mikeythewrench Posted August 23, 2018 Share Posted August 23, 2018 (edited) I was driving the Riv and lost all exterior lighting. Headlamps, taillamps and plate lamp, brake lamps & turn signals and dash lamps not working. Only interior lamps working. I have power coming in to the ignition and out. The engine runs and the clamshells open and close. The high beam indicator works. I have tried a new headlamp switch and did not fix it. Is there a fusible link wire??? Also have power on the red wire from alternator to cable terminal and to the power windows. My ignition switch plug is in good order. Edited August 23, 2018 by mikeythewrench (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KongaMan Posted August 23, 2018 Share Posted August 23, 2018 That's several different circuits that failed all at once, most of which go through the headlight switch. Sounds like the breaker in the switch is tripping. You might try disconnecting a bunch of lights (headlight, taillights, whatever's easy to get to) to see if the others work. I once had a rear bulb go bad in such a way that it shorted out and tripped the breaker. Replaced the bulb and all was well. As a sanity check, test for 12V at the fuse box, on both the ACC and BAT sides. Do the wipers work? Blower? Radio? Power antenna? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeythewrench Posted August 23, 2018 Author Share Posted August 23, 2018 I have power on both sides of the fuse box, the power all the time side and the ignition on side. Blower, radio and wipers work. No power antenna in this car. I have one in fender but the switch and harness were never in the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KongaMan Posted August 23, 2018 Share Posted August 23, 2018 IIRC, the turn signal and brake lights don't go through the switch. As such, even a tripped breaker in the switch shouldn't affect them. OTOH, if they go south, it might cause the breaker to trip. You might try pulling those lamps to see if anything starts working. Unplug the front lighting harness and see if the taillights come on. Unplug the flat harness to the rear and see if the headlights start working. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeythewrench Posted August 23, 2018 Author Share Posted August 23, 2018 Yes I will do in the morning. I only recall an overload fuse inside those headlight switches which, once blown require replacing the switch. Remived the knob stem but I am not able to rotate the plastic nut that holds the switch in so far. Very stuck. As an alternative I removed the dash top and was able to temporarily plug in a new switch. No affect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seafoam65 Posted August 23, 2018 Share Posted August 23, 2018 Mikey.....you are going to need to use a test light to trace down the problem. The prime suspect would be the red wire going to the headlamp switch. Check that wire for power and report your findings. If you discover that the red wire has no voltage, that is your problem. The red wire goes through the bulkhead and out to the horn relay on the inner fender. That is where it gets it's power from. It is also a feed to the ignition switch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted August 23, 2018 Share Posted August 23, 2018 That is a lot of stuff, all mounted in the body, to fail at the same time. My second test would be to run a ground wire from a shiny spot on the firewall to the battery. The first would be thoroughly cleaning the battery terminals. I just hate overlooking the the obvious things. Bernie 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petelempert Posted August 23, 2018 Share Posted August 23, 2018 I had a similar problem with a 72 Cutlass. Failed headlight dimmer switch on the floor. Lots of power going through that switch. Worth considering. PRL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seafoam65 Posted August 23, 2018 Share Posted August 23, 2018 Pete, that wouldn't kill the tail lights and turn signals and dash lights and brake lights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KongaMan Posted August 23, 2018 Share Posted August 23, 2018 What is strange is that there are multiple, unconnected circuits in play here. The headlights, taillights, and dash lights go through the switch. The brake lights and turn signals do not. The headlights do not go through the fuse box; the others do. I would suggest double-checking the turn signals and brake lights. Try them with the key turned ON, and with the lights on and the lights off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seafoam65 Posted August 23, 2018 Share Posted August 23, 2018 The red wire could possibly be what all those circuits have in common......it powers up several fuses, powers up part of the ignition switch circuits and powers up the headlight switch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KongaMan Posted August 24, 2018 Share Posted August 24, 2018 True, but other circuits fed by the same wire (e.g. the blower) are working. Test the brown wire (terminal 5) on the light switch connector. That's the feed for the tail lights. You should see 12V whenever the ignition switch is ON. Run a 12V jumper to terminal 5 on a disconnected switch. Pull out the knob (i.e. turn on the lights). Do you have 12V at the other brown wire (terminal 4)? Move the jumper to terminal 1. Pull out the knob and check for power at terminals 2 (dash lights), 6 (headlights), and 7 (parking lights). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeythewrench Posted August 26, 2018 Author Share Posted August 26, 2018 Yes yes and yes. Power coming in and out of the floor beam switch. And now I realized it's not charging either. Amp lamp is on, I have changed both the alternator and the regulator out twice today. In all my over 40 years with this car I have never had a nightmare like this. Um, I ak about to park it back where it was sitting for the last 20 years until last month which since I have spent thousands replacing almost everything that keeps a car running. I really dont have time to chase down gremlins at this point in time. I was hoping it was gonna be one of those things that happened to other cars and could be solve quickly but it doesn't look like it's in the cards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Mckenzie Posted August 26, 2018 Share Posted August 26, 2018 On 8/22/2018 at 7:47 PM, KongaMan said: IIRC, the turn signal and brake lights don't go through the switch. As such, even a tripped breaker in the switch shouldn't affect them. OTOH, if they go south, it might cause the breaker to trip. You might try pulling those lamps to see if anything starts working. Unplug the front lighting harness and see if the taillights come on. Unplug the flat harness to the rear and see if the headlights start working. Not to hijack but what is the acronym IIRC ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Cannon Posted August 26, 2018 Share Posted August 26, 2018 IIRC = If I Recall Correctly An old Internet Forum abbreviation. See also: AFAIK = As Far As I know YMMV = Your Mileage May Vary Others can chime in with their favorites. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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