Tail light ground

[Golden Scamp]

Noticed that my driver side tail light was illuminated with the ignition off. Car was going to be sitting so I pulled bulb and left it. Came back several days later and battery was dead and passenger side reverse and brake bulbs were both blown. I've replaced all bulbs and the fuse and followed wiring from back to panel. Where do I need to hook a meter to see if I have power and where are my grounds for this wiring system? Don't know if I have a bad groud. Side note, just replaced master cylinder and had brake pedal unhooked. It's hooked back up but is it possible that the brake switch on the pedal is adjusted wrong or fouled up altogether and is draining my battery? I currently have no brake lights or tail lights. Thanks

 

[AJ/FormS]

If the brake pedal was unhooked and dropped, then the brake switch would have been activated.
In all likelyhood the other side bulbs were already previously blown.

The bulbs ground to the housing which grounds to the body which is a huge chunk of unibody. Then under the hood there should be a short jumper-wire from the body back to the battery neg. the jumper is probably less than 16 inches long, and IIRC screws on to the rad core support near to the rad.
There is usually another jumper from the back of the passenger-side head to the firewall, and of course the big-boy from the engine block back to the battery.

 

[67Dart273]

^^As above^^ Get your correct bulbs back in, the brake pedal properly back together and see where you are at.

Good places to check "stuff" is the left kick panel connector which is where the rear harness separates from the dash harness, at the TS switch connector coming out of the column, and the brake light switch and the fuse panel.

You can download wiring and factory service manuals, free, over at MyMopar. Some of those came from the guys here at FABO

http://www.mymopar.com/index.php?pid=31

What year is your vehicle?

A good way to check for a battery drain, if there's nothing obvious, such as lamps, is to remove the battery ground and put a 12V test lamp in series with the battery ground. Try to look at the bulb in subdued lighting. Any glow means you have a drain.

If the bulb is dark or only barely glowing CAREFULLY!!! set up your multimeter for the high current (amps) scale and see if there is any reading. Hook one probe to the disconnected battery NEG post and the other to ground such as the cable ground clamp.

Remember!!! Ammeters, current measuring, goes in SERIES.

 

[Golden Scamp]

1968. If I only drained my battery from having the pedal disconnected, any idea why I have no brake or tail lights now? Everything is back together but nothing works back there. I will do some more checking but I can't figure that part of it out.

 

[67Dart273]

Ok is the thing all together and wired up so as "it should work?"

If so, just get busy. Start at the fuse panel or the brake light switch. The switch should have power at all times on one terminal. Move your light / meter to the other terminal and see if moving the pedal actuates it. From there, the switch power goes to the turn signal switch. Look up the colors in the manual. I believe brake power going into the TS switch is white. Check the colors of the left and right rear. Check each of those at the column switch connector, while actuating the pedal. Should have on both those with the TS switch centered.

Make sure the kick panel connector for the rear harness is hooked up. This is yet another place you can check for power, but if you have it there at the TS switch, you should have it to the rear

Next move to the rear and probe the sockets. You should be able to turn on one signal, or the hazard flasher, or even jumper across the brake switch to get power back there.