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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / Tail light/brake lights

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Discussion Topic: Tail light/brake lights -- page: 1 2

Pair of 40's

03-20-2012 @ 6:57 AM

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I have no tail lights or brake lights on my 40 convertible. I have head lights and dash lights. Blinkers work but these were added and not on orig harness. License plate light also works. Main circuit breaker does not appear blown from what I can see. I checked all connections and wiring seems fine. I checked at the master cylinder stop light switch and the blinker wire runs through it so I'm assuming switch is ok. I did put a tester on the wire to the switch but I don't seem to have power there. Car was rewired during restoration with a new harness 2 years ago.

TomO

03-20-2012 @ 7:16 AM

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The tail lights and license light are connected to the same wire from the light switch. There are 3 wires in the harness that goes to the rear of the car, yellow wire is for the gas gauge sending unit, black wire is for tail lights and license light and the green wire is for the stop lights. There is a connection point that has 2 pigtails on the black wire. One connection is for the license light and the other is for the cross over harness for both tail lights.

If you have turn signals, your stop lights go through the turn signal switch and you will have extra wires in the harness that goes to the rear of the car.

Try tracing the tail light problem and if it doesn't fix the stop light problem, come back with a description of your turn signal switch (7 wire or 4 wire).

Here is a link to the wiring diagram for a stock lighting system.

http://www.vanpeltsales.com/FH_web/FH_images/FH_electrical-pics/Flathead_Electrical_wirediagram1940car.jpg

Here is a link to the wiring schematic for your car

http://www.vanpeltsales.com/FH_web/FH_images/FH_electrical-pics/Flathead_Electrical_wiring1940dlx.jpg
Tom

This message was edited by TomO on 3-20-12 @ 7:19 AM

Pair of 40's

03-20-2012 @ 7:28 AM

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It is a 7 wire blinker. Bulbs appear to be 1154's

supereal

03-20-2012 @ 9:25 AM

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The tail lights are not connected to the turn signal system, only the stop lights. As you have neither working, the common connection (no pun) is the lack of ground to the body of the lights. These units originally were grounded thru the rear fenders. Over the years, paint, rust, and fender welting have interrupted the necessary grounds. Place a voltmeter between a ground other than the fender and the center bulb terminal in the sockets to determine if power is actually being delivered. If not, suspect the "bullet" connectors to the lights. If there is power, place a jumper between the tail/stoplight mounting and/or the bulb sockets, and ground. If they light, install a ground wire to the mounting bolts of each side, and to the ground. When we rewire s vehicle, we always install an additional ground wire to each component. I've often wished that the makers of replacement wire looms would include these to reduce the work. Using the body and frame for a good ground made sense when the cars were new, but years of rust and dirt lost that advantage. Old tail and stop lights are small and dim under the best of circumstances, anyway, and need all the help they can get. As LED bulbs become available, we will all benefit.

Pair of 40's

03-20-2012 @ 10:13 AM

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Thanks for the tips. Being a fresh restoration we have battled to much paint vs the rust problems.

Pair of 40's

03-20-2012 @ 10:20 AM

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I just noticed in Joe's Antique Auto catilog that Quart Hologen are available as replacements for the 1154, wonder how much better they are?

ford38v8

03-20-2012 @ 12:09 PM

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Halogen bulbs draw far too much juice to improve the lighting on an antique car. Step on the brake, for instance, and your headlights go dim, without a visible improvement to the brake lights. Halogen also produces a great deal of heat, which in itself is a problem.

Alan

supereal

03-20-2012 @ 12:53 PM

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I agree with Alan. Halogens just take too much current, paricularly for a generator/six volt system. By comparison, LED lights draw a fraction of that load. We are now seeing LED headlights which are composed of almost 60 diodes, yet draw about the same current as one small bulb. The price of LED's has come down rapidly, and are now common in newer cars. Don't waste money on halogens. I have them in my '47, and had to go to an alternator and relays to meet the load and produce illumination just a bit better than the originals.

1883warren

03-20-2012 @ 4:57 PM

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A trick I've used for years is: clean, then paint the insides of your tail lights with two coats of WHITE paint, and it can be semi-gloss and that seems to work the best, although gloss white is fine. This will add much to the brightness of these lamps. These is no need for halogen bulbs. No need for 12 volts either, as this is opening a can of worms. If your V8 won't spin on 6 volts, better rebuild your stater, put in actual big SIX volt cables, and clean up connections.
Warren

Pair of 40's

03-20-2012 @ 6:16 PM

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Thanks for all your comments. I think its a ground problem. We will find it!

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