Today, another problem solved... the back-up lights weren't working either.
Dug Smith and I went to the same sparks 'n fuses school of diagnosis,
though today some of the troubleshooting reading I've been doing did "gel"
a bit and I was able to methodically start at one end of the car and work
through ever segment to the back, which is where the problem was. There was
a short in the tail light bulb plate. I swapped it out a  spare one, and
tweaked, insulated, cleaned, and tested and otherwise improved everything
along the way.

On Sat, Oct 11, 2014 at 2:52 PM, Jim Felder <jim.felder@gmail.com> wrote:

> Problem solved... two new switches. No warning, nothing. But two new
> switches and now it works.
>
> Jim
>
>
> On Sat, Oct 11, 2014 at 11:16 AM, Jim Felder <jim.felder@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Thanks, Dug.
>>
>> By now I have tried everything I could possible rig up between the front
>> of the back and nothing conclusive. The problem is I don't know HOW to
>> perform a test on the system. For example, I can go from the hot side of
>> the fuse box back to the bulb and that works. What I can't seem to pin down
>> is where to probe between the switch and the other side of the fuse, or
>> where to look for the spade connector that the bentley calls out in 97.45
>> which, though it may not be the problem, would definitely cause the problem
>> if it is open.
>>
>> Jim
>>
>> On Sat, Oct 11, 2014 at 10:52 AM, Dug Smith <dug@dugbert.com> wrote:
>>
>>> I'm not sure, as the only thing I lost was the brake lights themselves -
>>> I still had power at the pressure switches, so it looks like the power goes
>>> through those, then to the fuse box (I wasn't looking too hard at the
>>> Bentley at that point) and back to the lights.  The parking brake still
>>> caused the warning light to... um, light, and I didn't drain the fluid to
>>> check that still worked :o)
>>>
>>> I took one of the rear lights out and used a test battery to make sure
>>> it wasn't something spooky there - the lights fired up just fine when they
>>> got power (I've added a high level and a trailer hitch mounted light, so I
>>> wanted to make sure none of my stupid wiring was the problem).
>>>
>>> On 10/11/2014 8:32 AM, Jim Felder wrote:
>>>
>>>> Another question: the Bentley shows a connection to the brake warning
>>>> light
>>>> which has the dual function of warning when the handbrake is on and, at
>>>> least on later models I've owned, a warning for low brake fluid. My car
>>>> is
>>>> by the way a 1983 diesel.
>>>>
>>>> Is the connection to the brake warning light necessary to operate and
>>>> test
>>>> the system? I wouldn't think so, but I wanted to make sure before
>>>> checking
>>>> further. The wares below the instrument cluster are not easy to reach
>>>> with
>>>> the cluster installed.
>>>>
>>>> Jim
>>>>
>>>
>>> toodle pip,
>>> --
>>>         Dug Smith        | Terry Pratchett: It's almost
>>> (mailto:dug@dugbert.com) | impossible to ride a rock and roll
>>> (http://www.dugbert.com) | motorbike and stay on for three verses.
>>>
>>
>>
>