Name That Wire!

[bowserhound]

Ok, it's black and runs from somewhere around behind the drivers side headlight (it's currently disconnected) to the firewall. Then it just disappears into a cluster of wires.

Who can identify this wire?

<img src="http://www.fist-city.com/wire.jpg">

 

[SCUMDOG]

Sorry to hijack this post a bit but I have a similar problem, the centre section of my tail-light assembly has five light sockets - two I know are back-up lights, the other three are two-filament fittings.
The thing is, the loom to these five lights has only two wires, how does this handle the back-up lights, the tail-lights and brake lights??? - I assume the dual filaments are for brake/turn signal and tail lights?

It's got me stumped!!!!

 

[MUDBIRD65]

could that be the wire for the high beam indicator light in dash?

 

[T-wheel]

I know you want to know what it is...but...

I looked at my car (1965). Clues are: grommet is there, no wire. High/low beams/indicator work no issues. Horn works. I do not have cruise/AC/transistor ignition.

Possibility is someone used existing hole to bypass bad wire/socket and didn't label or color code wire just used 'black'. I looked quickly through WDs for 65 and couldn't ID but could be the horn.

 

[tbird5866]

SCUMDOG: Two wires: one for back-up lights; one for tail lights.!!

 

[SCUMDOG]

SCUMDOG: Two wires: one for back-up lights; one for tail lights.!!

Thing is though Harley, my tail-lights that have one wire going to them have two filaments just like the regular tail-lights, I guess one filament is tail-light, the other brake/turn signal.??

How are they controlled by one wire?? (if the other wire is for back-up lights)

Wiring diagram shows wire #48 (the one that appears to come from these three tail-lights) disappearing and the note on the diagram says "terminates in harness", what exactly does THAT mean in simple terms??

 

[bowserhound]

I've been bushwhacked...

 

[SCUMDOG]

I've been bushwhacked...

OK, while the others think of MY problem (lol) I'll try and assist!

Is the wire you mentioned a factory fitted item? - like it's actually part of the main loom once it is inside the car?
Or does it look like an 'add-on'?

Would it be for a hidden kill switch or maybe for part of now disused alarm system for when the hood gets opened?

 

[tbird5866]

The three lights behind the center lens are tail lights only. This is in addition to the back up lights. There are no brake lights in the center section...

 

[SCUMDOG]

The three lights behind the center lens are tail lights only. This is in addition to the back up lights. There are no brake lights in the center section...

Hmmm, well for some reason the three all have dual filament terminals and off-set pin-slots for the bulbs, that is why I thought the may have been additional brake-lights.
It's got ME scratching my head, that's for sure.

 

[tbird5866]

Yes, they are 1147 dual filiment bulbs. Easier for Ford that using still another different bulb. Hey - that's the way they built it ! "Terminates in harness" just means the wire is there and not used so it ends in the harness inside the wire wrapping.

 

[SCUMDOG]

Thanks once again Harley, I had come to that conclusion myself but couldn't believe it and thought there MUST be more to it than that!!

Maybe I could (if I had the inclination) hook up the bulbs as extra tail lights AND brake-lights......

 

[tbird5866]

I guess it would not be too difficult to add brake lights to the center section. You already have brake light power in the trunk. Added work would be removing the rear bumper to get to the chassis wiring. Sounds good to me.

 

[SCUMDOG]

I guess it would not be too difficult to add brake lights to the center section. You already have brake light power in the trunk. Added work would be removing the rear bumper to get to the chassis wiring. Sounds good to me.

Had a look at the wiring loom - doesn't look too hard to splice in the extra wires and no need to take the bumper off after all! :thumbsup

 

[tbird5866]

brake lights

It would seem to me that you need to get to the wires at the bulb holder which would be behind the rear bumper, requiring bumper removal. Are you saying those wires are accessable someplace other than behind the bumper?

 

[SCUMDOG]

It would seem to me that you need to get to the wires at the bulb holder which would be behind the rear bumper, requiring bumper removal. Are you saying those wires are accessable someplace other than behind the bumper?

Yep Harley, during my 'exploration' when the back-up lights didn't work I had the whole centre section of tail-lights removed, including unplugging the wiring loom.
The loom goes into the trunk area about a foot to the right of the hood-latch as does the wiring for the adjacent right-side tail-lights so I figure I could splice into the right-side tail-light loom
(The left-side loom goes into the trunk on the left side of the trunk about a foot from the latch).

Any comments? i.e. why it wouldn't work?
I'm prepared to stand corrected if I'm incorrect!!

 

[MUDBIRD65]

did you ever figure out where the wire in the first photo belongs...or did we get a LITTLE sidetracked,,,, :crazy

 

[bowserhound]

Just a wee bit. All I know for certain is that it is NOT some sort of after market anti-theft device, nor is it for a popcorn maker.

But at least I have a head start when I want to hang a disco ball in my trunk.

 

[SCUMDOG]

You got me all curious bowswerhound and I went out and looked at my own 'bird - it doesn't have the wire yours has BUT now I have found my own 'mystery' black wire, only mine goes from the rear of the alternator, across behind the radiator and ends attached to nothing by the headlight wiring loom near the washer-bottle.
Maybe it's a Ford conspiracy to drive us T-bird owners nuts??