Lighting issue

[CometJunkie64]

Hey guys, been a while since I’ve had a chance to jump on. Looking for some insight, the other night I rolled my car out of the garage. I went to pull it back in, however I no longer had interior lights/ running lights/brake lights. I figured the fuse had just blown and needed to be replaced. I pull the cluster and the headlight switch, replace the 15 amp fuse and put it all back together. Hook the battery back up, same thing, no lights. I can’t seem to find any open wires under the dash or trunk. If I put a 20 amp fuse in the doesn’t pop, however the lights still do not work. I’m at a loss, I had an issue similar to this when I bought the car 8 years ago but for the life of me can’t remember what I did to fix it.

Clifton

[lavron]

Was the original fuse blown? Can't remember if those have a common connector someplace, I assume they do, you might make sure it is connected good.

Also if you can check the continuity of the wire starting with the one from the fuse and working your way out from it, if everything quit then it has to be the common wire, if the fuse was blown check for a short, if not look for an open or an open ground wire.

See Ya,
Mike

[popscomet]

always check for good grounds !!…..pop

[Lou's Comet]

I would try a headlight switch before getting too wrapped up in chasing down a short or bad connection/ground. The headlight switch is the common denominator in your light problems.

[caseville cyclone]

I agree with Lou,a faulty headlight switch causes a multitude of problems. Get it fixed Woodward Cruise this weekend. Andy from Caseville,MI.

[luc3ch]

Hey Andy were you on Woodward yesterday?
I was out every night since last Saturday participating with Stella the '64.

Yesterday I hit it early around 9:30 am, then parked her safely in the garage and went back with lawn chairs, cold drinks, and friends to watch into the evening.

[CometJunkie64]

I know I’ve replaced the headlight switch before, but does anyone know if I can get away with a switch for a 65 mustang? National parts depot isn’t far and I feel like they maybe my best bet. However about 8 years ago I had a 79 capri, I had headlight switch issues with it but couldn’t find a switch for a 79 right away. A headlight switch for an 80 was configured differently then an 79 and caused issues within itself. I’m just hoping to avoid this same issue with my 64.
Clifton

[CometJunkie64]

Hey guys, I gave a headlight switch a try, unfortunately no luck. If the weather stays decent today I will push it out of the garage and start looking for a bad ground or a loose wire. Is there anywhere in particular that I should start looking?
Clifton

[tomb22]

Hi Clifton
Here is a image of a 65 light switch. Should be the same as a 64.
Terminal B is the power in. Take a test light and see if you have power there. If not then you have to find where the wire is broken or has a bad connection. If you have power there then pull the switch and check at terminal H. If there is no power at H then you have a bad switch.
You can see there is a circuit breaker in the switch that sometimes will not reset also. This calls for a new switch also.
Hope this helps
tom

[popscomet]

I had a 71 f100 yrs ago,battary shorted out ,you could smell hot acid,batt was so hot to the touch,,changed it out,,cleaned connections,,,nothing ,,double checked everything,still nothing,,,,was just sitting there thinking what is the problem,,about 20 min's went by,,,then I heard a click somewhere from under the dash....dome light came on,,,engine started right up all was good,,,,drove that truck at least 10 more yrs,,that never happened again....later on was putting a CB radio in wife's AMC JAVLIN AND shorted out hot wire for a split sec,,everything went off,,acted like a battery wasn't even in it,,,I remembered the truck,,waited just a few minutes,,,heard that click under dash...all was good....be sure and post the fix if you ever find it,,,ME and several others have 64's,,,we might have the same problem....thank you pop

[CometJunkie64]

I pulled my trusty power probe out of the tool box when I walked in from work tonight. I started at the rear of the car. With the power probe, the tail lights and brake light came on. So I figured the next step was to head into the cab and check there. I searched the threads for anyone else having these issues and I stumbled upon a similar situation. Another member had posted black wire pushes to anything that lights up. I started with the black wire and with the power probe, I got tail light and my tach and my aftermarket gauges to light up. When I pull the headlight switch out it greatly dims the lights on the dash. Now I’d i move to the yellow wire with the fuse, if I put power to either side of the fuse it pops the fuse in the power probe regardless of if the headlight switch is pulled or not. All I can imagine is that the line coming in is my issue. Or possibly a bad ground in the green with yellow tracer. This ones got me scratching my head pretty hard.

[CometJunkie64]

I suppose I should mention that my headlights do work

[CometJunkie64]

Talked to friend of mine over the weekend, he deals in vintage ford parts. He told me that I probably need a turn signal switch, based on past experience. I see Mac’s offers two different options. One is just a repair kit with the shut off cam and the other is a full unit with the wires and everything. Do you guys think the repair kit will be enough or should I order the full kit?
Clifton