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Electrical fun...

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Old 04-11-2012 | 07:32 PM
  #1  
duckyz's Avatar
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From: Alameda, CA
Electrical fun...

Here is what I don't have: Parking lights, dash marker lights, and the left turn signal when the hazzards are flashing and side markers

Here is what I DO have... Headlights (high and low), both turn signals individually, and brake lights.

Just checked all of my fuses. All are connecting and none are blown. I can hear relays click when I turn on the headlights.

I go to work at dark:30 and having tail lights would be a cool thing for the other drivers to see.

Where else do I need to look? Stumped.
Old 04-11-2012 | 07:47 PM
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Did you check the notoriuos hazzard switch?
Old 04-11-2012 | 08:18 PM
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That.... I did not do. You think that would affect everything else?
Old 04-12-2012 | 06:32 PM
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It's a crazy switch that a lot of stuff gets fed to. My signal lights stoped working the other day. Changed the flasher out no love - checked the hazard switch.... yup that was the problem. Had it cause grief more than once....
Old 04-12-2012 | 07:31 PM
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Mine was corroded. I took it apart, cleaned it up, and life's been good ever since!!
Old 04-13-2012 | 06:31 PM
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From: Monongahela Pennslyvainia
If it has a aftermarket radio which I'm sure it most likely does . . . . Make sure it is correct . . . . I kept blowing my tail and dash light fuse after a few days of busted hands and a few rounds of the cops for my screaming it turned out to be the idiot that installed the radio took the groung wire to the ilummination wire for the factory radio light. . . . Creating a dead short. . . . Now if your missing a tun signal light well could be a faulty socket. . . . .
Old 04-15-2012 | 09:39 AM
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I went over the entire lighting system with a fine tooth comb (not literally, but you know what I mean...). Found a black wire that was common to everything and got out the trusty Haynes guide wiring diagram. Needless to say, it would be much easier to follow that if it were in color...

Anyway, I took off the multi-switch and cleaned off the contacts. Nada. Cleaned off everything on the hazard switch.... now all 4 signals were blinking, but no running lights.

Finally gave up and took it up to my mechanic. Broken factory splice on the main harness under the passenger side of the dash. I would have never found that. But, now everything works again!
Old 04-15-2012 | 10:05 AM
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Originally Posted by duckyz
I went over the entire lighting system with a fine tooth comb (not literally, but you know what I mean...). Found a black wire that was common to everything and got out the trusty Haynes guide wiring diagram. Needless to say, it would be much easier to follow that if it were in color...

Anyway, I took off the multi-switch and cleaned off the contacts. Nada. Cleaned off everything on the hazard switch.... now all 4 signals were blinking, but no running lights.

Finally gave up and took it up to my mechanic. Broken factory splice on the main harness under the passenger side of the dash. I would have never found that. But, now everything works again!
Good to hear, sometimes its just out of our hands honestly. You could have searched that for months on end and not found it.
Old 07-03-2012 | 05:19 AM
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I have this exact same issue with my 81. Headlights, signals, brake lights all still work but nothing else, no tail lights, side markers, dash lights (basically anything associated with the first click of the headlight switch).

It's always been a little screwy the whole time I've had the car, every couple of weeks it would happen sometimes they would take a minute or two to turn on, but this time seems like they're not coming back.

I can hear the relay click when I flip the switch but nothing happens, if I leave my headlights on the chime and light for "lights and key" (or whatever it says) doesn't come on either.

I know you brought it to the shop, but do you know exactly what came loose?
I just checked under my dash for anything that was obviously loose but didn't see anything hanging or separated. Judging by the fact that it was intermittent for a while I'd assume that it was broken but still held together enough to make a connection most of the time so it's probably going to still appear intact
Old 07-04-2012 | 11:38 PM
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It was a bad factory splice on the main harness somewhere under the passenger side of the dash. My mechanic just ran a jumper wire instead of replacing the whole harness. Everything works just fine.

However, he took about 4 hours just to find where the issue was coming from...and he's a professional that knows what he's looking for. I'd still be hunting that down.
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