Re: Can I post that??? - Yep!

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: Mavman, : I've submitted this (and several others) as a FAQ post to this board but none have shown up yet. Anyways, I wrote it and your free to post it on your site. I just wish other Maverick / Comet owners would submit "fixes", no matter how mundane they may seem. Newbies and Mav restoration pros alike need some help on a car that is hard to get service manuals for. Enjoy! : Pegasus : : I'm trying to create a knowledge base on my page. Something like a FAQ. Need all the info I can get!!! : : : Dan, : : : I JUST got mine working tonight! Here is what I found: : : : BTW: COLUMN-SHIFT ONLY, floor shifters use a transmission-mounted switch on the rear-right-hand side of the transmission. : : : SET THE PARKING BRAKE BEFORE PROCEEDING! (Found out the hard way!) : : : Go in the trunk, pull the backup light bulbs and clean with a wire brush, clean the bulb contact just to make sure. : : : To check the switch itself, remove it from the top of the steering column down low, next to the firewall. Take a jumper-wire with alligator clips and jump across the terminals with the White-Purple & Black-Purple wires going to it. Put the ignition in the Run position and look at the backup lights. If they are on then the switch MIGHT be bad, otherwise no power to the circuit. : : : Either way, clean the switch well with Color TV Cleaner/Lubricant (electrical contact cleaner, available at Radio Shack) : : : 7 Using a small screwdriver, move the internal portion of the switch until the lights come on (may have to work it back and forth several times if you just cleaned it). When the lights come on you know it is a good switch, otherwise its a bad one and you'll need to replace it. : : : INSTALLING THE WORKING SWITCH: : : : Move the internal portion of the switch to the far left-hand side. This is to align it to engage the little "tab" at the top of the steering column. You can feel for the tab with the car off, ignition in the Run postion, and working the gearshift lever back and forth : : : This tab is designed to engage the reverse lights only when the column shift lever is (duh!) in reverse. Take note that the switch, once loosely installed, can be slid back and forth to adjust the lights to come on Only in Reverse. : : : Try and fit the internal "hole" in the switch onto the tab and loosely attach the screw on the left-hand side of the steering column. Try the column shift selector and see if the lights come on *consistently* when the shift lever is moved. If it doesn't consistently light the lights, then the tab is not in the hole in the switch, try again to put it on until you get a positive lights-on in whatever position (may even be park or neutral, it is adjusted next). : : : TO ADJUST THE SWITCH: : : : Engine-Off, Put the gear selector in Reverse and slide the switch left and right until the lights come on. Tighten the screws and re-check, moving the shift lever to all positions. The lights should ONLY come on in Reverse. Done! Enjoy your working backup lights! : : : IF THE LIGHTS DID NOT COME ON WHEN THE SWITCH WAS JUMPERED, do this: : : : Switch removed, ignition to RUN, shift lever in Park. Get your voltmeter and check for about 12 volts DC at the White-Purple contact on the switch If you have voltage and cleaning the switch did not work, then the switch is defective and must be replaced. : : : If no voltage present, check for +12 volts at either end of the fuse supplying the backup lights. If no voltage at either end then the fuse block is disconnected, corroded or otherwise has serious problems which will probably show up everywhere else in the electrical system. Good luck. : : : If you have voltage at only one end of the fuse, pull the fuse, clean it AND CLEAN THE CONTACTS AT THIS FUSE LOCATION! My Maverick had corroded fuse-block contacts on the turn signals that caused them to stop working when I hit a bump. Make sure the contacts are really clean. : : : Oh, by the way, if the fuse is blown - REPLACE IT! (shoulda mentioned that first!) : : : If the fuse is good, and your getting voltage at both sides of the fuse but NOT at the White-Purple wire contact on the backup-light switch, then the wiring between the switch and the fuse block is corroded, broken or otherwise unhealthy. Fix it. : : : Hope this helps! : : : : : : : Would anyone happen to have a wiring schematic for a 1970 Maverick that they could email me? I too am having back-up light problems - no power to the switch but fuse is good (washers and radio work). Need to know if there are any more connections in the circuit before I run a new hot-lead. Thanks.

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