We also have 6 FREE online troubleshooting guides at Barganspot, see link below.

If you have a mid to late 1960’s Cougar Thunderbird or Mustang with sequencing tail lights you might be wondering how do owners keep them functioning? If you have ever looked or tried to troubleshoot them then you know they are complicated. These tail light systems have numerous connectors; flasher motors, and relays everywhere. Not only that, Ford was inconsistent in there design from year to year. That’s right, every year since their introduction in 1965, Ford often changed the design through the years: Supposedly to make them better. In fact in 1968 Ford changed the Thunderbird turn signal system at least four times during the production year. When they came up with a new idea they changed them and not with year model, but randomly. This means you could have a 1967 thunderbird with the 1966 sequential system until a certain date when they changed to a the 1967 system. The same applies to the Cougar systems. Here are some of the changes.

Cougars

Ford made a change in there systems on January 3rd 1967. They did away with the Stop Lamp Relay.
1967 built before January 3rd 1967 has a Stop Lamp Relay.
1967 built after January 3rd 1967 do not have a Stop Lamp Relay.
1968 to 1973 do not have a Stop Lamp Relay.

Another change was made for the 1968 model: A wiring change.
It has a different wiring harness than earlier models.

Ford made a major change in there systems between years 1968 and 1969. They did away with the Sequential Flasher, Directional Relay and Emergency Relay. They replaced it with a solid-state electronic flasher completely different than the previous years. The flasher can under the dash also changed at this time.

Note: The flasher cans you can buy today for the post 1968 models have problems with timing even though they are brand new and the parts catalogs call out for that number. They either stay on to long or not long enough. You have to find someone who sells an after market flasher can that has correct timing. Cougars Unlimited has them.

Thunderbirds

Ford made a change in there systems on January 3rd 1967. They did away with the Stop Lamp Relay.
1965 and 66 has a Stop Lamp Relay.
1967 built before January 16th 1967 has a Stop Lamp Relay.
1967 built after January 15th 1967 do not have a Stop Lamp Relay.
1968 to 1971 do not have a Stop Lamp Relay.

Another change was made on November 17th 1965: A wiring change.
1966 made before November 17th 1965 has a different wiring harness than the 1966 made after November 16th 1965.

Another change was made on January 16th 1967: A wiring change.
1967 made before January 16th 1965 has a different wiring harness than the 1967 made after January 15th 1965.

The sequencer and Directional relay located in the trunk of the 1968 Thunderbird are all in fact identical with the exception of the wiring configuration of the connector coming out of them to match up to the five different wiring harness. This is why you hear about thunderbird owners plugging in sequencers that make there lights flash incorrectly even though that sequencer is the correct one for a 68 thunderbird. Just not the correct 68 Thunderbird. I do not have the exact specifics on the wiring changes but Cougars Unlimited seems to have figured it out.

How do I find out what configuration is my thunderbird.

Answer:

First you need to know if your 1968 Thunderbird came with Auxiliary Stop Lamp Option. This option provided taillights on each side of the rear widow. Just look into your rear window and see if you have these lights or not. You might check for wires in that they could have been taken out.

Second you need to know when your 1968 thunderbird was manufactured during the production year. The production year starts in late 1967 and to the end of 1968. So it is possible that your 1968 Thunderbird could have been manufactured in 1967. The date of manufacture is embedded in the VIN number. You will have to come up with a chart that converts the code to a date.

System 1    Was made before 11/6/1967 and came with the Auxiliary Stop Lamp Option.

System 2    Was made after 11/6/1967 and came with the Auxiliary Stop Lamp Option.

System 3    Was made before 11/6/1967    No Auxiliary Stop Lamp Option.

System 4    Was made after 11/6/1967 and before 5/1/1968   No Auxiliary Stop Lamp Option.

System 5    Was made after 5/1/1967    No Auxiliary Stop Lamp Option.

Ford made a major change in there systems between years 1968 and 1969. They did away with the Sequential Flasher, Directional Relay and Emergency Relay. They replaced it with a solid-state electronic flasher completely different than the previous years. The flasher can under the dash also changed at this time.

Note: The flasher cans you can buy today for the post 1968 models have problems with timing even though they are brand new and the parts catalogs call out for that number. They either stay on to long or not long enough. You have to find someone who sells an after market flasher can that has correct timing. Cougars Unlimited has them.

So what do you do? Well in the 1970’s when Vic Yarberry became a Cougar enthusiast he became interested in the sequential turn signal systems when he was restoring one of his many mid 60’s cougars. The problem was getting turn signal parts. The only ones available were the original ford parts that were prone to failure and wore out quickly. Over the years these parts have become hard to find. Vic, being an electronic engineer, decided to make his own replacement parts. He researched the system and quickly came up with a solution that did away with the noisy motor and designed a system that did the sequencing electronically: A much more reliable system. Vic also became the president of the local New Mexico Cougar Club. When word got out that he had come up with replacement parts for turn signals he was bombarded with requests to make them available. He soon discovered all the problems and changes that Ford made over the years and put all this information together so he could build the correct version for each year and model. Thus started “Cougars Unlimited”.

Cougars Unlimited is now a manufacturer located in Albuquerque New Mexico. They build exclusively Sequential Turn signal systems for mid to late 60’s Cougar, Thunderbird and Mustang. They now have a line of 32 different items to choose from. The only thing you need to know is the date of manufacture of your car. These kits are all after market and come with a 2-year warranty. The individual parts are available for the sequential flasher, directional relay and the emergency and stop lamp relays but Cougars Unlimited recommend their latest kits now available that combine all four of these parts into one unit. All kits are made for easy installation with matching connectors and color codes. They bolt directly to the rubber pad in the trunk. A complete wiring diagram, installation instructions and trouble shooting guide come with all kits. Many other parts are also available.

Note: Even though Cougars Unlimited will not troubleshoot your problem, they do include a troubleshooting guide with their kits.

All Cougars Unlimited parts can be purchased on ebay at

“http://stores.ebay.com/Barganspot”. 

We also have 6 FREE online troubleshooting guides.