Hazzard and tail light issues

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Michael Nelson

Michael Nelson

1974 Dart Sport 360 4 speed
Joined
May 12, 2021
Messages
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Location
Trevor WI
I'm new and a few weeks back bought a 1974 dodge dart sport 360 4 speed. The electrical worked but was kinda janky. I pulled the dash harness out and cleaned it up. Made sure I didn't screw any of the wiring up. But maybe I did, now I don't have brake lights or hazards. When I used my multi-meter the pink wire at the kick panel creates a loop with the black green and brown wire when the brake is pushed, but the wires for the tail lights are purple a different part of the connector. Hazards only work when the turn signal is engaged. I know there are two of those flasher units, the one next to the dash cluster doesn't go off, but the actual flasher is good. There are a few single connectors that are unplugged but I believe everything is wired up right.
 
Oof. Tough to Dx these kinds of things from afar. Best I can suggest is open the factory service manual to the wiring diagrams and make with a multimeter and/or test light!
 
I have a wiring diagram but I'm having an issue understanding some of it. There is the turn signal switch. Is that the one in the steering column? I kept reading on here that these go bad, and it controls everything related to the issues I'm having. How would I go about testing if it works?
 
In yours the hazard switch and the turn signals are both on the column, correct? That makes the trouble shooting harder.

The turn signal you are seeing is in the column. It has two power feeds, one for the brake lights and one for the turn signals.

The rear light power feed is hot all the time so the brake lights will work all the time. The other feed is switched.

You probably need more info to get help as Dan has said. Check hazards, right & left turn signals, brake lights, parking lights, & whatever else you can think of. There are some really good electrical folks on the forum. With a little more info maybe we can make some sense of it.
 
I have turn signals in front and back
Headlight work both low and high
Lights on cluster work
Fan works
Hazards only work if left or right signal is active
No break or park lights
No dome lighting or door lights

also yea hazard is in the steering column
 
Sounds like you have a dead feed that powers the brake lights through the turn signal switch. This is the “hot all the time” feed to the turn signal switch.

Can you tell if the park lights & dome light are on the same fuse as the brake lights? Seems like the problem may be a battery feed that powers all these things.

Back to the fuses, they can look good and be bad. I have seen them burn off inside the caps. If you haven’t measured them or replaced them, that might be wise.
 
Did you check fuses by looking or testig with a meter or test light? Reason i ask is those glass fuses can fail inside the metal cap. More often than you think.
Hazard flasher is behind the ashtray.
 
You may have a bad turn sig/ hazard switch, they are integrated.

you need a service manual. 74 is an odd one because there were wiring changes from 73, and because 74 has the seat belt interlock which you should bypass. Leave that for now

Here "in general" are the inputs and outputs of the TS (column) switch

1...Turn signal flasher, hot only when key is "on."
2....Hazard flasher, hot at all times
3.....Switched brake lamp power from the brake light switch

Outputs:
A....Left front turn, and branches off to indicator(s)
B....Right front turn, and branches off to indicator(s)
C....Left rear turn/ stop
D....Right rear turn/ stop

With the switch centered, the switch routes power from brake light switch to both turn lamps for stop. When turn switch is operated L or R stop lamps are disconnected on the "turn" side and the turn signal flasher power is routed to the "turning" side front and rear

With switch centered, and hazard engaged, the hazard flasher is routed to all 4 outputs. Also with hazard engaged, if/ when you step on brake pedal, the hazards will stop and the brake lamps will come on.

Of course the stop and turn are the same filaments in the rear
 
I had a spare oem turn signal/hazard switch, I hooked it up and it did the exact same things. I only looked at the fuses, ill actually check them. I really appreciate all the help, I know we will figure it out soon!!
 
Update!! I tested the fuses and one was bad two were nasty looking. I now have hazards and running lights. I still don't have brake lights. It's late so I didn't test the reverse lights.
 
I dont know about 74 model but brake and dome were on the same fuse many models. So dome lamp failure would suggest lack of brake lights. Brake lamp switch at the pedal has 2 wires. One hot all the time if the fuse is good, the other ( white wire? ) hot when pedal depressed if the switch is good. That wire goes through the turn signal switch and onto 2 different color wires to get to the brake/turn lamps. Turn signal switch position determines power to one or both brake lamps.
 
The dome light didn't work when I got the car I assumed it was in the same circuit as the lights under the dash. I opened it up and put a new bulb in and it worked. I will check the white wire. I guarantee I'm overlooking something very obvious.
 
Michael Nelson said:
The dome light didn't work when I got the car I assumed it was in the same circuit as the lights under the dash. I opened it up and put a new bulb in and it worked. I will check the white wire. I guarantee I'm overlooking something very obvious.
Click to expand...

A lot of times it is something obvious. I don’t know how many times I have been bit by the fuse burned out inside the cap....
 
I figured it out!!! When I wasn't getting hazards or brake lights I plugged in a spare turn signal switch and nothing changed. Then you guys told me to check fuses and I found a few that were not the best I then got hazards and dome light. I didn't check the turn signal after and that was the culprit. I did the right things in the wrong order.

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND TIPS:thankyou:
 
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