What do you need for brake lights to work....

[2ndgen]

I am restoring a 69 Mach; the interior is quite bare at the moment...

I have the main, engine, and rear harnesses installed. I can start the engine and when in reverse that backup lights work.

I have the ignition switch wired, but I do not have a steering column or headlight switch.

My brake lights don't work, and using a volt meter I do not seem to have power to the brake switch on the pedal. A continuity test of the brake switch indicates it is good, and the brake light bulbs are brand new.

Questions:

Shouldn't one side of the brake light switch be hot (at all times?)?

Are the brake lights on a fused circuit?

Do the brake lights get fed through the steering column harness or the headlight switch?

Any pointers appreciated.

-Rory

P.S I will try to track down the wiring schematics too...

 

[Midlife]

Signal into the brake switch comes from the headlamp switch, and then goes to the turn signal switch and then out to the brakes. Since you don't have either plugged in, you'll have no brake lights!

 

[2ndgen]

Thanks! Thats kind of what I thought...

I seemed to recall them going through the turn signal switch, so I laid the steering column on the floor of the car and plugged it in... but still no brake lights. This makes total sense since I did not have the headlight switch installed; however I figured I would try to look at schematics or ask rather than hacking together a bunch of stuff that is not yet restored.

-Rory