North American Turbocoupe Organization



Brake Lights
23027 Offline
Senior Member
#11
BINGO.

So the green wire has snapped right where it's clamped into the switch. The reason the lights turn off after a certain point is because the wire has just enough sticking out to grab onto the other half to complete the circuit until that final push which is when the lights go out that the wire can't hold itself anymore, lets go and fails to complete the circuit, therefore the lights going out again.

Is this a difficult fix..? If it is i'd rather just let my mechanic fix it this Tuesday. If not though i'd like to do it myself.

So how can this be corrected?
87 Turbo Coupe
New Heart & Lungs as of 245,225km.
302 H.O Swapped.. Bolt ons.. Tremec 3550.. 4.10's.. 18's..
https://postimg.org/image/efv6lnn35/
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CougarXR7 Offline
Member
#12
Well, you found your problem - that's the good news.

Do you frequent any local junkyards? If so, do those junkyards keep any Fox chassis Cougars/Thunderbirds?
Ideally, you will want a good connector with at least 2" of good wire so you can solder the new connector in.
Are you skilled with soldering?
I suppose it's possible to cut away the frayed wire and fix it back into the connector.
How?
I have no idea.

When I bought my '88 XR7, the brake lights would be shaky - just as yours are.
I wedged myself under the dash and inspected the brake light switch.
The previous owner had jammed the bare wires into the connector and melted a boatload of solder in there to keep it in place. Even the plastic was melted.
Not so good, I say. I fixed it with a decent connector/wiring from a low-mileage Cougar at the junkyard.
1986 Mercury Cougar XR-7
5-Speed - Leather - Dual Manual Seats - Vent Windows - Smokin' T3
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23027 Offline
Senior Member
#13
Well unfortunately for me the junkyards around where I live rarely have any fox chassis cougars/thunderbirds.

I do have a friend who's got a parts Turbo Coupe so I will look into taking his..

How do I go about taking the connector out so I can replace it with a new one?
87 Turbo Coupe
New Heart & Lungs as of 245,225km.
302 H.O Swapped.. Bolt ons.. Tremec 3550.. 4.10's.. 18's..
https://postimg.org/image/efv6lnn35/
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Jeff K Offline
Administrator
#14
I have seen the wires break at the switch connector many times. I just strip the wire back and solder it to the metal part sticking out of the connector. If you want to get a new connector, I bet NAPA has them.... Ford has used the same brake light switch and connector on ALL its cars and trucks since at least the mid 60s thru the new century. (i.e., 10s of millions of vehicles)
Jeff Korn

88 Turbo Coupe: Intake and exhaust mods, T3 turbo at 24 psi, forced air IC, water injection, BPV, Ranger cam, subframes, etc., etc.
86 Tbird 5.0 (original owner): intake, exhaust, valvetrain mods, 100 HP N2O, ignition, gears, suspension, etc., etc.
11 Crown Vic Interceptor
14 Toyota Camry (wifes car)
95 Taurus GL Vulcan winter beater
67 Honda 450 Super Sport - completely customized
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CougarXR7 Offline
Member
#15
That's true. I have seen where previous owners have trimmed the wire and soldered it to the terminal in the connector.

Quote:Ford has used the same brake light switch and connector on ALL its cars and trucks since at least the mid 60s thru the new century.
That's cool. I had no idea!
1986 Mercury Cougar XR-7
5-Speed - Leather - Dual Manual Seats - Vent Windows - Smokin' T3
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23027 Offline
Senior Member
#16
Okay well I guess i'll try to solder it then.. It seems like an annoying job to do though, because I will have to melt some of the plastic in order to do that.
87 Turbo Coupe
New Heart & Lungs as of 245,225km.
302 H.O Swapped.. Bolt ons.. Tremec 3550.. 4.10's.. 18's..
https://postimg.org/image/efv6lnn35/
Reply





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