Help !! I hate electrical

[corbins]

Ok, another issue. Doors closed .. connect battery and instantly all the interior lights, side markers and rear tail ight come on. Not Head lights.  I have disconnected the brake light switch, no change, disconnected the turn signal switch harness, no change, just put on a brand new nos HL switch, no change !  Driving me nuts !
Anyone have any ideas? suggestions? known causes, solutions ? Guesses ? Exorcists ?

As always thanks a lot !!
Steve

[Coralsnake]

I believe you need to check your switches. Switch in door jambs and console switch sound like the places to start

[Lincoln tech]

Sounds like short to power, but where? did you pull any fuses ? wiring diagram would be nice to look at to see what those circuits have in common.

[Rukiddin]

Unplug headlight switch . Any lights on? Any aftermarket gadgets,like anti-theft ?

[corbins]

Thanks guys! I have not yet tried pulling fuses, guess it would help Id the circuit. Door switches are new , not that means anything. I'll disconnect the HL switch tomorrow and see what happens. I do have all the wiring schematics, but to this point they have not been of much help, mainly because I'm a DA. Its almost like there's a backfeed of some sort ... really makes no sense to me . And no, no additional stuff.
I do so hate electrical issues/problems !!

[Lincoln tech]

When did you notice the problem? what was done to the car ? Don't believe that door jamb switches are at fault since interior lights are a separate circuit from park lamps. In my years of fixing cars I have seen crushed wire harnesses that would cause same problem your'e having due to human error, bad Ground will also cause that type of problem . Are the light that come on Bright or dim? if they are dim I would start looking at grounds, take your time you'll find it.

[Coralsnake]

Did you change the turn signal switch?

[trotrof1]

The general plan when narrowing down electrical problems is to separate the circuits affected a section at a time. Using the schematic find a point in the harness to disconnect and proceed by eliminating a portion at a time. Sometimes the problem can be as simple as a bulb not installed correctly in a socket.

[Lincoln tech]

The general plan when narrowing down electrical problems is to separate the circuits affected a section at a time. Using the schematic find a point in the harness to disconnect and proceed by eliminating a portion at a time. Sometimes the problem can be as simple as a bulb not installed correctly in a socket.

Or a screw through the harness.

[Bill]

Ok, another issue. Doors closed .. connect battery and instantly all the interior lights, side markers and rear tail ight come on. Not Head lights.  I have disconnected the brake light switch, no change, disconnected the turn signal switch harness, no change, just put on a brand new nos HL switch, no change !  Driving me nuts !
Anyone have any ideas? suggestions? known causes, solutions ? Guesses ? Exorcists ?

As always thanks a lot !!
Steve

Steve,

    Have you pulled the dash/gauge package off yet to look for previous owner melted/hacked wires and modifications?

I do most certainly feel your pain, as we trace and repair/replace such items on my 70 Shelby convertible. Stopped at the shop this past week and snapped a quick picture of the progress. Have just about everything sorted electric wise, NOS replacement turn signal switch is a bit quirky, and clock is out being restored, otherwise, everything but the AM side of the radio now works, hand written note shoved in dash actually pointed that item out, go figure. Not important, I'll send that out at a later date if I feel the need to listen to southern gospel...LOL

Bill

[Lincoln tech]

Self powered test light ( the one with a regular old style bulb, not the electronic type or neon ) is the best tool to check for that type of problem,just follow the circuit in question to see where the power is coming from. What does it take to light a bulb? ==== voltage and ground -Yes? Those cars have very basic wiring circuits that should be fairly easy to diag. Now try the same with newer cars that have 10 or more electronic modules that are connected together and constantly talk to each other 

[corbins]

Did you change the turn signal switch?

No, not replaced.... but I did disconnect the wiring harness to it and still get all lights on when battery is connected.
When the lights come on they are bright, not dim. In fact it looks like the brake lights are on in the rear.
This harness has had some obvious repairs or re-wrapping at least.
Thanks for all the help !  Still digging

[67350#1242]

Unplug one door jamb switch at a time and see if any change.

[Lincoln tech]

Start looking at anything that doesn't look factory, wires are color coded make sure they match.

[PR]

I had all kinds of issues with my 69, I called Pete (coralsnake) and bought a complete wiring harness front to back and now Everything work perfectly, just a thought