Mysterious Missing Power to brake lights

[ezuskin]

Went for a ride last week first time of season in my 72 TC. Was just about getting into my Europa groove when my gauges and tach stopped working. Fuse blown and found old unused wire shorting out contact. Replaced fuse-  gauges and tach came back but no brake ligh/reverse light and no power going to brake switch.
I have one connector with 2 green wires at lower fuse box connection, last fuse on right.
Manual shows 3 wires and I hunted around but cannot find 3rd wire
Not too proud to run a new power wire tonight and works fine. just perplexed.
Ideas welcome.
Eddie Zuskin
72 TC 2068R

[Grumblebuns]

What color was the old unused wire that shorted out? Could that have been the wire for the brake light? For that wire to have caused a short, it must have had power to it.

The brake switch has to get power from somewhere. On my fuse box, there are two male output tabs with one female terminal having one green wire and the second terminal holding two green wires. The wiring diagram doesn't show it but I'm assuming that the terminal with the two wires go to the tach and voltage stabilizer and the single wire terminal to the brake light switch. Picture attached.

Appears that you got the brake light working so I would leave it be.   

 

[jbcollier]

The brake light switch is powered with a green wire.

[ezuskin]

There are the green with the pair of wires and then a black wire that was on the other terminal that was causing short. No one else touches my car so that mysterious black wire that I traced to the harness near the shifter has been providing power to brake lights for the 16 years I've been driving her. No continuity from black wire to either wire that go to brake switch though. Ran a pretty new green wire from fuse box to a tee that I made to bring power to the brake light switch and connector and another difficult to explain notation gets added to my wiring diagram.

[Grumblebuns]

Looks to be a PO "fix" in the past. At least you got the brake light wiring back to the stock color and I would totally remove that black wire.

[ezuskin]

All of the mysterious or known unused wires get tied in a knot at the end and taped if live. I had harness spread out on my basement floor when I did body off 8 or 9'years ago and checked all connectors, continuity and re wrapped with harness tape. So I know it fairly well.