crymrow2

hi all,new to this forum.wish i knew about it about 3yrs. ago.bEen trying to restore a 68 olds 98 convertible.aside from the engine and body work,i cant figure anything else out.PO REPLACED ALL ORIGINAL SWITCHES WITH TOGGLES AND CLIPPED OFF THE ORIGINAL CONNECTORS.none of the material from the period has any detailed diagrams of the electrical.i,ve changed the fuse box and harness ,trunk wire harness and had to buy a complete steering column cause no one offers a aftermarket turn signal switch for tilt,telescopic with cornering lights new.an fyi,that column was crap too.brakes lights now worked but rear signals didnt.so after taking it apart and cleaning the contacts was able to get all signal lights flashing,but no brakes or no rear hazard lights.flashers are new,taillights and sockets are new,all fuses are new.WHAT ELSE CAN IT BE??!!every electrical shop in milwaukee has had a shot with it and cant figure it out.no usable diagrams to aid in a good repair.about ready to get up off my troubles and sell it,been a 4 yr.headache.but the car is meant now except for brake and hazards .SOMEONE HELP

jaunty75

Have you ever looked at a wiring diagram in the 1968 Olds Chassis Service Manual? You can see this at wildaboutcars.com. You have to join, but joining is free and highly recommended.

You might also consider getting a paper copy of this manual. These are for sale all the time on ebay, and a quick, 2-second search turned up this one. There are likely more. Highly recommended.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1968-Oldsmob...49d6f7&vxp=mtr

crymrow2

Sorry for the late reply.been checking this thread all day waiting for a response,an this just showed up.First im joking but serious,when i say i have every piece of literature available on Earth for 68 98. original fisher chassis and body manuals 2000 pages.even got'em on cd rom because it has an search engine to use. a lot of general diagrams and repair procedures.nothing really detailed.the diagrams are very limited in what components they display,and awful blurry.im surprised the techs of the day got any use out of them.brake light switch,bulbs and fuses are good,can i re-run new wires from the tail lights to the brake light switch and use an in-line fuse.Or am i getting desperate?

m371961

You cannot go from the tailights direct to the brake switch. The brake switch goes to turn signal switch. When the switch is in the center position, it connects both lights to the brake switch. When it is in the left signal mode, it connects the rear left light to the flasher circuit, and the right lamp to the brake switch. Opposite when in the right turn position.
I made my own diagram from a CD manual by enlarging it and printing off 3 pages to cover the drawing, then matching them up and stapled together. Resulted in a 11 inch by 24 inch drawing.

crymrow2

thanks for the tip.glad i checked back here first.would've been a waste of time.as mentioned i installed a different steering columncause i needed a new complete signal switch.when i installed the new steering column the brakelights worked but no rear hazards or rear signals and the cam that holds the signal switch in place until u complete a turn was broken.so i replaced that with a new one from napa. then cleaned the remaining contacts on the switch itself(they needed it,really nasty).reinstalled the column,now rear signals work fine,but now no brake lights.maybe the tabs on the new signal switch cam i installed aren"t making contact with the switch.will have to check that.did u find your diagrams in the Bishko cd manual,or some other cd?

m371961

I would think all the schematics are the same reguardless what company put out the CD. They all are from the chasis service manual part 4 section 12 - 3
I have a 65, tilt wheel w/ corner lamps. Do not have a 4 way flasher, but I think yours does. I carefully dissassembled my switch and cleaned it. Delicate with the springs and ***** inside it.
Not very familiar with your particular switch. Do you have volts out of the brake switch? It sounds like you have lost the feed from it to the switch.
Are you just not going to use the corner lamps?

joe_padavano

Which is why it pays to buy an original paper Chassis Service Manual, not a scanned CD or repro. The wiring diagram is a single page, in color. The wiring just isn't that complex on a 1968 automobile. Everything you need to know is on that page as far as the lights and dash controls are concerned.

crymrow2

you;re exactly right,i do have a 4way flasher built in the switch.i did originally want to use the cornering lights ,had them rechromed already.but after 4yrs.of trying to figure this out,i dnt care any more, about the cornering lights or tilt/telescopic.i'll just fab up some fender extensions and sell the cornering lights.i do have power to the brake switch and when i press the button it does close. can i just use a basic steering wheel instead of the tilt/telescopic,cornering features.if so do you have any leads on one.

crymrow2

hi joe .i do also have original manuals.ive been through the wiringcountless timesand it all checks out. im 95% sure that the problem is in the turn signal switch.but the tilt/telescopic switch with the cornering lights is not available anywhere?all the others are still very much available but not for this one.i have found used ones ,even bought a few,but they where exactly that,well used.45 yr old brittle wires and gunk with their own set of problems.was hoping to just replace it with a standard steering wheel instead.

m371961

If the tilt switch is like my 65, you can pry the metal tabs out and dissassemble the switch, clean it out, lube with a little di-electric grease and reassemble. Shame to eliminate corner lamp option.
I dissassembled it in a 2 inch deep baking tray to contain the parts.
Yours may be alittle different, and watch for the little ***** shown in the first pic.

crymrow2

i know.i would hate to lose them.this car came with all the upgrades even disc brakes.my switch is a little different Pat,but i get the lesson that you trying to teach me.i got an extra 4way flasher from the old steering wheel i removed.will drill'em out in the morning and open it up to see whats going on with.dnt know why i didnt think to do that.guess i was stuck on replace and not repair,since none of the shops here offered that as an option to try.i hope that works,if not i see american auto wire sells an external 4way flasher signal switch. gonna call them and find out more about it.im gonna try Pat's suggestion 1st before i start to search for yet another steering column.Thanks for all the insight guys.will post back tomorrow with the results and try to get some photos on here.

crymrow2

its been a long winter here so progress on the brake lights has beenslow going.but good news is i finally figured out how to disassemble this tilt/tele steering wheel and brakes and tail also hazards are all functioning well.had to fabricate every tool needed though, from the lock plate tool to a slide hammer attachment to remove the sleeve covering the hazard switch.no you will not be able to remove the turn signal switch without reoving this sleeve,bolts are underneath it.as i mentioned earlier,no aftermarket tsw are available ANYWHERE,but you can get the canceling cam from Napa $25. which was the main problem,but the contact leads on it will have to be trimmed to length and bent in proper position to operate correctly,as the aftermarkets parts are not exactly 1 vehicle specific.also you will not be able to secure the new cam to the tsw with the original stud on the turn signal lever,as it will distort when u pry off the the old cam.i just grinded the stud flat and drilled and threaded a hole for a 4-40 metal screw and washer.i cleaned the rest of the contacts on the turn signal swith thoroughly with electrical contact cleaner and a soft bristle wire brush should last now for another 40+ yrs.can post pics if some one tells me how