Qusetion,NO BRAKE LIGHTS !?

[Fred Y.]

Hi everyone!
I'm reinstalling the interior guts on my 67 roadster.I put the dash panel back in last Sun.Everything works beautiful.All the fuses are fine & my rear running lights & front also are working fine,but NO brake lights when I hit the brake pedal & then last night I noticed that my interior courtesy lights would not shut off----strange????The only thing I can figure is that the steering column needs to be re-installed & plugged back in to basically complete any & all interior electrical lighting connections,as the column ties-in with the rear signal lights to make them operate & perhaps complete some sort of circuit loop that will enable the brake light to work!Luckily,all the wires underneath have never been tampered with & I put a voltage tester on the orange & white brake switch wires last night under the dash/column mount & they "HAD" juice!
Any ideas????
Thankyou----------Fred

[Timothy B.]

Re: Qusetion,NO BRAKE LIGHTS !?

Fred,

I believe the brake lights run through the turn signal switch so the column would need to be installed or at least plugged in.


Probably a concidence about the interior light, try to play with the door switches and see if the light goes out.

[Fred Y.]

Re: Qusetion,NO BRAKE LIGHTS !?

Thanks Tim,
I was directed to past posts on this subject & it seems that the column plug DEFINETELY has to be plugged-in as the brake circuit travels through the column.Like you said though,I hope the issue with my interior courtesy lights is tied into the column plug as well!! I'll let you know when I get back on it tonight!!!
Thanks!!

[Jack H.]

Re: Qusetion,NO BRAKE LIGHTS !?

Were the doors off the car or the door jamb switches pulled? If so, what did you do to re-set the door jamb switches to their factory, pre-installation, geometry before re-installing?

Door jamb switches are self-adjusting and 'learn' the geometry of the specfic car they're installed in. The plunger shaft makes an interference fit to the installation nut it runs through. The first time a door shuts after the switch is installed, the plunger shaft moves back, through the nut, to the appropriate position for the specific geometry of that door/door jamb...

[Fred Y.]

Re: Qusetion,NO BRAKE LIGHTS !?

Hello Jack,
NO the door jambs were not removed & neither were the original plungers when I did my dissasambly.I just kept them covered from dust etc. during the painting/bodywork process.The only parts removed were the door hinges,but I marked them exactly where they were & reassembled them in the same spot.Once again,I'm hoping when I get into it tonight that somehow tying the steering column harness back into the mix that they will work normally again instead of staying on;but I am doubtful?
Fred

[Bill C.]

Re: Qusetion,NO BRAKE LIGHTS !?

Hello Jack,
NO the door jambs were not removed & neither were the original plungers when I did my dissasambly.I just kept them covered from dust etc. during the painting/bodywork process.The only parts removed were the door hinges,but I marked them exactly where they were & reassembled them in the same spot.Once again,I'm hoping when I get into it tonight that somehow tying the steering column harness back into the mix that they will work normally again instead of staying on;but I am doubtful?
Fred

Freddie,
First off, why are you on this board and not watching your new leader?

Anyway, knowing what your car has undergone, unless your plungers are currently painted blue as the rest of the car is, I am confident that the paint shop removed your plungers when the jams were painted, were they put back on the same side? They are very sensitive to being disturbed as was previously mentioned they take a "set" when first installed and much attention must be paid to reinstaling them EXACTLY as before or they may now be "readjusted" and you may have to fiddle with how deep they are threaded in.Were they installed EXACLTY as deep as they were? Did the paint shop help plug the harness lead back into the switch so its not dangling indide the A pillar and grounding out? That would keep the lights on as thats how the switch works, by grounding the circuit.
BTW,did you find your original shroud bolts? And, quick, turn on the TV before you miss it!
Bill

[Jack H.]

Re: Qusetion,NO BRAKE LIGHTS !?

Note I asked if the doors were off the car... I've yet to see anyone remove door jambs!

You said the door hinges were removed. I guess I don't know how you remove door hinges without removing the doors... In that case the answer would be 'Yes' the doors have been removed.

OK, the factory used shims on an as required basis behind the door hinges to align the doors. If the shim count is different than what it originally was, then you could have a door jamb switch problem. Here's the acid test...

Open both doors and get an assistant. Depress each of the door jamb switches ALL THE WAY and see if your interior lights now turn OFF. If so, your courtesy light problem is one of door jamb switch alignment.

If the interior lights don't shut off, the next step is to look for either a wire that's broken off a door jamb switch and is making contact to ground in the bird cage area behind the door jamb switch OR nicked insulation on these wires that results in the same.

The circuit path is B+ from the fuse box to the interior lights and out through the switch(s) to ground. Interior lamps that stay on all the time are generally being grounded regardless of the position of the door jamb switch(s).

[Stephen L.]

Re: Qusetion,NO BRAKE LIGHTS !?

Check the interior lights by:

Check the headlight position to make sure the lights are not intentionaly on.
Depress by hand both door switches to see if the lights go out.
Did you disconnect the door switches and forget to reconnect them??

Reset the door plungers by pulling the plunger out and then close door to adjust as Jack Humphrey has described.

Brake lite problem should be corrected when steering column wiring is connected.

[Fred Y.]

Re: Qusetion,NO BRAKE LIGHTS/BATTING 500 !!

Ok Jack,I typed incorrectly-----------of course the doors were off & yes the hinges also----still no luck with the interior lights!(could be tricky getting the jambs off as well Eh?? ) I will remove both plungers t/night ,clean & reassemble them & hope they will reset to turn off lights.I've got juice there,so this must be the issue!!
As far as my brake lights----THANKS EVERYONE!!---they work fine now since I plugged the column harness back in!! Signals Ok,Horn Ok,Life is good.I'll keep you updated on the interior lights!!
Fred

[Jack H.]

Re: Qusetion,NO BRAKE LIGHTS/BATTING 500 !!

The switches won't 're-set' just by removing and re-installing them!

Like I said, the center plunger post makes an interference fit into the outer jamb nut allowing it to 'slide' in to 'learn' the geometry of the specific door the switch is being installed on.

To return the switch to its factory original configuration you have to clamp the switch mounting nut and CAREFULLY press the main switch body forward through the nut to regain the fully extended position of the pluger shaft.

This is tricky because the interference fit 'fights' you and it's relatively easy to crush the rear switch body when you tap it forward... But, a little penetrating oil and CAUTION in where you tap + how hard you tap WILL get the mission accomplished!

[Fred Y.]

Re: Qusetion,NO BRAKE LIGHTS !?

Thanks Jack!
Out they come tonight--worst case-----get new ones!!

[Fred Y.]

Re: Qusetion,NO BRAKE LIGHTS !?

Follow-up !!
Thankyou Jack & Steve----removed plungers from doors last night.Did the acid test-----interior lights turned off------placed the plungers in a small vise,gave the inner cylinder 3 small taps & the plungers went back to their original "uninstalled" setting checked both with a continuity tester---AOK !!!
Thanks for the advice---------Fred

[Jack H.]

Re: Qusetion,NO BRAKE LIGHTS !?

BINGO! Houston, we have sucessfully escaped re-inventing the wheel...

[Bill C.]

Re: Qusetion,NO BRAKE LIGHTS !?

Follow-up !!
Thankyou Jack & Steve----removed plungers from doors last night.Did the acid test-----interior lights turned off------placed the plungers in a small vise,gave the inner cylinder 3 small taps & the plungers went back to their original "uninstalled" setting checked both with a continuity tester---AOK !!!
Thanks for the advice---------Fred

Geez!
I see my 2 cents got no thanks, and I'll see ya first!