Turn Signals , Brake Lights, Off Switch - Yikes

[stretchit2]

Fellas,
This is a long story (electrical yikes!), but to be brief since I bought my car (61 MKII BT7) I have had it changed to a negative ground (and everything that goes along with that),& an electronic ignition, it now has an alternator, and I just had a new off switch installed. This work was done sequentially and not at the same time.

Since having the alternator installed I have been having an intermittent problem with charging the battery, sometimes it did and sometimes it did not (the idiot light is always on). During this time I noticed that the off switch didn't work like I think it used to. With the switch in the off position everything still worked, except the car would not start. I think when I first got the car when the off switch was off, nothing worked.

Anyway, I had the switch replaced today, and dummy me I didn't check how it worked at the mechanics. I was so caught up in the moment I simply drove the 15 miles back to my house (it was a great day today in So Cal, somewhere in the mid 70's -sorry, I digress). Driving home I noticed that my turn signal indicator was not working, so once at home I checked and neither the turn signals nor the brake lights worked. I then checked the newly installed off switch and discovered it did not turn off any of the things I thought it should turn off, pumps, lights, etc.
So I have two questions:

1) Does it sound like the off switch is still not operating properly? and,

2) When installing the off switch could the mechanic have done something to effect the turn signals and the brake lights, and if so what might that have been?

Technically that is three questions.

Your novice friend,

Stretch

 

[RAC68]

Hi Stretch,

First, if the Cutoff switch is off, it should interrupt the ground connection at the battery. Without a grounded battery, no battery current should be flowing through the car and, therefore, no electrical device should be able to operate.

Second, I assume your alternator contains an integrated regulator. If the idiot light is on, the alternator is not activated and the regulator is completing the ground for the light to illuminate. When the alternator is charging, a current is supplied to this line and, without a ground connection the idiot light does not light.

Since your alternator charge problem seems to be intermittent, I would first check the fan belt for tightness (remember, a belt may seem tight but will slip when resistance is applied as a result of an electrical load requiring the alternator to work). If the fan belt is fine, I would run tests on the regulator to make sure the alternator is functioning properly. I assume that you have a battery ground or the car would not start.

Lastly, is your brake and signal lights only failing at the rear with your front signals working or is the problem causing both the front and rear signal lights to fail? If only at the rear on the side of the Cutoff switch, I would first check your right light connections. If the failure is at both sides in the rear, I would check the connections at the left and also at the engine firewall where the rear harness is plugged in.

Based upon all your problems, I would look closely at the Cutoff switch that has been recently installed and, in specific, use a multi-meter to make sure the switch is providing a secure ground when in the on position.

Good luck,
Ray (64BJ8P1)