Trunk light

[Stormy]

Will a 1963 Avanti trunk light operate without having head lights turned on ?  Knowing this will help me in fixing a trunk light that doesn't come on when the lid is lifted and car is not on . 

[mfg]

Yes it will..........The trunk light works off of a 'mercury' switch completely independent of the head lights.

[Stormy]

Thank you.  I guess I'll start with the bulb.  Boy, it's hard for a 6'5" person like me to get into that area to work.  Daryl

[mfg]

25 minutes ago, Stormy said:

Thank you.  I guess I'll start with the bulb.  Boy, it's hard for a 6'5" person like me to get into that area to work.  Daryl

Must be even tougher getting under the dashboard!!

[Mel]

Per the wiring diagram, the fuse for the trunk lamp is the same as for the front courtesy lamp and the two back seat dome lamps -- i.e., if those, or any one of them, is working that fuse is good and you should be getting power to the mercury switch.  Further, make sure your ground return from the trunk lamp is good.  With the fiberglass bodies, ground returns can be a problem.

[Jolly-John]

The mercury switch that operates the trunk light is prone to failure after all these years. I believe it's something about the make-up of a mercury switch itself, since I've also had the mercury trunk light switches on older Buicks and other GM cars go bad, as well. On the older Buicks, it's actually "rare" to find an original one that still operates.

Due to the prohibition on mercury use these days (now gone from thermometers and residential heating system thermostats), I don't have a suggestion for a replacement switch. Perhaps someone on the forum will. John

[Gunslinger]

Nostalgic Motors carries replacement Mercury switches...they don't match the original in appearance but they work.