steering wheel will be here tomorrow and we are just going to replace the whole wire then...its rigged for now, albeit i have no horn.

(i'm learning a lot about this car through this process though too...good stuff. thanks everyone)

[tbird430]

I bet "yes".

It is a small amp fuse too, like an 8 or so.

People helping people.

[villain]

Is it accounted for in the wiring diagram? http://squarebirds.org/Diagrams-Sche...ingDiagram.jpg
is it the green one coming off the stop light switch under the hood to the 'A' connection on the headlight switch on the dash?

[tbird430]

No, this one runs to the actual IGNITION switch.

[simplyconnected]

There is also a "mystery" fuse that allows power for the brake lights to even work!!

Try finding the green wire off your IGINITION switch. There is a in-line fuse there that blows sometimes. I promise you it's there and not listed in the service manual...

Jon, the '58 had only one fuse on the headlight switch. Most likely, the in-line fuse holder you refer to is one that feeds the Flasher Unit (orange-yellow wire) coming from the ignition switch. And yes, without flasher power, the directional signal switch would lose a power feed.

The '59 and '60 T-birds have two fuses on the rear of the headlight switch and NO inline fuse holder.

I would like to hear more about that wire dangling with the ring terminal at the end. What color is it, and where does it come from?

[villain]

I would like to hear more about that wire dangling with the ring terminal at the end. What color is it, and where does it come from?

That's what the guy working on the car said :-) He was gonna trace it down next time he has it.
I'll take a pic for y'all and see if you know what it is.

[tbird430]

Jon, the '58 had only one fuse on the headlight switch. Most likely, the in-line fuse holder you refer to is one that feeds the Flasher Unit (orange-yellow wire) coming from the ignition switch. And yes, without flasher power, the directional signal switch would lose a power feed.

The '59 and '60 T-birds have two fuses on the rear of the headlight switch and NO inline fuse holder.

I promise you my 1960 (as well a few others of us on here) have this "mystery" inline fuse off a solid green wire on the IGNITION switch- not the headlamp switch.

[simplyconnected]

Jon, if you can identify which terminal it goes to and what it feeds, I will include it in our drawings. Then, it won't be a mystery any longer. - Dave

[tbird430]

Read this thread from back in 2008. http://www.squarebirds.org/vbulletin...t=brake+lights

Pay attention to posts#3,10,& 20 by "Wildcat15". Post#29 by "FeFranco". Post#67 by "Trimcode76". As well as, post# 70 by "Bcomo".

There are some pics posted at the end of this thread. I can't see them if they are still valid pic links though, because I'm at work & they are blocked.

I think the important think is to check and see if you have power 1st from either lead connecting to the brake switch (on the end of the master cylinder). You have to have power there, or this fuse is blown. Furthermore, the correct fuse is samller than the 14amp some of the guys mention in the old thread. It's more like a 7.5 or 5amp...

-Jon in TX.

[Guest]

Hey Jon,
Here was my post some time back! My be your problem also! http://www.squarebirds.org/vbulletin...t=brake+lights
Keep us posted!
Richard D. Hord

[tbird430]

Hey Jon,
Here was my post some time back! My be your problem also! http://www.squarebirds.org/vbulletin...t=brake+lights
Keep us posted!
Richard D. Hord

No, I don't have any brake light problems. Those two old threads help me fix my brake light problem about a month ago.

I was try to save "villain" some time with his problem.

-Jon in TX.

[Guest]

Hey Jon,
Brain fart! Hey David
Richard D. Hord

[simplyconnected]

Calling all 1960 Thunderbird restorers...

...the correct fuse is samller than the 14amp some of the guys mention in the old thread. It's more like a 7.5 or 5amp...

Jon, let me get this straight. From what I gleaned from the other thread, ony 1960 Thunderbirds had this fuse (I can believe 7-amps), and:

1.) "a 14A fuse is shown between the Ignition switch 'BAT' terminal and the stop light switch, the circuit continues to the turn signal switch and onto the brake lights. Although the circuit connects at the turn signal switch, --junction point only-- it doesn't go thru the switch, so a faulty switch shouldn't affect the stop lights."

2.) "the green wire coming off the headlight switch does not go directly to the brake light switch, it goes over to the ignition switch, then from there to the brake light switch WITH AN INLINE FUSE A SHORT DISTANCE FROM THE IGNITION SWTCH."

I will change our drawings to show the fuse but I must be sure of a couple things. It sounds like a wire (of some color I need to know) starts at the (? terminal on the) Headlight Sw and goes to the "B" terminal on the Key Sw.

We already show a YELLOW wire that fits that description. It starts at "B" on the Headlight Sw and ends at "B" on the Key Sw. Is it really GREEN?

On the drawing, it's easy enough to remove the GREEN wire from the "A" terminal on the Headlight Sw to the Stop Sw. Then, add a GREEN wire to the "B" terminal on the Key Sw, add a Fuse and continue with GREEN to the Stop Sw. The problem is, #1 statement says the GREEN wire junctions at the Turn Signal Sw. Is that so? Is there a bullet connector at the bottom of the steering column with three GREEN wires plugged in?

These prints follow a convention: YELLOW wires are hot all the time and they go to a battery source. GREEN may be fused and hot all the time or switched.

The submitted pictures show a black inline fuse with GREEN wires. I don't see any more than that.

Richard, you show a YELLOW wire AND a GREEN wire on the same terminal on your Key Sw, but no fuse:


If I had a '60 Tbird I would dig into it, but I don't. So, I need someone to re-check for correct answers before I draw.

I know this... If I had fuse holders hidden like these, I would extend the wires and put them in a more accessible location. It wouldn't hurt to label them and place them close to eachother instead of searching all over the dash whenever a fuse blows. I appreciate your help. - Dave