More electrical gremlins over here. Hoping someone else has seen this problem on a 1970 Plymouth Duster or similar. My rear and side running lights and my license plate lamp have gone. Front running lights still work fine, as do headlights, brake lights, turn signals, emergency flashers, and dash/interior lights. I have replaced bulbs and fuses, shined up the grounds on the rear light clusters, and reseated the bulkhead connectors at the headlight switch and the firewall. The headlight switch is not all that old.

I suspect a grounding problem but unfortunately my shop manual with its electrical diagrams is at work, an hour from here and it is getting dark. Already got pulled over once last night for this problem, heh. Anyone have a diagram handy, perhaps?

Thanks for your ideas.

Well I had a problem similiar to that but only a few lights. I found out that the turn signal wiring was the culprit. So I bought a new turn signal wiring kit through Year One and had it put in. Now everything works fine. So if you fell like it check that wiring.

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Mopar 4 Life!!

1972 Plymouth Duster

The turn signal wiring doesn't connect to the side marker lights. I doubt it is a ground problem. You can check for power at the marker lights with a voltmeter or circuit tester. If you don't have power there, then a bad ground is not the issue. Follow the wires back to the firewall and check for power out of the firewall connector. I don't know about the later model wiring harness. That harness may go along the floor under the carpet, so check for that too.

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Chuck Rivers, Webmaster

It is not just the side marker lights, though, I mean. The running lights in the rear (i.e. the other half of the dual-filament brake lights, that are on when the headlights are on) are out as well. But the brake lights and turn signals themselves work fine. It would be a pretty weird coincedence if the harness wires for just the running lights and license lamp, and not the brake or turn signal lights, got damaged/cut. But I guess stranger things have happened. Going to start tracing wires today, then, ugh...

Not that strange. The wires usually run through the same harness, but if there is a problem with wires rubbing in the frame, for example, usually only ONE wire in the harness will be affected. Follow through on the troubleshooting I gave you.

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Chuck Rivers, Webmaster

I helped someone fix their Volaré some years ago with the same problem. The problem was the factory splice connection inside the wire harness in the trunk fell part. Here in Minnesota, after your rear quarters rust out, the tires throw all that winter salt stuff inside the trunk and this soaked into the wire harness and attacked the factory splice and made the copper turn into green dust. Re-Spliced wires and all worked again.

Yup, that is exactly what it was. Which is the sort of reply I was hoping to get before I burned a day off from work with a voltmeter and a screwdriver (screwdriver to take out panels and sillplates), testing connectors and inspecting the harness, but oh well. Another bit of Mopar fix-it lore to add to the collection in the brain, and it _was_ a beautiful day to spend outside, after all.