# Brake Light and Wiring Issue



## Cmeyer9424 (May 5, 2020)

So I’ve been trying to get the rear tail lights and break lights to work on my 69 gto for a week now. Yesterday I successfully got the side markers and lights to work when the headlights are on but still no brake lights.

I have replaced all the fuse and the flasher relay. The problem I did find was that there was no power to the brake light switch. I also do not have any turn signals or flashers. I believe the turn signal switch in the steering wheel is bad because if I move the signal arm around enough the right signal light on the dash goes on and off . I also have no dash lights and didn’t know if these were related or separate.

I hate wiring issues so I thought it best to see what y’all had for guidancebefore I do anymore guess work.

Thanks!


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## O52 (Jan 27, 2019)

Dash lights are separate. Small 2 amp fuse at the bottom.

The stop light switch is hot at all times (orange wire). It gets its power directly from the fuse. After the switch leads make contact it sends 12 volts to the TS switch and to the brake lights from there.
Sounds like to me your TS switch may be bad or the plug mounted on top of the column may be loose. Not to difficult to replace if you have the right steering wheel tools.


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## Cmeyer9424 (May 5, 2020)

Of course it would be the one I didn’t change haha. I’ll replace the fuse tonight. I read a really good detail write up on the form about the turn signal switch replacement. Just wanted to make sure that was related to the brake lights before I went through the removal. Thanks for the info!


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## Cmeyer9424 (May 5, 2020)

Update:

I replaced the small fuse for the dash light and no luck there. Still no dash light.

I got the new turn signal switch. Part store gave me the one with cornering lights. All that was extra was three wires at the end. I had to unpin the old clip and use it on the new switch because the one that came with it was too large. The write up I read had to do the same thing.

Moment of truth, plug the TS switch up and get it screwed down into the steering column, connect the battery and nothing...

So I then proceed to pull the fuse block off the firewall and make sure all looks good. Found a blown 20A fuse for the STOP and HAZ slot. Grab a new fuse and heard it tick just for a second and then nothing. I then grab a 25A fuse and tried again. Same thing blew the fuse again. Lastly I tired a 30A fuse and this time it stayed on long enough to do some investigation.

While the blinker is ticking it is only the right side and will not change with the blinker arm or the flasher. Also, I checked the brake light connection to see if I had power and I did! But...the test light light was flashing like a turn signal. So I plugged the brake connection in and applied the brake and the turn signal stoped with the break pedal depressed. Let off the brake and it proceeds to blink. Then the fuse blew again...

I am at a total loss for what to do next. Any advice or guidance would be amazing. I just want brake lights right now to be honest haha


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## BLK69JUDGE (Jun 10, 2010)

here is my ramble .... 
do you have the factory copper braided ground straps from bulb to bulb
and over to the outer tail light mounting stud ? are they clean ?is the contact to the socket clean they easily oxidize
I just pulled apart a 69 last summer it had 6 1157 bulbs out back 
wrong reverse bulb 1 bulb in 180 out ....

are the contacts inside each bulb socket clean ? do you have new bulbs with nice tall round contacts ?
I might unplug the harness at the trunk hinge and see what I get coming from up front 
match wire colors to the tail light sockets
the other 2 are fuel gauge ,,,, and license light

front blinkers have issues also with bulb contacts contacts and broken
sockets on the rear of the housing at the plug ,,,, tough to get to assembled kinda the last toughest chec.k...
any trailer hitch wiring ?
any after market spliced in sockets ?
GTO has there own tail light harness in case it was a lemans
gto has a ground going to the 1/4panel light 2 wires and a plastic socket
and lemanz has a single wire metal socket into a metal housing and a
u strap on the bottom nut like a 68 for a ground

poppin the fuse 30 amp is defff an issue

Scott


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## Cmeyer9424 (May 5, 2020)

Thanks for all the info Scott. I’ll check these areas out and post an update


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## Cmeyer9424 (May 5, 2020)

So the tail light grounds were horrible. Fixed one bulb and tried it out. That seemed to fix the fuse issue. Still have the issue of the right blinker staying on continuous with the ignition off. When the break pedal is depressed the lights stops blink and the bulb stays on.

Could hooking all the tail lights up correct this problem or what could cause the blinker to act this way?


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## RMTZ67 (Mar 12, 2011)

Switch the bulbs from left to right, see what happens. I had similar issues...the bulb on the bad side looked good. As soon as I switched them the problem went to the other side and was remedied with new bulbs.


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## Cmeyer9424 (May 5, 2020)

Got them all working! 

So once I go the grounds for the bulbs all fixed I turned my attention to the turn signals. With the bulbs fixed it turns out the the flasher were on and that the dash light for the left blinker is out. So I have flashers but no turn signal so I though to switch out the relay on the fuse block with one dangling under the dash and bam! Turn signals working! Turns out all it was was bad ground wiring, blown fuses, and bad relays.

Thanks for all the help!


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## Cmeyer9424 (May 5, 2020)

Ughhhh more electrical issues. So I got the lights all working and got the steering wheel back together. Time for a drive and nothing... I hear my electrical fuel pump turn on with the key but when I go to turn the car over the fuel pumps stops and not a sound. Let off the key and the fuel pump starts again. I jumped the started solenoid from the 12v to the S post with ignition wire coming to it and it turns over same if I go from 12v to starter and bypass the solenoid. Could something have happened when replacing the turn signal switch that would make this happen? I’m just at a loss


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## Cmeyer9424 (May 5, 2020)

Just tried a new solenoid with no luck


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## BLK69JUDGE (Jun 10, 2010)

push the clutch down ?


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## Cmeyer9424 (May 5, 2020)

Haha it’s an auto


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## Cmeyer9424 (May 5, 2020)

I got the ignition switch taken out as well as the neutral safety switch. Gonna replace those as well as the purple starter wire


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## Cmeyer9424 (May 5, 2020)

Just jumped the the two purple wires off the neutral switch and it started!


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## PontiacJim (Dec 29, 2012)

Cmeyer9424 said:


> Just jumped the the two purple wires off the neutral switch and it started!


So a bad neutral safety switch? When they wear out or are out of slight adjustment, sometimes you have to jiggle the shifter or put into Neutral. I have to do this with my '73 Fury. When it does nothing when I hit the key, I know to jiggle it in Park, or drop it to Neutral and it fires up.


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