Turn Signal Switch & Brake Light Questions

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65 Dartman

1 of None 65 Dart Sedan Delivery
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I have a couple of questions concerning turn signal switches and brake lights. A little background. Most everyone knows that a problem with the turn signal switch can cause problems not only with the turn signals but also the brake lights. In my 65 FSM it shows there is a hot always wire to the (shown in the square) brake light switch. When the switch completes the electrical circuit, power goes from the brake switch to the turn signal switch via the white wire. The turn signal switch must internally activate the brake lights. When the turn signal is turned on for either a left or right turn, the switch receives power through the turn signal flasher (circled) and pink wire. If the brakes were on when the turn signal was turned on, the switch overrides the brake light and this is also done internally, which my 65 FSM doesn’t show. Neither do my 69 or 71 manuals show this.

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I found in a J Body manual an actual turn signal wiring diagram

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For 82 the brake light and turn signal body wiring is virtually the same as in my 65, 69 and 71 manuals in that the white wire from the brake switch goes to the turn signal switch as does the pink wire from the turn signal flasher. I’m not sure how it all happens inside the switch and if anyone wants to explain it, I’m always up to learning something new.

So the reason for all the above is I want to make some safety lighting upgrades to include amber turn signals separate from the customary brake/turn signal harness and add a 3rd brake light.

To accomplish these upgrades, I believe I can move the turn signal/brake light wires from their connectors to act as separate left and right turn signal wiring. A separate wire from the kick panel connector would be routed to the former brake/turn signal connecter and would function as the new brake system wiring. It would be connected to the same connector which still has the taillight wiring as original. The new brake wiring is also connected to my 3rd brake light.

So here’s the questions: i’m thinking I should be able to run my new brake wire to the brake switch and all 3 brake lights would function independently from the turn signals. I’m not sure I need to add a hot wire to the now disconnected turn signal white wire to make the turn signals function since they also get power through the turn signal flasher OR is my thinking wrong on this? Maybe the white wire provides power for the 4 way flashers and turn signals. Even it it needs separate power via the white wire it should have no effect on the brake lights. I’m not an electrical guru but can pretty much follow the schematics. What say the electrical gurus?
 
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It is all done inside the TS switch. When the switch is centered, the brake light power is routed by the TS switch to both sides, and when you turn one way or t' other, the TS switch routes the flasher to the correct side and disconnects the brake light power to that side
 
So my thinking should be OK for the separate brake light system and should be OK for the turn signal to work independently. Do I need power to the white wire or don’t worry about it? Thanks fir taking time to read and answer.
 
That is right.

You can just run the output of the brake light switch direct to your stop lamps


This is an ongoing mess for "us" because it has been changed back and forth some. My Ranger which got wrecked had separate amber signals, and then a converter box to convert from that to "old style" stop/ signal for towing a trailer. That converter went bad (aftermarket) and then I discovered that the brand new factory adapter was still in the side pocket, and the "conversion" had already been don by the truck wiring. So the previous owner had wasted his money LOL
 
Take the white wire away from the OEM signal switch, add about 25 feet of white wire to it, and route it to all 3 brake lamps. The 2 wires that carry stop and turn current to the OEM rear fixtures can be taken from the OEM lamps and rerouted to the addon amber turn fixtures at the back of the vehicle. You could change the OEM rear bulb sockets to have same 1156/single filament bulb type in all rear lamps.
 
Take the white wire away from the OEM signal switch, add about 25 feet of white wire to it, and route it to all 3 brake lamps. The 2 wires that carry stop and turn current to the OEM rear fixtures can be taken from the OEM lamps and rerouted to the addon amber turn fixtures at the back of the vehicle. You could change the OEM rear bulb sockets to have same 1156/single filament bulb type in all rear lamps.

Good plan! I am using a somewhat J Body dash harness including a J Body floor shift steering column so I’d be using the 2nd diagram for the turn signal switch. Do will I need to run a constant power wire to the white wire or that won’t be necessary?
 
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constant power into brake lamp switch. White wire is on the other/closed side of that switch. I totally forgot the need for tail lamps in my earlier post. Brain fart. You will need to retain the 1157 dual filament bulbs.
 
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This is an old post, but let me ask a question, as I've been wondering about this too.
I believe that the front turn signals are completely independent from the brake, parking, and headlamp circuits - so might the easy way be to simply splice into those wires to feed the new back lamps?

I'm facing sort of the opposite challenge. Take a look at my picture to the left - I've replaced the parking/turn-signal lamps with a single LED ring. What I'd like to do is have them act as parking lamps under most conditions, but have them flash as turn signals when necessary. (I could always use a relay on each side, set up such that the turn indicator 'signal' turns the relay OFF, so it would flash when the indicators are operating. (I think it would flash with a pattern opposite the rears, but that should be OK.)

Any bright ideas out there? (Get it?)
 
With single filament LEDs, I think the relay scheme is the only solution I could come up with.
 
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