Brake lights gone

kid · Post by **kid** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 12:07 am

The cam uses 2 buttons to loop the brake lights back to the lights when the turn signal is not flashing. There are two contacts on each side. One for brake lights only and one for interrupted brake/turn.

I by passed the turn signal and ran a wire to another set of combo Brake and rear Marker lights that are up under the edge of the bed.

You can see the extra ones on my F350 album rear shots. My normal switched brake and turn signals go to the lower lights.

cjs_72f250 · Post by **cjs_72f250** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 1:53 am

i'm not understanding why this isn't a simple swap. why would the contact wires from the new cam not touch the buttons on the turn signal switch?

also, i'm having a hell of a time getting the metal snap-on washers from the new cam to snap on over the lip of the turn signal stud. maybe i'm not getting a tight enough fit to let the contact points touch the buttons. i've tried pushing hard with pliers, but the new washer doesn't seem to want to fit over the lip of the stud. does that make sense? i feel like i'm not describing it well.

fordman · Post by **fordman** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 2:27 am

i understand what your saying i just am unsure how to direct you on this. i can tell you a story about similar nuts or washers i guess. but it wont help you.

so here it goes. my duagther first tricycle had to be put together. the chrome cap nuts for the rear axle wouldn't push oon at all. i ended up using a socket and hammer to properly seat the axle push on nuts over the end of the axle.

i don't think you should try hammering that washer onto the pin. you could miss and break something. maybe if you were to just tap at it. making sure that it went on evenly all the way around and slowly.you might be able to make it go all the way on. the washer is new so its going to be real tight to go on.

kid · Post by **kid** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 2:49 am

Slip a socket over it that fits close to the edge but not tight to the center. The outer edge has to go down but the center has to come down too. If the edge only gets tight then it will come loose. So work the edge down then tweak the center a little and push it down while applying the loosening tweak.

I hate these spring tension clips. I never change my cam for that reason I just replace the whole piece.

cjs_72f250 · Post by **cjs_72f250** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 2:50 am

ok, that makes sense in tapping the washer down until it snaps on. but what about those contact points? how the heck do i get those to touch the buttons?

just to be sure, can anyone confirm that the proper part number from the Help! brand is 49305 for my 72 F250? in the pictures I see from this site and from some auctions on eBay, it doesn't look like the Help! brand packaging. maybe I have the wrong cam?

fordman · Post by **fordman** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 3:02 am

i looked it up on autozone web site and it gave me that number. i haven't ever messed with just the cam i can't help you do you have a pic of it?

kid · Post by **kid** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 3:09 am

http://www.napaonline.com/MasterPages/N ... Repair+Kit

Picture here from NAPA

kid · Post by **kid** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 3:11 am

http://www.lmctruck.com/icatalog/fb/0118.asp

The whole assy

cjs_72f250 · Post by **cjs_72f250** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 3:17 am

thanks for the links. i'll take a picture of the cam i have. it doesn't make sense to me that it wasn't just a simple swap. i'm wondering if it is indeed the problem with that snap-on washer not keeping the stud and the cam closely connected. there's currently too much of a gap between the cam's contact points and the switch's buttons.

cjs_72f250 · Post by **cjs_72f250** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 3:43 am

i'm such an idiot. allow me to quote the instructions from the new cancel cam:

Make sure contact wires on new cam are the same length and are bent at a proper angle to touch contact points in switch. If necessary, contact wires can be cut to proper length and bent to the correct angle with needle-nose pliers.

well, thanks for all the help guys. i will try to continue bending and angling the wires until they touch the contact points. i'll report the good news when i get it to work. that'll teach me to read all of the instructions first!!

cjs_72f250 · Post by **cjs_72f250** » Sat Feb 17, 2007 11:04 pm

i ruined the Help! cam from bending the wires and getting them to make contact with the turn signal switch buttons. i got another cam from the local parts store, but it was a different brand. this new brand looked and fit just like the stock cam. the contact wires were angled exactly like the original.

i put the new cam on, and turn signals in the inst. panel came back on. good news. front and rear turn signals came back on. good news. then i put the brakes on and both turn signals in the rear begin flashing. i obviously tapped into something fishy with that new wire i ran to the brake lights. i took that wire out and the brakes then worked normally and the turn signals did too. then i put the running lights on and the right turn signal in the inst. panel turned on and was a steady light, no flashing. then the left rear turn signal wouldn't flash when the brakes were activated.

i hand tightened the steering wheel bolt so i could reverse the truck out of the driveway and park it on the street. (had company coming over and needed to clear the driveway). later i check the inst. panel again and that steady right turn signal is no longer a problem. i must have jostled the wires as i was reversing. what the heck? the PO really did a number on the electrical (re)wiring he did. aside from paying for an entire new harness/fuse block from Painless Wiring and/or Summit ($400+) is there anything else I can do to "clean" up the wiring mess in my truck?

word of advice: don't use the Help! brand turn signal cams. the other brand i bought (Borg Warner) came much more close to stock than the Help! brand. no adjustments necessary.

cjs_72f250 · Post by **cjs_72f250** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 2:38 am

thanks for the info, kid. i think i at this point it just makes sense to get the new assembly for the turn signal switch and hope that it takes care of the issues.

bugser · Post by **bugser** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 10:36 pm

Blue 68...

The hi low beam switch on my motorcycle did the same thing to me. Couldn't get the high beam to work,no physical indications of why it didn't work It just wouldn't. 140 bucks to replace.

Look at it this way,you needed to get all that other stuff done anyhow.

cjs_72f250 · Post by **cjs_72f250** » Sun Feb 25, 2007 1:27 pm

alright, i ordered the entire turn signal switch. i'll let you guys know if it fixes the problems when i receive it and install it.

cjs_72f250 · Post by **cjs_72f250** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 2:07 am

i finally got a new turn signal switch. tried installing it today by taping the new wires to the old wires and threading them through the steering column. it was a pain and it didn't work. then i screwed up and yanked too hard on the old wires and lost the lines from the top of the column.

now i'm trying to thread the new wires through the top of the steering column and trying to get them to come out the other end. no luck and it's driving me crazy. Blue68, i sent you a PM since I noticed you took out the steering column to make it easier. does anyone else have any tips for threading the new turn signal switch wires through the steering column?

thanks

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