So very frustrated at ignition switch

[Banjo]

Been fighting and fighting and fighing it. Anyone know how to push back through the stock copper connectors in the plastic connection so I can add new wires? Replacement peices I've been buying don't match the colors OR locations and some won't even push into the connector. Or, is there some way I can wire in a toggle or something to start the damn truck which wires do I need and how? I don't care if it makes it easy to steal, no one would steal this ugly beast and I'm tired of fighting these wiring problems. I've tried looking at the stock wiring diagrams located on this forum but the colors don't even match and mine is clearly a stock harness.

[Banjo]

ok just made a list of the wires under my 68 dash that I need to join to ignition switch. Hanging down are:
1. thick pink wire
2. thick yellow wire.
3. medium black w/green stripe.
4. thin red w/yellow stripe.
5. thin red w/blue stripe.
6. thin bluish purple wire.
7. thin gray wire.
Which wire goes to where on ignition switch and tell me if viewing from firewall side of switch or looking from front side (like mounted face out in dash), so I know which is off and which is start (which springs back to run).

[Banjo]

Ok, so I finally got it running. As long as the larger wires were alligator clipped together, the turn signals would work. Once I bullet clipped everything back together (and thought I did it right), the turn signals won't work. I'm using the wrong term, they're not bullet connectors, they're crimping connectors cause I had to buy a special pair of crimping pliers that had 3 color coded jaws to crimp the connection. Anyhow, with the crimped connectors in place, I note the turn signals won't work, heater blower motor doesn't run (used to run fine). And the gas gauge doesn't work, which along with the turn signals is why I changed out the ignition switch I thought it was dropping power somehow. And I notice my power brakes seem to have lost vacuum, truck seems to idle just a tad lower and maybe a tad less power.
I guess it's coincidence the turn signals just dying out of the blue and then the fuel gauge and then the blower motor and seems maybe ignition producing lower volts to run things? Think it's the crimping connectors? The wires are about too thick to twist them together and solder....I put factory duraspark on this truck, how do they act when the ignition box goes bad? Cause I did notice before all this started, the truck missing and wanting to die, but that had smoothed out when I used a can of fuel system treatment I figured cause it sat all winter it was condensation in the tank and after the cleaner and a fresh tank or two of gas, it was running great until the turn signals quit working (again) and then the gas gauge and apparently now the heater blower. I've checked grounds and fuzes and cleaned fuse block terminals, etc to no avail. I'm chasing my tail....but the truck does crank and run and idle although at what appears to be a lesser powered version and with various electrical things not working. The head lights and taillights work and no fuses shot. Flasher works, have changed both flashers (emer and turn) both at least 2-3 times trying to fix, all bulbs and sockets good. Truck grounded well.

[fordman]

i found that the wiring in these trucks are usually the right colros with the diagrams mopst of the time. but i have seen stock harnesses that arent colored the same as the diagrams.

[Banjo]

it's worse, now I notice the wiper switch doesn't do anything either, and it was working fine. About the only thing I have working electrically are the headlights and taillights. Going to wait till tonight to see if brake lights and instrument cluster lights will work. So, that's turn signal, wiper motor, heater blower motor, gas gauge all not working. Just checked grounds again, all night and tight. Truck fires right up every time, no starter drag or weak battery thing. New cables, mostly new everything except for used duraspark ignition, which ran fine for couple years and it may not be the problem now. Could be the crimp connectors don't allow enough volts to pass or something?

[Banjo]

is the thick pink wire which I presume is resistor wire supposed to be removed when ignition went from breaker points to factory duraspark setup? Wow, at one time, I had all the internal lights and switches and all working fine and then the turn signals fall out of the picture and then gauge gauge and blower motor and then wiper motor. Is the resistor wire tied into the system preventing full voltage in some fashion since truck is now electronic ignition and the signals are getting so weak all the electronics just aren't going to work anymore?

[ForingaMex]

ok just made a list of the wires under my 68 dash that I need to join to ignition switch. Hanging down are:
1. thick pink wire
2. thick yellow wire.
3. medium black w/green stripe.
4. thin red w/yellow stripe.
5. thin red w/blue stripe.
6. thin bluish purple wire.
7. thin gray wire.
Which wire goes to where on ignition switch and tell me if viewing from firewall side of switch or looking from front side (like mounted face out in dash), so I know which is off and which is start (which springs back to run).

Those colors sound right to me, same as my truck. Why wouldn't you just put the original switch back on since I don't think that the ingition switch was your original problem. Match the colors the way they came of.

[fordman]

ok what year is your truck i forgot. it either a 68/69 or a 71. i think. i can take photos of some plugs that are factory if i know which year you have. to get the terminals out of the plastic you use a small pick to push in the release tab from the back where the wires goes in the plug.

[Banjo]

Why wouldn't you just put the original switch back on since I don't think that the ingition switch was your original problem. Match the colors the way they came of.

The turn signals dropping out was happening with the original ignitino switch, the problem was one of someone previously digging into the wiring and working some temp fix. They'll already buggered up the orig wiring physically going into the wiring plug. I fired up last night, headlights, tailights, brake lights work, instrument panel works, but turn signals, blower motor, gas gauge, water temp, those things don't work anymore.
I've thought and thought about it and the one odd thing I recall is that I've had it running twice now with the ignition switch hanging below the dash and wires just twisted or held together with alligator clips, and the turn signals WORKED! Once I made cleaner connections using the crimping connectors and special crimping pliers and reinstalled ignition switch back in dash, turn signals are gone again. I'm considering removing the switch and removing the crimping connectors (only used 2 this last install but they are on the very thick wires too heavy to twist and solder) and alligator clipping those two wires together and see if turn signals work again if so, I'll know it's those connectors reducing voltage which is what I think is happening.

[Banjo]

my truck is 68 fordman

[fordman]

here is one from a 69 with full gauges. the colors are close to what you described. but it only has 6 wires instead of 7. it looks like mine doesnt have the grey wire.

[Banjo]

Oh yeah, just recalled, the reason I changed the ignition switch itself to start with was that truck wouldn't turn off and I haven't had that problem since I changed the original switch. Like I said the factory wiring had one wire with about 3 thin strands pushed into the 12V+ I guess where somone had rigged a stereo or hot wired it or something at some point in the last 42 years, so it was my thoughts those 3 little strands couldn't carry adequate current was why my turn signals kept being intermittant (yes, I did new TSS, new fuze, cleaned terminals, etc, etc).
Fordman if only those wires were pushed apart a tad further on the pix, I could see what went where. The problem is the newer wiring peice that came with new ignition switch is not only colored differently (it's a motorcraft switch and elec contact pigtail assy) but one of my stock switch had two wires together a thick black w/green stripe and a thinner purplish wire and this replacement wiring pigtail with the molded plastic to push into back of ignition switch only has a thick black/green wire in the spot, there is no terminal end with molded in purplish wire and not one even close.
Does the thick pink resistor wire drop out of the picture when breaker points are removed and elec ignition enters picture?

[fordman]

the resistor wire isnt used for electronic dist. but the power wire will still be there just not the resistor type wire.
from left to right the wires are
small purple bottom hole
large yellow bottom hole
the pink resistor and red small red top
black in the bottom
and red with blue stripe top

[Banjo]

ok, it was the crimped connector hadn't held when ignition switch reinserted into dash. used a red bullet style connector and got better connection and electrical things work now except fuel sending unit in stock gas tank. It had been showing too full and dropping real fast to empty and I think the fuel sending unit has just given up the ghost at the same time this crimped connection failed. So now I'm gonna drain the gas tank and order a new feul tank sending unit.

[ROBT257]

Recently my turn singnal handle isn't clicking back on its own. Ah no big deal until a buddy of mine just told me that I have no brake or signal light on the left side. And its now apparent that the ALT dash warnign light is coming on. Hopefully I don't have the same headache you just went through!