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68 with Hurst Reverse Lights HELP

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TexasAg98

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1968 Camaro | 427
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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I am trying to get my reverse lights to work on my 68 Camaro that has a Muncie and Hurst shifter along with the Hurst Backup switch (the one with the plunger looking thing)

Image


I am also using the following harness that says is for Hurst shifters:

Image


This all plugs into an American Autowire Update Harness.

Nothing happens when the car is running and put into reverse. I swear this was working :(.

Anyone have any suggestions or can tell me what I need to do to troubleshoot this?

Thanks,
Jason
 
#2 ·
The reverse lights are wired to the ignition switch so the ignition switch has to be in the RUN position and then power should be present on the factory PINK wire if you are running a stock or original wiring harness. If you have an aftermarket harness or homemade setup, you have to see where the reverse lights are wired to for power.

If you have no power shown on the PINK, do the turn signals work ?.

If the turn signals and the reverse lights do not work and the car has the stock or original wiring harness then there is a fuse that protects the wire for both and maybe the fuse is blown or there is a connection issue to the clips in the fuse block to the fuse ?.

If you have power on the pink, then maybe the switch is not closing and to test that you need power on the pink and then once the switch closes, power should be on the green wire going to the reverse lights.

If you then have power on the green wire but no lights, maybe the bulbs are burnt out and/or not getting a ground.

Jim
 
Discussion starter · #3 ·
SOA-Nova said:
The reverse lights are wired to the ignition switch so the ignition switch has to be in the RUN position and then power should be present on the factory PINK wire if you are running a stock or original wiring harness. If you have an aftermarket harness or homemade setup, you have to see where the reverse lights are wired to for power.

If you have no power shown on the PINK, do the turn signals work ?.

If the turn signals and the reverse lights do not work and the car has the stock or original wiring harness then there is a fuse that protects the wire for both and maybe the fuse is blown or there is a connection issue to the clips in the fuse block to the fuse ?.

If you have power on the pink, then maybe the switch is not closing and to test that you need power on the pink and then once the switch closes, power should be on the green wire going to the reverse lights.

If you then have power on the green wire but no lights, maybe the bulbs are burnt out and/or not getting a ground.

Jim
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info. My turn signals work. So I guess the way I will have to test this is to jack the car up. Start the car. Then get under the car to see if there is power to the Pink wire.

If I have power to the Pink wire, then manual push the switch closed and check to see if there is power on the Green wire. Does it make a difference which side the oink and green wire are connected to on the switch (I don't think so but want to make sure).

Thanks,
Jason

Does that sound right?
 
#4 ·
TexasAg98 said:
Thanks for the info. My turn signals work. So I guess the way I will have to test this is to jack the car up. Start the car. Then get under the car to see if there is power to the Pink wire.

If I have power to the Pink wire, then manual push the switch closed and check to see if there is power on the Green wire. Does it make a difference which side the oink and green wire are connected to on the switch (I don't think so but want to make sure).

Thanks,
Jason

Does that sound right?
Click to expand...



For one thing like in my response is just turn the ignition to the RUN position. No need to start.

Anyway, hope this will help you and us figuring out your issue(s).

Jim
 
#5 ·
Please disregard most of post #2 as I glazed over that you are working with an Autowire setup.

If you can, do you know what model harness you have as Autowire does have online wiring diagrams.

This might help as to know if the reverse light circuit shares a fuse with anything else. On a stock/original harness setup
the reverse lights and turn signals share a fuse in the fuse block.

Jim
 
Discussion starter · #6 ·
SOA-Nova said:
Please disregard most of post #2 as I glazed over that you are working with an Autowire setup.

If you can, do you know what model harness you have as Autowire does have online wiring diagrams.

This might help as to know if the reverse light circuit shares a fuse with anything else. On a stock/original harness setup
the reverse lights and turn signals share a fuse in the fuse block.

Jim
Click to expand...
Again, thanks for the help. So the reverse lights will work when in the Run/On position and the car doesn't have to be running?

I have the 68 Camaro Update Harness version 2 : https://api.americanautowire.com/sh...tions/2024/10/01/500661_1967-68_Chevy_Camaro_Classic_Update_Second_Design_4.pdf

My turn signals are working. Been working on those for a while lol.
 
#7 ·
TexasAg98 said:
Again, thanks for the help. So the reverse lights will work when in the Run/On position and the car doesn't have to be running?

I have the 68 Camaro Update Harness version 2 : https://api.americanautowire.com/sh...tions/2024/10/01/500661_1967-68_Chevy_Camaro_Classic_Update_Second_Design_4.pdf

My turn signals are working. Been working on those for a while lol.
Click to expand...
Yes...my 67 Camaro with a 4 speed muncie also lights up the reverse lights when the ignition key is turned to the run/on position and when shifted into reverse.

Make sure the reverse switch (in your picture) is fully pressed in.

Engine does not need to be started! I certainly would not crawl under a jacked up car with it in reverse (or any other gear position. :oops:
 
#8 ·
TexasAg98 said:
Again, thanks for the help. So the reverse lights will work when in the Run/On position and the car doesn't have to be running?

I have the 68 Camaro Update Harness version 2 : https://api.americanautowire.com/sh...tions/2024/10/01/500661_1967-68_Chevy_Camaro_Classic_Update_Second_Design_4.pdf

My turn signals are working. Been working on those for a while lol.
Click to expand...
It looks like the pink out of the fuse block goes to the reverse light switch and then this pink wire also goes to power things in the instrument panel (volt, oil, tach, temp and fuel) as well as the electric choke wire under the hood. So if that fuse if good will allow the instrument panel to work as well as the electric choke.

How I'm seeing the diagram is the pink will be powered up just by turning the ignition switch to the "RUN" position and no need to start the car.

Jim
 
#9 ·
Look at page 3 of the AAW 68 diagrams. It shows pink is power to the switch and green is to the lights. Do you get 12v on the pink wire with the key in the run position? If not, you need to find out why not. If you do, jumper the pink to the green and the reverse lights should come on. If they don't come on, the problem is somewhere back to the lights.
 
#10 ·
Holley had a problem with defective switches of that type. The switch is normally open before depressing the plunger. Use your multimeter on ohms to verify no reading between either lug and the switch case and mounting bracket. Then depress the plunger to the closed position and you should get close to zero ohms between the two lugs, however you should still get no reading from either lug to the case and mounting bracket.
Ron
 
#11 ·
I tried to use one of those on my car and found that the bracket was too malleable and bent every time I shifted to reverse. Scrapped that and used the factory switch,bracket and linkage, worked every time after that.
 
Discussion starter · #14 ·
Ok so I bought the Muncie backup switch and when I went to i stall it I noticed that the switch bracket wasn't going to work as the shifter arms interfered with the bracket.

I think I must have a 69 Muncie installed in my 68. The Muncie I have uses bolts and not nuts that I believe the 68 and earlier Muncies used.

Both backup switches use a pink and green wire. I was told i should be able to test the backup switch with the ignition in the ON position. I am not getting any power from either wire when in the ON position. Does the switch only get power when running? I didn't have time to test that so I thought I would ask here.

Thanks
 
#15 ·
R66 said:
Holley had a problem with defective switches of that type. The switch is normally open before depressing the plunger. Use your multimeter on ohms to verify no reading between either lug and the switch case and mounting bracket. Then depress the plunger to the closed position and you should get close to zero ohms between the two lugs, however you should still get no reading from either lug to the case and mounting bracket.
Ron
Click to expand...
Just remove the two wires going to the reverse switch at the Muncie, and touch them together with the ignition switch in the ON position. Have a helper standing at the back of the car to verify the reverse lights are on when you connect the two wires. Lights on? Bad switch. Lights not on? Wiring, bad bulbs, or bad ground at the light bulb sockets.
 
Discussion starter · #16 ·
bucko said:
Just remove the two wires going to the reverse switch at the Muncie, and touch them together with the ignition switch in the ON position. Have a helper standing at the back of the car to verify the reverse lights are on when you connect the two wires. Lights on? Bad switch. Lights not on? Wiring, bad bulbs, or bad ground at the light bulb sockets.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the simple way to troubleshoot
 
#17 ·
TexasAg98 said:
Both backup switches use a pink and green wire. I was told i should be able to test the backup switch with the ignition in the ON position. I am not getting any power from either wire when in the ON position. Does the switch only get power when running? I didn't have time to test that so I thought I would ask here.

Thanks
Click to expand...
SOA-Nova said:
It looks like the pink out of the fuse block goes to the reverse light switch and then this pink wire also goes to power things in the instrument panel (volt, oil, tach, temp and fuel) as well as the electric choke wire under the hood. So if that fuse if good will allow the instrument panel to work as well as the electric choke.

How I'm seeing the diagram is the pink will be powered up just by turning the ignition switch to the "RUN" position and no need to start the car.

Jim
Click to expand...
If you are not showing power on the pink, then are the instrument panel gauges working as they also share the same fuse from what I'm seeing in your link to the harness you are using (you stated you have the 68 Camaro Update Harness version 2 : https://api.americanautowire.com/sh...tions/2024/10/01/500661_1967-68_Chevy_Camaro_Classic_Update_Second_Design_4.pdf )

From what I'm tracing out on the harness you linked to is the reverse lights are on a pink wire off of the fuse block and this wire is fused at 5A. This 5A fuse and the pink wire then has the wire branching out with a pink that goes to the instrument panel to power the gauges as well as another branch going to the bulkhead connector to power an electric choke but once on the engine side the wire becomes a TAN.

Now let's say the pink for the reverse lights are fused at 5A. If one is using two 1156 bulbs in the rear, then each bulb draws around 2.1 A each for a total of 4.2A

This then leaves on paper 0.8A to supply the gauges and the electric choke. Since we do not know what gauges you have and if you do have an electric choke wired in on the tan under the hood (or possibly to a idle solenoid) if these all combined draw let's say 10A, then the 5A fuse will blow as it is trying to pass 14.2A

Even though a fuse rated at 5A may pass 10A for minutes at a time before blowing, I have no idea as the the specifications of the fuses you are running.

So, before I said in another post, if the gauges work as well as the electric choke (if you do have one) then the pink wire at the reverse light switch should have power.

If the gauges do not work nor the electric choke, then you may have either blown or overloaded the 5A fuse in the fuse block.

Jim
 
#18 ·
You can definitely make the 68 switch work for your application. The switch does not install anywhere near your shifter rods. I would look up the diagram in the AIM for a clear understanding of how it installs. You will have to drill a small hole in the hurst shifter lever for the rod to go into.

This is not your problem right now if you have no power to one of your wires. you should be able to jump across the 2 wires in your plug and see the reverse light illuminate.
 
Discussion starter · #19 · (Edited)
Bob Tiley said:
You can definitely make the 68 switch work for your application. The switch does not install anywhere near your shifter rods. I would look up the diagram in the AIM for a clear understanding of how it installs. You will have to drill a small hole in the hurst shifter lever for the rod to go into.

This is not your problem right now if you have no power to one of your wires. you should be able to jump across the 2 wires in your plug and see the reverse light illuminate.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I figured out what the issue was. I had a lose wire. The 67-68 backup switch will NOT work with a 69 or later Muncie. The shifter arms are in the wrong location.

I learned this the hard way after drilling the needed hole in the reverse lever. Then went to i stall the bracket and you cant since it interference with one of the shifter arms. Went back to using the Hurst plunger type backup switch.
 
#20 ·
TexasAg98 said:
I figured out what the issue was. I had a lose wire.
Click to expand...
Where was this wire at ?.

Was it a wire pulled out of a connector or terminal from the AAW kit or on the extension, or ?????.

This might help others to get things working with the same issues that you had.

Jim
 
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TexasAg98
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