'60 brake/tail light weirdness

[Matt F.]

Can't find any mention of this phenom on this board -

When the brake pedal is depressed while the lights are on, one of them goes dead! The brake light works normally when the lights are off, and the tail light works normally when the brakes aren't applied. Turn signals work great. I've got a new wiring harness in the column, new cancelling switch, etc., and everything else works as it should. Could this be a grounding issue? Any ideas appreciated!

Thanks
Matt
#38234

[Mark S. Lovejoy]

Re: '60 brake/tail light weirdness

Hi Matt,

Your car suffers from a very common C1 malady, poor grounding of the rear half of the car. The correct fix requires the tailights to be removed from the car and a wire soldered to the brass can of the lampholder. Connect these new wires to the existing black ground wire in the harness AND to the frame. Drill a small hole in the frame and add a sheet metal screw, someplace inconspicuous.

There could be something wrong in the turnsignal switch, the taillight/brakelight circuit runs through it.

My bet is poor grounds though.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Best from Connecticut...........Mark

[Terry R. Payton]

Re: '60 brake/tail light weirdness

Matt-had the same problem w/my '58...installed new turn signal switch..removed both rear lights/checked grounding. My problem dealt w/the brake light switch apparently sticking..installed a new one and after a while it began to do the same thing, so I lubricated it and so far so good. Good luck w/the C1 mysteries

[John H.]

Re: '60 brake/tail light weirdness

Matt -

I'd vote for your turn signal switch pin not being perfectly centered in the switch. All lights and filaments work, so you don't have a grounding problem at the rear - the brake light power flows through the turn signal switch (to kill the brake light on the side where the turn signal is on).

[Matt F.]

Re: '60 brake/tail light weirdness

Thought I'd post my fix, for future perusal.

After violating the "check the simple things first" rule and taking the steering wheel off to check the cancelling switch, I turned the lights off in the garage and pressed the brake pedal only to notice that the troubled light was somewhat dim, which I hadn't noticed before. I connected my ground wire w/alligator clips on each end, one end on the ground strap for the radio antenna post, the other on the bolt coming from the taillight can where the ground wire lead attaches. This time when I pressed on the brake, it was bright, and when I turned the lights off, it didn't die! I cleaned up all the hardware where the ground lead attaches @ the light can and put everything back together, and everything's working great now.

Thanks to all who posted possible fixes for me - to anyone reading this board and contemplating membership - I've already gotten the equivalent of my membership dues back several times over from the expertise of the kind of people who helped out on this particular issue, and I haven't been a member that long.

Thanks!
Matt