1960 Tbird hardtop Brake light issues

[simplyconnected]

...Your back-up lights only work when the parking lights or headlamps are on. Ford was saving a couple amps back then.

You may be confused with the front Parking Lights that extinguish when the headlights are on. The OEM Squarebird headlight switch 'A' terminal supplies power at all times. That is why the door lights, also fed from the 'A' terminal, do not depend on a key or headlights to be on. According to the 1960 wiring diagram, backup lights shine when the shifter is in reverse.

The 'A' terminal simply has a fuse between it and the Batt terminal. It's the upper fuse, clearly shown in this picture:

The yellow power wire is on the upper left and the green brake light wire is on the upper right ('A' terminal).
This is picture #12 but the entire switch can be viewed HERE.

Same as Little Birds. Any one know when this changed??? Common for Little Bird owners to swap the power feed wire from the light switch to the ACC terminal of the Ignition switch and have back up lights whenever shifted into reverse.

No need Joe, it already happens that way on Squarebirds from the factory.

...I always thought it odd to not have reverse lights during the day. I see on the wiring switch diagram the shared wire to the neutral switch is with the glovebox light and clock, so I'm assuming the BU lights are someplace else?

Squarebirds are wired so that backup lights shine whenever the shifter is in 'R' regardless of the time of day. No, clock power comes off the Batt terminal with an non-fused yellow wire that feeds the cigar lighter as well.

Reference the wiring diagram for the '60 T-bird. CLICK HERE

[Deanj]

You are correct that the parking lights extinguish when the headlamps are on. However, I'm pretty sure about the back-up lights operation when the parking or headlamps are on.

I may have read it somewhere on this forum, and that's how my car works. No one has messed with that circuit-and I just tried it to verify. I read that's why Ford switched to all red lenses if you didn't order back-up lights. Customers with clear lenses were complaining that their back-up lights didn't work. It turned out they didn't have back-up lights.

[Joe Johnston]

No need Joe, it already happens that way on Squarebirds from the factory

Another change for 58 over 57! Almost like its a completely different car!!!

[Deanj]

I found this quote from John on 6-25-16:

It's not an on-off switch like you are thinking. When you put the car in reverse there's a switch under the steering column that activates the backup lights. It gets power from the headlight switch. That's assuming that you actually have them installed.

John

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John Pizzi - Squarebirds Administrator

[scumdog]

I don't know if it's the same in earlier Thunderbirds but in my '66 I had to be careful when pulling the wires up (and back down) as some of the casting in the collar had edges sharp enough to shave slivers off the insulation on the wires.

[simplyconnected]

Read the wiring diagram. The switch you refer to under the dash is ON the steering column and it is the Neutral Safety/Backup Lights Switch. Yes, it's in the diagram along with wire colors. It only makes sense that the shifter will turn on the backup lights.

Again, look at the wiring diagram. It clearly shows two wires on the headlight switch connected to 'A'; the backup lights and the glove box light. In '58 & '59 Squarebirds, the green brake light wire is also connected to 'A'. In '60, Ford disconnected the green brake light wire from the headlight switch and connected it to a separate in-line fuse fed from the 'Batt' post on the ignition sw.

If your backup lights do not energize unless the headlight switch is pulled out, you have your black/red wire on the wrong terminal. Put it back on 'A' (as shown in the diagram). - Dave

I found this quote from John on 6-25-16:

It's not an on-off switch like you are thinking. When you put the car in reverse there's a switch under the steering column that activates the backup lights. It gets power from the headlight switch. That's assuming that you actually have them installed.

John

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John Pizzi - Squarebirds Administrator

[jopizz]

Dave is correct. The backup lights should work regardless of whether the lights are on or off. However this isn't the first time I've heard complaints of the backup lights only working when the lights are on. I would be interested to know how many of our members are having this issue so we can find out if there's a common cause.

John

[Joe Johnston]

In '60, Ford disconnected the green brake light wire from the headlight switch and connected it to a separate in-line fuse fed from the 'Batt' post on the ignition sw.

That should put this to rest and explain why some have the issue and others don't. 55 - 59 feed for the back up lights is from the headlight switch, and 60 and after from the ign switch.

[jopizz]

The backup lights and the brake lights are two separate circuits. The backup lights are connected to the headlight switch in 1960 just like in previous years.

John

[Deanj]

Thanks for saving me some face. I'll have to assume my headlight switch and ignition switch were replaced before I bought my car. I'm curious to know how this wiring mistake-because anyone who did this job isn't a dummy-could be made since it's common knowledge that reverse lights come on when the shift selector is in R.

[Joe Johnston]

Even though I don't have a Squarebird, I may have to buy some electrical manuals to sort this out for myself.

[Harry LePargneux]

On my 1960, the backup lights do not come on unless the headlight switch is turned on. They work when either the park lights or headlights are turned on.

[Frango100]

My 1958 is the same, but i want to change it to be working without headlights on.

[Deanj]

The questions are did the factory make the mistake or did someone wire a replacement headlight switch incorrectly? How can so many of these be wired wrong? I'm not the only one who thinks they read something about the back-up lights coming on only when the headlamps were lit.

All I really know is that the old headlight switches are a nightmare because many circuits are wired there direct instead of going to a fuse box and distributed to the proper lamp.

[jopizz]

There are only enough terminals on the switch for the amount of wires there are. If the backup light wire is on the wrong terminal then another wire is also on the wrong terminal and wouldn't be working correctly. If I can dig out an old switch I will test it to see if some kind of internal fault can cause the A terminal not to be hot all the time.

John