1955 what screw controls the dash lights? | Ford Thunderbird forum club group 1955-2005 models

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1955 what screw controls the dash lights?

  • Thread starter Thread starter cwrev
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cwrev

Bronze Member
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Thunderbird Year
1955
Can someone tell me what screw controls the dash lights. Please plan info as if you are sitting in the seat and as example (right side, second screw, or left side , third screw) on light switch. Thanks

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Yes, It's the light switch, on the right, just rotate the knob part. First make sure it will turn. Then get the car interior as dark as you can & slowly rotate that knob, & you may see the dash light come on. DO it several times & you may get lucky. And most of them stop working after a while. You can get another,,, if you can find one. Or there is a way to "jump" the dash light knob so the lights stay bright all the time.
 
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If the panel lights don't come on there is a 7.5 amp fuse on the back or the light switch. (or should be , mine was missing when i first got my 56)
 

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seatramp said:
If the panel lights don't come on there is a 7.5 amp fuse on the back or the light switch. (or should be , mine was missing when i first got my 56)
Click to expand...
The 7.5 amp fuse on the headlight switch only powers the courtesy lamp in the dash and the door jamb switches. If this is blown, check the wiring to the map light and door switches for bare wires especially where the wires exit the kick panels and enter the door jamb.

doug7740
955 Thunderbird Blue
Headlight Circuit.jpg
 
Sorry I miss understood what you were asking. The dash lights are powered by the blue/red wire that from the dimmer rehostat on contact "I" on the switch which should be in the middle of the switch just behind the ceramic rehostat disc. If there is no power at this contact with the headlights on check the fuse at the back of the switch.The dimmer rehostat is a wire resistor type with wiper arm contacts that can get dirty/corrode and may be cleaned using a spray contact cleaner and rotating the switch knob. If that doesn't work you can try a jumper wire from the black/yellow headlight connection "h" on the switch to turn on the dash lights full bright when ever you turn the lights on.
 
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Headlight Switch Terminals

Headlight Switch.jpg​

B - Battery

B Wires
  • Yellow – Starter relay terminal battery supply
  • Yellow – B terminal of the ignition switch
  • Blue/White – Cigar lighter
A - Internal connection from terminal B

A Wires
  • Green – Stop lamp switch
  • Blue/Black – Clock
R - Connected to the A terminal in the park or headlight positions

R Wire

Black – Tail and license lights

D – Connected to the B terminal through the 7.5-amp fuse

D Wires
  • Green/Yellow – Left door jamb switch for the interior light
  • Green/Yellow – Right door jamb switch for the interior light
P – Connected to R and A terminals in the park position

P Wire

Black/Yellow – Parking lights

H – Connected to R and A terminals in the headlight position

H Wire

Red/Yellow - Headlights (to the dimmer switch on the floor)

I – Connected to R through the rheostat (resistance changes as the dimmer knob is rotated)

I Wire

Blue/Red – Instrument panel lights

doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue
 
Good picture/detail. The thing your pencil is pointing to is the release button for the switch shaft, the connector to the right of the pencil just behind the rehostat is for the panel lights. The green I can see in the picture is a good example of how the rehostat can have corrosion build up.
 
doug7740 said:
Headlight Switch Terminals

View attachment 32654​

B - Battery

B Wires
  • Yellow – Starter relay terminal battery supply
  • Yellow – B terminal of the ignition switch
  • Blue/White – Cigar lighter
A - Internal connection from terminal B

A Wires
  • Green – Stop lamp switch
  • Blue/Black – Clock
R - Connected to the A terminal in the park or headlight positions

R Wire

Black – Tail and license lights

D – Connected to the B terminal through the 7.5-amp fuse

D Wires
  • Green/Yellow – Left door jamb switch for the interior light
  • Green/Yellow – Right door jamb switch for the interior light
P – Connected to R and A terminals in the park position

P Wire

Black/Yellow – Parking lights

H – Connected to R and A terminals in the headlight position

H Wire

Red/Yellow - Headlights (to the dimmer switch on the floor)

I – Connected to R through the rheostat (resistance changes as the dimmer knob is rotated)

I Wire

Blue/Red – Instrument panel lights

doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue
Click to expand...
Looking at the diagram it looks like the tail and stop lights have no fuse in the circuit. Is that correct?
 
seatramp said:
Sorry I miss understood what you were asking. The dash lights are powered by the blue/red wire that from the dimmer rehostat on contact "I" on the switch which should be in the middle of the switch just behind the ceramic rehostat disc. If there is no power at this contact with the headlights on check the fuse at the back of the switch.The dimmer rehostat is a wire resistor type with wiper arm contacts that can get dirty/corrode and may be cleaned using a spray contact cleaner and rotating the switch knob. If that doesn't work you can try a jumper wire from the black/yellow headlight connection "h" on the switch to turn on the dash lights full bright when ever you turn the lights on.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I found out my speedometer light had a bad wire, Ireplaced it and I have lights now.
 
Tom Alpers said:
Looking at the diagram it looks like the tail and stop lights have no fuse in the circuit. Is that correct?
Click to expand...
The headlight, parking light, stop light, license light, and tail light circuits are all protected by a circuit breaker located inside the headlight switch that is circled in red.

doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue
Circuit Breaker.jpg
 
doug7740 said:
The headlight, parking light, stop light, license light, and tail light circuits are all protected by a circuit breaker located inside the headlight switch that is circled in red.

doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue
View attachment 32658
Click to expand...
It looks like there is a second circuit breaker symbol in there. Do you know if there are actually two circuit breakers or did they split up the one just for purposes of making the drawing.
 
There are two 20-amp circuit breakers inside the headlamp switch, however the second circuit breaker is not used. Also, if your Thunderbird has a 6-volt electrical system the fuse on the back of the headlamp switch for the map and courtesy lamp is a 9-amp fuse. If your Thunderbird has a 12-volt electrical system, the fuse on the back of the headlamp switch is a 7.5-amp fuse.

doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue

Headlight Switch.JPG
 
If there is a second CB that is not used on the Tbirds that headlight switch must have been used on some other car where it would be used. Any idea what other car that might have been and what it was used for?
 
Tom Alpers said:
If there is a second CB that is not used on the Tbirds that headlight switch must have been used on some other car where it would be used. Any idea what other car that might have been and what it was used for?
Click to expand...
My prior post didn't post correctly. Below the question I was saying that perhaps the "Driving lights" that were an option were connected to that second circuit breaker.
 
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