Strange backfeeding

[469 runner]

Just now getting my 1968 Charger finished from a ground up restoration.  All new harnesses, rebuilt switches, new ignition switch, new turn signal switch.  When battery is connected I have all the parking lights glowing dimly.  This is with the headlight switch off. When headlight switch is on I lose power to tail lights and side markers entirely.  Checked grounds at all lights and all seem fine.  I am stumped.  Can anyone give me anything I may be overlooking?   I don't understand the current draw causing parking lights to backfeed.  Hazard switch only causes one parking light to flash.  No brake lights at all. No dome light or console courtesy lights.

[Dino]

Haven't had a 68 for a long time so refresh my memory.  With headlight switch in first position, park lights are on (or should).  2nd position, headlights go on but park lights go out.  Correct?

How about the turn signals?  I had my car in Europe so a few mods were needed to make it legal.  Should the turn signals light up with the headlight switch in 1st and/or 2nd position?

So now your park lights and turn signals dim just with power to the system but nothing activated?  That is likely a bad headlight switch.  Power should come into the floor switch and travel up to the rheostast and headlight switch.  If power seeps through you may just have a bad switch.  With quality control what it is lately I would really not be surprised.  Losing power to taillights when you activate the switch again would make me look closely at the switch.  Put a tester on it while off, if it lights up, even dimly, it's a bad switch.  You can usually open them up and fix them by the way.

The rheostat controls the dome light and cluster lights, is this one new as well?  They can be very finnicky.  I took mine apart and cleaned it with acid, has been working fine for years now.  Console lights come straight from the orange and pink wires, those are easy to trace back.  I wouldn't worry about those until you have found the issue in the cluser.

Brake lights could be an issue with the switch in the steering column, or with one of the connectors leading to the rear.  You can remove the connector behind the kick panel and test for continuity.  Also check the connector under the column.  One loose connection and there will be no breake lights.  I've had that one happen myself.  Very frustrating as everything 'looked' okay.

Are you running stock fuse box and wiring or aftermarket?

[469 runner]

All stock wiring.  I did get the parking lights, turn signals and brake lights working properly now.  Bad grounds in rear housings due to paint. Also hood t/s indicators had bad grounds.  Still no dome light, emergency brake warning light,  hazards only flash in one corner.  Yes, in '68 front parking lights turn off when headlights come on.  Those work properly now.

[Dino]

Very good! 

Flasher box may be bad, test that one first.  Brake warning....hmmm.  Not much to that one.  One wire running up from the distribution block, another from the e brake pedal.  Check for continuity on those and make sure it's not just he bulb housing that went bad.  Mine got loose after removing the cluster one time too many and wouldn't ground to the housing properly.

Try the dome light again by very very slowly turning the rheostat all the way up.  Sometimes they have a sweet spot.  Kinda like tuning the radio with bad reception.

I'll dig up my wiring diagrams and see if I can find a clue.  Its been a while since I've done all this and I'm starting to forget.

[cdr]

this might help

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,78399.msg880969.html#msg880969

[469 runner]

Yes, excellent color coding.  Thanks.

[469 runner]

I was blowing a couple fuses, got tired of chasing gremlins, so ordered a new dash harness from Year One.  I had replaced every one on the car except that one.  Figures it would cause issues, even after checking it out carefully before installation.