No tail lights on my 620

[Mr Raiders]

Ok, so after getting flipped off and yelled at by several Ladies!! yes Ladies, At a stop light I had a gentleman politely bring to my attention that my brake lights were not working. Which explains why when I suddenly slammed on my breaks at a turn, the first lady yelled at me, the second one, well she must of had a visitor or something. Anyway back to the actual question. Or to the start. So my break lights just stopped working, I have not recently done any work to the truck. I looked into the problem and found it very odd that all my other lights are working all around my truck, tail lights turn signal lights, Just NOT my brake lights. /scratches head. I have had a problem in the past with my brake lights but it ended up just being the little plate that they, for some stupid reason, put on the brake peddle. The brake switch button had pushed through this thin piece of tin, or whatever thin metal it was. I mean come on drilling a hole through a good solid piece of steal brake peddle arm to put a little piece of metal cap instead for a contact point, These guess are smart. Anyway after that last event I learned how to check my brake switch by just connecting the wires together and the brakes should come on. Well I did all that, changed every fuse in the under dash fuse box. checked the wires at the tail lights. I can't find anything. Is there a relay, another fuse, anything I should be looking for? As it might seem I'm a little frustrated by this whole thing but I'm a little better no that I vented. O and cause you guys like pictures I'm gonna add some just for something to look at.

[danfiveten]

Get a volt tester and trace where theres no power going to for the brakes lights. Will make things easier if theres not a blown fuse.

[Nicholas7620]

You might check that your fuse clip surfaces are nice and clean and shiny. A piece of sandpaper wrapped around a pencil tip works. A small wire brush would also work.

 

My headlights wouldn't come on until I cleaned and shined up my fuse clip surface. Only one fuse controls your brake lights. No need to replace all of the fuses.

[danfiveten]

^ and be smart, if you use a wire brush, disconnect your battery first. Otherwise you will regret it.

[Mr Raiders]

Ok, I disconnected the battery, pulled the fuse box out, cleaned the connector and still nothing. I did figure out that the lights work from after the brake light switch and before they go into the floor right after a clamp. I connected a wire from both those points and the brake lights work. So whats between the fuse box and the passenger side under the dash plug???

[datzenmike]

Well the stop light signal has to pass through the turn signal switch. Why? Because the stop and turn signal shares the same bulbs so I you signal a left, the left brake light is disconnected and the flasher connected up to it.

 

 

The brake light power leaves the peddle switch on a Green/Yellow stripe wire and goes to the 10 pin plug on the steering column for the turn signals switch. With the turn signals off, the signal comes out the Light Green/Black and Light Green/Red wires and over to the plug under the pass seat and out under the cab to the rear right taillight.

 

You should be able to trace the power with this info. I had a brake light problem on my 620 where the solder connection had fallen off right at the turn signal switch under the steering wheel and one brake light wasn't working. Re soldered and good to go.

[Nicholas7620]

^ and be smart, if you use a wire brush, disconnect your battery first. Otherwise you will regret it.

 

 

Outstanding advice :thumbup: , I'll never forget to give that caveat/warning again.

 

Thanks for the cover Dan. :D

[Mr Raiders]

Well the stop light signal has to pass through the turn signal switch. Why? Because the stop and turn signal shares the same bulbs so I you signal a left, the left brake light is disconnected and the flasher connected up to it.

 

 

The brake light power leaves the peddle switch on a Green/Yellow stripe wire and goes to the 10 pin plug on the steering column for the turn signals switch. With the turn signals off, the signal comes out the Light Green/Black and Light Green/Red wires and over to the plug under the pass seat and out under the cab to the rear right taillight.

 

You should be able to trace the power with this info. I had a brake light problem on my 620 where the solder connection had fallen off right at the turn signal switch under the steering wheel and one brake light wasn't working. Re soldered and good to go.

 

Thank you, Great advise. I was figuring I would be pulling off the steering wheel next. Funny thing is my turn signal works fine and my hazards. I'm hoping it's just a loose wire under there. I will check it out in a bit and let ya know. Thanks again.

[danfiveten]

Outstanding advice :thumbup: , I'll never forget to give that caveat/warning again.

 

Thanks for the cover Dan. :D

 

lol. I always say that cuz i was a idiot when i was younger and didnt disconect the battery cuz i wasnt thinking and trying to do things fast. It pays to do things the right way ;)

[elmerfudpucker]

I would check those T-taps in the picture and wire them in better, they are known to cause issues

[datzenmike]

Sometimes unplugging and plugging back in cleans any bad connections.

[Mr Raiders]

Ok I tried everything suggested last night and I got the passenger break light to work. I didn't have a loose wire or a bad connection, all the soldering was excellent. I cleaned the connection were the turn signal is. Not sure if that's why one tail light works know? The bad part is I didn't do anything specific to make the one tail light start working so I have no clue were to keep trying. Is it my turn signal switch? O and a strange thing that I should mention. When I turn on the emergency lights( the work fine) and I step on the brakes while they are going, guess what work just fine, yup both brake lights...I am so confused. So I took pictures

Well its almost time to remove the dash..lol..I hope not

 

Cleaned all the contacts here

 

this needed fixed anyways, of course one of the nuts was rusted on and broke, now I have to go get a new light housing and the body part I was going to get anyway

[datsunaholic]

Yeah, that's a classic symptom of the turn signal switch. I had my '78 do the same thing- took it apart, cleaned up the inner contacts. Just don't lose the little BBs or springs that make the whole gizmo work. Mine, the right brake light only worked when the switch was in the left turn signal position. Turn signals/hazards always worked.

 

I've had 2 trucks do that and now I get a little paranoid that they aren't working, so I always look for the reflection when backing up against the fence at night.

[Mr Raiders]

WOOT!!! It works, Thank you everyone for your help. It ended up being the turn signal switch, funny I came back from getting everything back together and I see your post datsunhalic. It was the contact points in the switch, stupid of me cause I had taken that apart the other day and cleaned it and that's when the passenger side brakes started working. It looked all good, but the contact point was bent just enough where it wasn't hitting right, A little rubbing alcohol and a bend back and it all works great now. Thanks again everyone