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Topic: Need help FAST !!!!! FIXED !!!! (Read 22984 times) previous topic - next topic

Need help FAST !!!!! FIXED !!!!

Reply #45 –
Also, re-check the 3-4 plugs over top of the fuse panel. Lots of electrical goodness gets to the body from there. Make sure the clips are fully seated.

Need help FAST !!!!! FIXED !!!!

Reply #46 –
I'll check those as well. I'm still taking any more ideas. I'm going to re-read all of this, take more notes, and hit it Friday morning after I drop my son off at school. reports to follow, of course.
'88 Sport--T-5,MGW shifter,Trick Flow R intake,Ed Curtis cam,Trick Flow heads,Scorpion rockers,75mm Accufab t-body,3G,mini starter,Taurus fan,BBK long tube headers,O/R H-Pipe, Flowamaster Super 44's, deep and deeper Cobra R wheels, Mass Air and 24's,8.8 with 3.73's,140 mph speedo,Mach 1 chin spoiler,SN-95 springs,CHE control arms,aluminum drive shaft and a lot more..

Need help FAST !!!!! FIXED !!!!

Reply #47 –
There should be a ground "strap" around the lamp socket.  Most of the ground wires are black, too.  Sounds like a bad ground, but maybe a short is possible, too.  You could disconnect the battery and try an ohm meter between the positive terminal of one of the failing bulbs and a grounded screw on the chassis.  If you get zero ohms or close, that may be the problem.  You could also check for a bad ground the same way between a screw and the lamp negative post...if you don't get zero or close that may be the problem.  Or, you can confirm that you have voltage at the lamp by using a test light grounded to the chassis and probe the positive terminal of the lamp socket.  I'm also wondering if a wire may have gotten pinched or penetrated by a screw when you were reassembling things after the heater core job, and I believe that some of the wiring for the lights passes beneath the steering column, so check where you found that other wiring problem and there may be another issue under there.  I am wondering if your flasher relay is causing this somehow, which would be a cheap fix. I have some wiring diagrams and troubleshooting procedures and diagrams that I can scan and email to you, if you like.  Not sure if I can attach them to a private message, so I may need to email you.

Need help FAST !!!!! FIXED !!!!

Reply #48 –
you would need the battery connected for the test light to work, by the way.

Need help FAST !!!!! FIXED !!!!

Reply #49 –
Thanks a lot. The more I think about it, the more I truly think it's around the column. I THOUGHT the steering wheel was resting on the driver seat when I lowered it, but apparently, it was hanging. Not like me to let that kind of thing happen, so, maybe a wire was pulled, also, right above the column, but under the dash, there's a harness. I'll start there.
'88 Sport--T-5,MGW shifter,Trick Flow R intake,Ed Curtis cam,Trick Flow heads,Scorpion rockers,75mm Accufab t-body,3G,mini starter,Taurus fan,BBK long tube headers,O/R H-Pipe, Flowamaster Super 44's, deep and deeper Cobra R wheels, Mass Air and 24's,8.8 with 3.73's,140 mph speedo,Mach 1 chin spoiler,SN-95 springs,CHE control arms,aluminum drive shaft and a lot more..

Need help FAST !!!!! FIXED !!!!

Reply #50 –
Alright, I have everything pulled, console, dash, seats......I have looked at every wire I can possible see and can't find any sign of breaks, damage, or anything else that looks hinky. I don't know where to look from here. There are a LOT of wires. Everything seems in order. I just find it funny that this happened as soon as I did the heater core. I swapped the dash after swapping the fuse panel last year with zero issues. Everything worded as it should, and has since I did the core swap. I have to get the old girl back together shortly. Gotta have the car. I am at a loss on this.

Also, it just gets me that when the headlights are OFF, and I turn the right side signal lights on, the gauges,a/c control panel and Sentry panel all flash as well with the signal. Nothing like that happens on the driver side. The radio and clock are unaffected. I checked the fuses, and they are good as well.


The wires from the signal switch to as far as I can get to seem in place, seated in the plugs and in good shape.


And, why would the inner rear passenger side light work great, but the outer two won't at all? I would think that the inner light would affected somehow as well.

I'm NOT an electrician by any stretch of the imagination. Lost on this.
'88 Sport--T-5,MGW shifter,Trick Flow R intake,Ed Curtis cam,Trick Flow heads,Scorpion rockers,75mm Accufab t-body,3G,mini starter,Taurus fan,BBK long tube headers,O/R H-Pipe, Flowamaster Super 44's, deep and deeper Cobra R wheels, Mass Air and 24's,8.8 with 3.73's,140 mph speedo,Mach 1 chin spoiler,SN-95 springs,CHE control arms,aluminum drive shaft and a lot more..

Need help FAST !!!!! FIXED !!!!

Reply #51 –
Replace your flasher?

I'm at a loss on this one too.  But the outer two lights are the brake/turn signal lights normally.  So do the brake lights work fine?  Does the sentry and others flash when brakes are applied?

Need help FAST !!!!! FIXED !!!!

Reply #52 –
When the brakes are applied, all of the tail lights work as they should. The dash lights only "signal" when I turn on the passenger side signal when the headlights are off.

When the head lights are on, there are no gauge ,sentry,a/c lights.

I swapped the head light switch a minute ago. Getting ready to see if that made a difference.

I'm JUST getting the interior back together. I need the car at 3:45. Getting ready to see if anything made a difference or not, or, if it's time to sell the Sport. This electrical  won't cut it with me. Yes, as much as I love the car, I'd let the Sport go to a new home for that alone. I'll give it a little time, but I need dash lights at dark hours, and signals for safety.
'88 Sport--T-5,MGW shifter,Trick Flow R intake,Ed Curtis cam,Trick Flow heads,Scorpion rockers,75mm Accufab t-body,3G,mini starter,Taurus fan,BBK long tube headers,O/R H-Pipe, Flowamaster Super 44's, deep and deeper Cobra R wheels, Mass Air and 24's,8.8 with 3.73's,140 mph speedo,Mach 1 chin spoiler,SN-95 springs,CHE control arms,aluminum drive shaft and a lot more..

Need help FAST !!!!! FIXED !!!!

Reply #53 –
Start where this stuff is all connected and move out?
Just brainstorming but.

Light switch and relays
Blinker switch in column

I have a similiar issue where My inside lights are wonky and only one blinker worked. I changed ign switch and blinker switch at same time and it was better.
Mine had caught fire previously though.
88 Turbocoupe: Coast High Performance 331 kit 28oz balance, Comp XE264HR14 cam, 58cc 185 afr heads, 1.7 roller rockers, Mass-Flo EFI (was POS to setup and their techline is a joke at best)
Full 1 5/8 primary equal length headers, 2 1/2 exhaust, Full manual reverse VB c4 and baked off clear coat "BECAUSE RACECAR"

Need help FAST !!!!! FIXED !!!!

Reply #54 –
I swapped the ignition switch, signal switch, and signal relay at the fuse panel.

Now, the green light for the passenger side signal (in the gauge cluster) isn't coming on. It did that when I first noticed earlier in the week, then it magically came on, although the tail lights are still doing the same thing.

I started at the signal light switch on the column, and traced the wires as far as I could see them, no damage anywhere, all the wires are tight in their plugs.

I had the cluster out, all the bulbs are good, and the back of the cluster looks great as well.

I have only visually checked the bulb sockets. They are dry, no corrosion or damage.

I took the driver side bulbs and swapped them with the passenger side bulbs. Bulbs are good, still no blinky on the passenger side.

I'll get an emergency light flasher and swap it, but technically, it works. When I pull the flasher switch, they blink, only the two outer bulbs don't. All the rest do.

I have the sequential lights in the rear, but even if the sequencer was weird, it seems like it wouldn't affect the dash lights.

Everything is plugged in and where it should be no bare wires at all that I can trace and see.
'88 Sport--T-5,MGW shifter,Trick Flow R intake,Ed Curtis cam,Trick Flow heads,Scorpion rockers,75mm Accufab t-body,3G,mini starter,Taurus fan,BBK long tube headers,O/R H-Pipe, Flowamaster Super 44's, deep and deeper Cobra R wheels, Mass Air and 24's,8.8 with 3.73's,140 mph speedo,Mach 1 chin spoiler,SN-95 springs,CHE control arms,aluminum drive shaft and a lot more..

Need help FAST !!!!! FIXED !!!!

Reply #55 –
These are thoughts I have while looking at your problem.

Have you put a voltmeter on the wires going to the taillights bulbs that don't flash?

Have you checked the voltage at the turn signal switch for the passenger side signals?

The reason your gauge lights are blinking is because voltage is feeding back through the turn signal indicator in the cluster. The climate control panel lights I dunno unless they're on the same circuit as the gauge lights. They might be.
Matt
1984 Thunderbird - 89 302 HO, GT40 heads w/ Trick Flow springs, E303 cam, Edelbrock Performer 289 intake and 600 cfm 4bbl, Mustang headers, Jegs o/r H pipe, Dynomax lers, Mustang AOD and shifter, Mustang 8.8 w/ 3.73s, 3G alternator, Mustang front and rear sway bars, KYB 87-88 Turbo Coupe shocks and struts, and 11" front brakes.

1988 Mustang GT - GT40 heads, Explorer intake, 70mm throttle body, 70mm MAF, Crane 1.7 rrs, E303 cam, Kirban Kwik shifter w/ Pro 5.0 deluxe handle, aluminum clutch quadrant and firewall adjuster, o/r h pipe, Dynomax lers, 3G alternator, aluminum radiator, and 3.27 gears.
 
1986 Cougar 5.0, 1989 Mark VII LSC 5 speed, 1980 Mercury Zephyr 4 door (sold)

Need help FAST !!!!! FIXED !!!!

Reply #56 –
i hate wiring more than anyone else, but i wouldn't let a wiring issue separate me from a car i put so much work into, like you have with the sport

but something tells me your sequential box took a .. if it's not grounding correctly, it could send backfeed and make your signal lights search for a ground elsewhere
ShadowMSC.com < < Still Under Construction

R.I.P. 'Zump' 8/29/86 - 11/11/11
3- 87 TC's / 1 really mean 83 Capri RS / 94 Sonoma SAS Project on 37x12.50 TSL Radials / 88 S10 that's LITERALLY cut to pieces / 84 F150 SAS, 351M, 39.5 TSL's / 85 Toyota regular cab, 22R 5spd, 3/4" drop, my little junkyard save/daily driver

Need help FAST !!!!! FIXED !!!!

Reply #57 –
Vinnie c
I spend money I don't have, To build  cars I don't need, To impress people I don't know

HAVE YOU DRIVEN A FORD LATELY!!

Need help FAST !!!!! FIXED !!!!

Reply #58 –
OK di
I spend money I don't have, To build  cars I don't need, To impress people I don't know

HAVE YOU DRIVEN A FORD LATELY!!

Need help FAST !!!!! FIXED !!!!

Reply #59 –
Tom, all of the driver side lights are functioning properly.

All of the front lights are working as they should as well.

I checked every plug I could find for loose wires or being unplugged.

The third brake light in the rear window seems to be working fine also.

The dash lights  (gauges,sentry,a/c panels) only blink with the signals when the headlights are turned OFF. When the headlights are turned on, the dash lights all go out when they should illuminate.

.When you say "pull the signal bulbs", do you mean the tail lights bulbs? And "put the dims on"...What do you mean by that? Dim head lights?

.........O.K., just checked the lights. The second filaments on either bulb (the two outer lights on the passenger side) don't come on at all. Not with the headlights on or off, not with the brake lights on, nothing.

The two outer lights DO come on with the head lights, but not brakes. The inner most light is the one I added for the sequentials per the instructions that came with them. It works fine.
'88 Sport--T-5,MGW shifter,Trick Flow R intake,Ed Curtis cam,Trick Flow heads,Scorpion rockers,75mm Accufab t-body,3G,mini starter,Taurus fan,BBK long tube headers,O/R H-Pipe, Flowamaster Super 44's, deep and deeper Cobra R wheels, Mass Air and 24's,8.8 with 3.73's,140 mph speedo,Mach 1 chin spoiler,SN-95 springs,CHE control arms,aluminum drive shaft and a lot more..