[DeTomaso] back up lights on all the time?

[Jar]

Perfect!  Thanks Mike!


On Oct 16, 2009, at 9:33 PM, MikeLDrew at aol.com wrote:

>
> In a message dated 10/16/09 21 25 7, cadhearse60 at verizon.net writes:
>
>
>>
>> God knows how long I've been driving around like this but the other
>> day when I stepped out of the car while it was running in neutral I
>> noticed the back up lights were on.  Anybody ever run into this?
>>
>> Thought I might check here first before I go poking around on my own.
>
>
> It's probably a misadjusted switch.  If you look at Bill Taylor's  
> wiring diagram at www.panteraplace.com, you'll see that 12V power is  
> routed to switch constantly.  When the gearbox is put in reverse,  
> the switch is actuated, allowing 12V to exit the switch and flow to  
> the two lamps, which are grounded to the body, illuminating the  
> lights.  So it seems that your switch is actuated all the time,  
> either through misadjustment, or because the switch itself is bad.
>
> The switch lives in a rather hostile environment.  It's a potmetal  
> casting with a sheetmetal cover friction-fit over the mechanical  
> works.  Often this cover falls off, and then the works are exposed  
> to all sorts of gick and grime.
>
> The switch threads into the shift linkage cover, which is very thin,  
> and is held in place with a locknut.  The cover is held to the side  
> of the gearbox with four bolts.  There's no reason to not remove the  
> bolts and remove the cover with the switch still attached, then  
> carefully remove the switch (it's possible that there is a thin  
> locknut on the inside as well), then soak it in some sort of  
> penetrating cleaning fluid.  Clean it all out, verify function, then  
> adjust it so that it just closes when the gearbox is placed in  
> reverse, but stays open in all other gears, and neutral.
>
> Good luck!
>
> Mike