Build 1978 US Market FJ40 Factory Restoration

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You want me to look for the OEM ones off your year rig to referb?

I’m going to my parts guy, Matthew, in Iowa later to pickup a spare 2f (don’t ask 🥴🤦‍♂️🤓). Nate is looking for some brackets and Matthew has them and will get them if they are in the condition Nate wants.

Not sure when (Matthew just had surgery) but sometime in September I will head over. Would be way less than those prices if he has them
 
I appreciate it @OlYellr - but with @pb4ugo posting that pic, I realized I have those, just didn't know what they were for. So, turns out I had a set of the shoulder bolts!

Going to take a break for a few days. I need time off from this project and work!
 
A couple of quick wiring questions. I have gone through the wiring diagram and have been able to solve all of the gremlins but two.

1. The hazard switch when pulled, clicks and then nothing.
2. Reverse lights do not come on when shift in reverse.

I verified the reverse switch plugs (there are two coming off of the switch, both bullet connectors plugged in and route to the reverse lamps at the rear. The reverse switch did its job prior to tear down, It passes visual inspection...and I verified there is 12V at the wire going to the reverse switch.

All parking, turn and brake lights all work.

Not sure how to diagnose - if anyone has some tips. In the meantime, I'll continue to google around. Thank you!
 
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Also, the "BRAKE" light that is next to the "SEAT BELT" light does not illuminate (bulb is good).

I noticed on the wiring diagram three brake switches.

1. Brake Warning Switch
2. Stop Light Switch
3. Parking Brake Switch

I replaced both, the switch at the brake pedal and the one at the parking brake handle. Not sure what the stop light switch is or where it is. The brake lights work, however. I have not yet adjusted the parking brake, but operating the handle, should turn the light on, no?

Such simple machines....yet complicated in their own right.
 
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Also, the "BRAKE" light that is next to the "SEAT BELT" light does not illuminate (bulb is good).

I noticed on the wiring diagram three brake switches.

1. Brake Warning Switch
2. Stop Light Switch
3. Parking Brake Switch

I replaced both, the switch at the brake pedal and the one at the parking brake handle. Not sure what the stop light switch is or where it is. The brake lights work, however. I have not yet adjusted the parking brake, but operating the handle, should turn the light on, no?

Such simple machines....yet complicated in their own right.
My brake light comes on only after I pull the parking brake then release the brake pedal if that does anything for you. It’s also somewhat intermittent so…

Ian
 
A couple of quick wiring questions. I have gone through the wiring diagram and have been able to solve all of the gremlins but two.

1. The hazard switch when pulled, clicks and then nothing.
2. Reverse lights do not come on when shift in reverse.

I verified the reverse switch plugs (there are two coming off of the switch, both bullet connectors plugged in and route to the reverse lamps at the rear. The reverse switch did its job prior to tear down, It passes visual inspection...and I verified there is 12V at the wire going to the reverse switch.

All parking, turn and brake lights all work.

Not sure how to diagnose - if anyone has some tips. In the meantime, I'll continue to google around. Thank you!

Hazard
Sounds like a grounding issue. Do the turn signals work? My turn signal troubleshooting video may help.


Brake Warning Light
For the brake warning light, you can test the circuit by grounding the terminal that connects to the master cylinder pressure switch. With that to ground, you should get the brake warning light to illuminate.


Reverse Light
The reverse light switch grounds to the transmission by tightening the switch to the housing. Check chassis grounds. Maybe the thick chassis black paint is not allowing it to ground?
 
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@Ackcruisers excellent videos - thank you for sharing.

In my case, turn signals all blink, parking lights all work. Brake lights work. Hazards do not.

Onto the second topic, my brake light never comes on. I checked the bulb and I have new switches....will just have to begin at the bulb and work my way back. I don't know how else to test the system. On your video, the brake light came on right when you turned on the ignition. Mine never does, regardless of foot or parking brakes.

Again, thanks for posting the videos!!
 
Here’s a schematic and a thread that may help. The pressure switches complete the ground circuit. They discuss a few different years.




1693869555540.webp
 
Thank you @MOTOV8R I read through the post. Hard to follow, as there are a lot of things going on. I just ran out and saw that with the ignition on, I do not have 12V at my pressure switch wire. Not sure if I am supposed to. I'll follow the rabbit hole of the other posting as well.....
you should not have 12v. You should check it for continuity to ground. Until it builds pressure (pedal depressed) it should be grounded.

You should check the indicator light for 12v one of the wires going to it with the ign on.
 
Before leaving for work this morning - I completed two continuity checks (sorry, not the most learned on this subject, but an assumption that I set the multi-meter to Ohms, and look for anything above 0). Both checks came back with resistance (good ground). Test 1 was brake pressure body to the electrical connection on the bottom (testing both devices). Then, from the red wire clips to the electrical nodes, also good. Did I perform this correctly, @MOTOV8R ? I'm not the best artist, apologies if this is difficult to understand:

Blank diagram (1).webp
 
Before leaving for work this morning - I completed two continuity checks (sorry, not the most learned on this subject, but an assumption that I set the multi-meter to Ohms, and look for anything above 0). Both checks came back with resistance (good ground). Test 1 was brake pressure body to the electrical connection on the bottom (testing both devices). Then, from the red wire clips to the electrical nodes, also good. Did I perform this correctly, @MOTOV8R ? I'm not the best artist, apologies if this is difficult to understand:

View attachment 3420395
Yeah, that works. Testing the wire itself was the important part. If you are using a multimeter, there is usually a continuity check setting that beeps when it sees a resistance. Just makes it a little easier for testing.

Edit: Just re-read your post. You want to test the wire connection (plug coming off the pressure switches) to a known good ground, like the frame or negative battery terminal.
 
Got it - thank you @MOTOV8R - just to clarify when you say "plug coming off the pressure switches" are you refering to the electrical node at the bottom of the pressure switch, itself, or the plug that slides onto the pressure switch?
The node at the bottom. Check both of them.
 
Assuming they are ok....I will next test the power going to the bulb for the BRAKE light on the dash. I assume that by pushing down my brake pedal and seeing the plunger of the brake switch go down as well as the audible "click" it is doing its job. I tested for 12V on the green/white on that plug. I have not adjusted/checked the parking brake switch yet....just assumed it was good, being new.
 
Assuming they are ok....I will next test the power going to the bulb for the BRAKE light on the dash. I assume that by pushing down my brake pedal and seeing the plunger of the brake switch go down as well as the audible "click" it is doing its job. I tested for 12V on the green/white on that plug. I have not adjusted/checked the parking brake switch yet....just assumed it was good, being new.

With the key on, the parking brake on should cause the light to come on regardless of the brake pedal. The light has power as soon as the key is on. Completing the ground, by either parking brake on OR brake low pressure and brake pedal depressed (completing b-b’ circuit) will cause the light to come on. So if there is power the problem has to be somewhere in the ground loop. Another way to verify the ground issue is to directly ground the plug that goes to the pressure sensors and pull the e-brake.
 
I did some initial poking around before work. Both of the nodes on the bottom of the brake pressure switches (bottom of m/c) are properly grounded. Further, I found the (I know....a moron) continuity setting on my multimeter. I removed the switch from the parking brake and with the ignition on, tried to get a voltage reading on it. The oem switch has a plastic dipped coating on the terminals so it was very difficult to try to get a read, but it read a scanning 0-5 volts (not 12). However, I wasn't sure if that was due to the shielding getting in the way or what.

When it cools down, hopefully this weekend, I can do some more poking around to see what the heck is going on. Between this and the no reverse lights, it's become just annoying enough to step away from for a bit.
 
The parking brake switch should only have ground, not 12v. The indicator light itself should be what has 12v with the key on. Make sure you have your meter on dc volts (solid line with dashed line under it).

Electrical gremlins are super annoying, you’ll get it.
 
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