Hope someone out there is smarter than me on this one. I did a frame off restoration on my 70 convertible. This last spring, I took the car for a drive and when I pressed the brake pedal, the turn signal indicator lights on the dash both light up. When I put the turn signals on, both indicator lights light up but nothing blinks, and both rear brake lights come on. Prior to this, they worked fine. Cmon you electrical geniuses out there. Tell me the problem or how to track it down. My guess... a bad brake light switch.

Thanks for the input.

Paul

|UPDATED|2/1/2003 1:39:01 PM|/UPDATED|

Hello Paul!
did you look at the flasher unit ?
are all lights working outside back and front ?
did you put some good ground wire on the frame.
Normand


|UPDATED|1/30/2003 10:12:30 PM|/UPDATED|

I think Normand might be on the right track with a bad or missing ground connection.

Norman and Glenn,
Didn't look at the flasher but will try that since it's an easy fix. I didn't think it could be a ground issue since all the lights work, tail, turn and headlight. Do you know specifically where the headlight ground wire is? There are two flat braided wires that attach to the transmission cross member, one of which grounds the wiper system. I replaced both of those during the restoration. I figured a brake light switch due to the electrical confusion between the turn signals and the brake lights. It's not that they don't work... it's just that the system now doesn't know the difference between the brake lights and the turn signals.

Paul

|UPDATED|2/1/2003 1:41:55 PM|/UPDATED|

Are the lights comming on at all? Do the brakes lights work? Do the trun signals blink independentaly or both at once or not at all?

Gary,

The brake lights come on when the brake is applied, but so do the turn signal indicator lights on the dash. If I flip on the turn signals in either direction, both brake lights come on and so do the dash lights, but they don't blink. So the response is the same whether i hit the brakes or turn on the turn signals. I don't think it is a ground problem since the lights all work. Usually a faulty ground results in no lights at all. Got any insight into this?

Paul

sounds like a short in the wiring. i had a simular problem with another car . it wound up being the wiring going to the turn signal switch in the steering column had a bare spot that would short when either the turn signal was used or the brake was hit. i had to work my way back from the tail lights with a continuty tester until i wound up at the column. pulled the cover off and there it was. your problem sounds very simular,though your short may not be in the column it sounds like a short somewhere. put a meter on your battery and get a voltage reading and pull fuses one at a time to see where the voltage drops off and you can find out which system the short is. I would bet that it's in the brake or turn signal lines but this will let you be sure. did you replace the wiring harness when you did the frame off? turn on the turn signals to repete the problem and move the wires to see if the problem stops. when the turn signal lights on the dash come on do the turn signal lights on the front of the car also come on? let me know what you find out

|UPDATED|2/2/2003 7:05:33 PM|/UPDATED|

Hi,

The most likely cause is the grounds at the tailights. Even if they are attached, your frame has paint on it and there is no electrical connection even if there is a physical connection.

Alex