Build 1978 US Market FJ40 Factory Restoration

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Super annoying, indeed. Reaching a point of frustration. Reverse lights worked prior to tear down, but it would appear the switch is bad now. Which, as you know, its incredibly difficult to get to, and I think a 19mm to boot. I turned the ignition on, put the truck in reverse. I tested the feed wire going to the switch, 12v, so that's good. I then tested the wire going out of the switch to the rear, 0v. I swapped the wires, no difference. The reverse switch is not sending 12v to the lights. Awesome. So, looks like I'll have to remove the heater, deal with coolant going all over, front seat bracket and trans mission cover and order a new switch. Or, light the cruiser on fire which seems a better choice right now.

The "BRAKE" light on the dash? I don't know. I removed the parking brake switch from the bracket, removed the BRAKE/SEAT BELT lights from the dash so that just two bulbs hung out of the slot. I tested the BRAKE bulb slot, when I ground the multimeter to the tub - I get 12V in the bulb socket. Operating the parking brake switch doesn't do anything. Seems to have zero effect on anything, but I'd hope that by pressing the parking brake switch that would cause the ground needed for the bulb to illuminate, but it doesn't (I even tried other bulbs that tested good. The pressure switches are all good on ground, everyhting else checks out. My give-a-damn is broken today.
 
Door hinge stops. I'm probably doing something wrong, but the kit I purchased (I think from city racer, but I don't want to throw them under the bus, because I forgot where I got it). The pin is too short. A small but rewarding project.

View attachment 3418143

Nothing even protrudes out of the bottom. There's also no gap around the nylon bushings.

View attachment 3418144

I found this at my hardware store:

View attachment 3418145

Installed and marked where I needed to cut it:

View attachment 3418146

Cut them:

View attachment 3418147

Rounded the edges and then wire wheeled them smooth:

View attachment 3418148

View attachment 3418149

These pins will now work perfect.

View attachment 3418150



View attachment 3418152
Just note those things will flash rust now with the zinc ground off
 
Ok, my production skills are pretty shoddy but hopefully this helps you out.


THIS is a supreme example of why this forum is so amazing. I’ve belonged to many any none holds a candle to helpful of a community this is.

Clap emoji…

Now, @MOTOV8R , let’s talk about your floor pans… did you replace those? Did you document that in f so?
 
THIS is a supreme example of why this forum is so amazing. I’ve belonged to many any none holds a candle to helpful of a community this is.

Clap emoji…

Now, @MOTOV8R , let’s talk about your floor pans… did you replace those? Did you document that in f so?
I did replace my driver pan, patched the passenger and replaced the rear floor. It’s documented somewhat in my build thread (link in my sig, if on your phone flip it sideways to see the sig).
 
I did replace my driver pan, patched the passenger and replaced the rear floor. It’s documented somewhat in my build thread (link in my sig, if on your phone flip it sideways to see the sig).
Ahh yes, the thread responsible for all things in my Amazon cart.

Great work
 
Thank you @MOTOV8R - incredibly kind of you to take the time to walk a dummy through this. Much appreciated. I'll work on checking the light, switch and loop back to the master cylinder and report back. I agree with you - if we have 12V when grounded at the bulb, there has to be a break in the ground loop somewhere. I have reserve duty this weekend otherwise I'd dive in. No matter how many 40's a person has owned or been through, there is always something to learn (or forget and re-learn). So again, thank you for the video.
 
Ok, @MOTOV8R - thank you again for the help. Here's what I have determined based on your video:

1. In my defense.....the wires were labeled wrong. I have no idea WHO would have done that.
2. Your Oscar nominated video revealed the ground circuit and the color scheme which I verified on the 1978 wiring diagram.
3. This:



....Onto the Reverse lights!
 
Ok, @MOTOV8R - thank you again for the help. Here's what I have determined based on your video:

1. In my defense.....the wires were labeled wrong. I have no idea WHO would have done that.
2. Your Oscar nominated video revealed the ground circuit and the color scheme which I verified on the 1978 wiring diagram.
3. This:



....Onto the Reverse lights!

Money! By the way, when helping you track this down I found that my low pressure sensors don’t have ground, no idea why. I did replace my brake booster, maybe it’s not setup right giving me some residual pressure. So, in short, I feel your pain and glad you got this figured out!
 
And on other news, I found the reverse switch at some point during the restoration / last four years, one of the wires broke off. So, the good news? I know why the reverse lights don't work. Bad news? I have to replace that switch. More fun.
 
Reverse switch arrived. I didn't want to have to remove the transmissions cover or mess around with anything else. So, I used a combination of wobble extensions and then a cheap socket to drill a hole into. Think easy install. :-)

IMG_4326.webp


I took the cheap socket and drilled a 7mm hole in the side of it so that I could feed the reverse switch wires through it. I'm sure there's an easier way (I had a few strut sockets which are half open, but none this size).

IMG_4327.webp


IMG_4328.webp


I then got it started and tightened down with the extensions. Worked like a charm. Then fed the wires back through the socket.

IMG_4329.webp


And boom - we have reverse lights! (plate temporarily zip tied so I can test around the block)

IMG_4330.webp


Then, had to re-torque wheel carriers and front suspension on the 964:

IMG_4331.webp


I received the radio back from repair (Thank you!) and today listened to the Mets and Cardinals game. Very cool.

 
That is a clever way to install the reverse switch once transmission cover is installed... Did you to fix your hazard lights? Curious why those were not working when your turn signals worked. Was it the connections inside the switch?
 
Tested the hazard switch itself - here were the results:

Screenshot 2023-09-19 at 5.52.33 PM.png


With the switch closed, none of them have continuity with the other. However, when I pull the knob, Green/Yellow (right side lights), Green/Black (left side lights) and Green/Blue (flasher) all have continuity with each other.

So it would appear, given the 12V feed on the above photo between GR and GO.....there should be continuity between those two, no? There isn't.

I guess next would be to test the harness side pins to see if I am getting 12v to the GW and GR wires?

The good news (if there ever has been any on this project....) is this should be the last electrical gremlin. However I did notice the headlights/park lights on the "LIGHTS" Switch are reversed. First pull is headlights only, second is all lights togther. I'd think worse case I can just reverse the pins on the harness side.

Oh the joys of electrical sorting.
 
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Tested the hazard switch itself - here were the results:

View attachment 3434926

With the switch closed, none of them have continuity with the other. However, when I pull the knob, Green/Yellow (right side lights), Green/Black (left side lights) and Green/Blue (flasher) all have continuity with each other.

So it would appear, given the 12V feed on the above photo between GR and GO.....there should be continuity between those two, no? There isn't.

I guess next would be to test the harness side pins to see if I am getting 12v to the GW and GR wires?

The good news (if there ever has been any on this project....) is this should be the last electrical gremlin. However I did notice the headlights/park lights on the "LIGHTS" Switch are reversed. First pull is headlights only, second is all lights togther. I'd think worse case I can just reverse the pins on the harness side.

Oh the joys of electrical sorting.



ahhhhhh.... the 84110 topic ..


does mr. maddox have a ......... : ✨ . or .💫

does he know about the 84110 topic :poof:





84110SWITCH ASSY, LIGHT CONTROL, NO.1
84112-60010(09/1973 - 08/1977)1
84112-60011(09/1977 - 06/1980)
 
Sounds like you are on the right track. GR should be key on position power which feeds the turn signals. That shouldn’t be a problem since it’s working. GW is continuous hot, so you can turn on your hazards anytime. You should check that for 12v. Also check the hazard switch (unplugged) for continuity from the GW to GO with the hazards on.
 
ahhhhhh.... the 84110 topic ..


does mr. maddox have a ......... : ✨ . or .💫

does he know about the 84110 topic :poof:





84110SWITCH ASSY, LIGHT CONTROL, NO.1
84112-60010(09/1973 - 08/1977)1
84112-60011(09/1977 - 06/1980)

Do I have three sparkling stars or two rotating stars? I'll have to check behind the dash to see what I can find. I would only guess at this point....the 84110 I have....is, in fact, faulty.
 
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