1976 Engine light not working | Ford Thunderbird forum club group 1955-2005 models
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1976 Engine light not working

  • Thread starter Thread starter lennard
  • Start date Start date
L
Reaction score
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Thunderbird Year
1976
Hello everyone,


I have recently imported a 76 Thunderbird to Germany... the car is in pretty good shape, but there are a few bits and bobs that need fixing, including the oil pressure / overheat indicator light on the dash. As I understand it the light should come on, when I switch the ignition on, however it does not. I have already removed the dash to check the bulb, and the bulb is good - there is no voltage at the bulb socket with ignition on.

Now i have a Haynes workshop manual with circuit diagrams, but the indicator bulb ist not represented there, so I cant figure out which components tie into it and where to check for broken wires/corroded contacts/the like...

The original owners manual tells me that fuse 16 is also responsible for this light, but the fuse is good...
So my question now is, if anyone here can tell me how the engine light curcuit works, where the contacts are and which components might need checking.

It might seem like a very minor problem, but since I cant readily get replacement parts where I am, let alone a whole engine, I really dont want to kill it by being negligent on something like this...

Well, thanks for taking a look,
Lennard

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Which engine do you have? You will be looking for a sensor with a single wire attachment.
On small block engines it should be near the oil filter. Larger engines it may be at the top rear of the block. It may be disconnected.
 
The switch operates by supplying a ground for the light. Once the engine starts the oil pressure opens the switch so the light goes out.
 
Alright, thanks a lot! I have found the switch and it was indeed disconnected.
The connector was quite loose, so it probably just fell off on its own, I compressed it with a pair of pliers and it should stay on there now...

I have included some pictures showing where to find the switch, should someone else run into the same problem in the future.

460-1.jpg
This shows the rough location....

460-2.jpg
My finger rests on the wire, that was disconnected...
 
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