hey all, FINALLY got the 48 Hudson to run (albeit with a Chevy 250). Was jumping the solenoid to battery and she fired right up after a new set of points. Started to install the Speedway wiring harness I had bought last year and all was going fine until i blew a fuse on the panel - and now i get a weird issue. There harness gets it's power from the solenoid. I have 12.35 volts at the solenoid and the same at the key switch BAT terminal. The switch has continuity across all terminals (tested 2 swicthes to be sure and both check out fine). The first time I tried the switch it worked and the car fired off. Then all of a sudden the wires were hot and now I can't get anything to work. Checked all fuses, etc. The problem is that when I turn the key to IGN, ACC or START I get 0 volts to any of the terminals. I also get 0 volts at the BATT terminal as soon as I do this. I have only concentrated on getting the lights and ignition circuits going. So I do have numerous wires not connected anywhere. I am assuming I shorted something, just not sure where to begin to check? Thank you for any help.
sorry - should have mentioned that. i have a new neg cable going to the chassis and then a 2 gauge wire from the engine to the chassis.
You have power into switch - check You have no power out of switch - check Switch is bad. That's pointing at the switch as the accomplice at this point. What cooked the switch?
If your getting no volts at your battery terminal, you have to have a ground issue. Are you getting 12.5 volts across your battery? From neg to positive.? 3 grounds should be used http://www.hotrodwires.com/how-to-ground-automotive-electrical-system.html
Yep, I think you burned the ignition switch out. You said you had blown a fuse, but didn't say what fuse you blew (which circuit). If the ignition switch wasn't fused, it may well have gotten a spike that burned out the switch & blew the fuse at the same time.
I suspect that you do have a bad switch.... but losing the incoming power when you turn the key 'on' tells me you have a problem with the power feed from the solenoid. Check your connections and make sure you don't have a fusible link in that wire that's partially failed.
thank you all. To add a little clarity: I did NOT have a fusible link when i tested it initially (I should have and didn't realize I needed one) I do have one now - but have not tested to see if it has blown I have 12.5 or so across the battery, and the same volts at the solenoid AND at the power switch at the key The fuse that blew was the headlight switch. I had spliced the HeadlIght Power wire into an ACC power wire and wired to the ACC terminal on the switch. headlights were working. Ironically if i attached the ACC main power wire to the ACC switch, i get headlights. so power is going back through at least part of the harness. If I have continuity at the switch wouldn't that indicate the switch is good? I tried 2 switches - both tested fine for continuity and both get the same problems when turning the key - 0 volts to any terminal.
Let's back up a bit. With Key off you have POWER to the ignition switch on BATT terminal. ? With key ON You loose power to ignition switch BATT terminal? Is that correct?
Disconnect everything after the switch. Connect one thing, make sure it works right, connect the next thing check to make sure it works. Repeat as needed. One other thing--its against the law to put a lowly chevy 6 in a Mighty Hudson
"One other thing--its against the law to put a lowly chevy 6 in a Mighty Hudson " - i agree! but i don't have the coin for a rebuild so it's what it gets for now. Plus I threw aT5 behind it. The original 8 cyl sits in a covered garage - one day to be resurrected! I also did that 1 at a time approach. But there is literally 0 voltage getting to any terminals on the key switch once main power is connected. So i can't attached 1 thing at a time. I'm going to grab a new switch just for the hell of it. Might as well try.
I'm not sure why you would run the headlights though the ignition switch in the first place but you may want them to go on and off with the ign. That does throw that much extra load on the contacts in the ignition switch though. Do you have the main power feed to the ign switch going to the correct post? Not all (I'm assuming you have a universal switch) universal switches have the poles in exactly the same place. On some the Batt is the post out on the end and others that is the post for the starter. If it says sol and you have the power feed hooked to it that is why you are sol in getting it to work. Right now brand and part number of the ignition switch might help some of us figure out something that might help. Someone here probably knows that switch. Also go back and study the wiring diagram that came with the wiring kit, there should be a hot feed to the fuse block from the battery (or where you run that wire to) that feeds the fuses in the fuse block that don't go though the ignition. Headlights and tail lights are almost always run though that non switched circuit. Looking at this http://static.speedwaymotors.com/pdf/91064022instructions.pdf It looks like they run the main power feed from the battery (solenoid) to the fuse block and there is a power feed that is unfused that runs from the fuse block to the igniton switch. That's the 22 circuit kit. Or on the 12 circuit/fuse kit. There is a wire that runs to solenoid power and one that runs to alternator power and a separate one that runs off the fuse block to the switch for ignition power. http://static.speedwaymotors.com/pdf/9106401712circuitwiringkitinstructions.pdf You have to have your best decoder ring on to figure out either of those diagrams .
This thread reminds me, I got an excellent Halon fire extinguisher the other day, B-C rated for electrical and fuel fires.
yep - a fire extinguisher is a def must! PROGRESS! got the harness working again - i double checked all the connections in the engine bay. Had a loose one from the ballast to the coil. Also ground down the spot where the neg cable attaches to the frame. Now that that is better, the power wire to the battery got super hot in just a few seconds. Off to the next search "why are my wires hot".
A 'power lead' is short-circuiting to ground. Either a main wire (pos.+) is connected errantly to a direct ground or a switch or 'appliance' is grounded internally. Easy search, just a test light (best to have a volt meter also)
turns out the regulator was dead. Got a new one, rechecked all the wires and the hot wire problem seems to be better. Now to sort how to wire this damn aftermarket turn signal switch without the original diagram. But at least the car runs!
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