who will come to my home and sort out this wiring problem. I am not asking for free help. I have somewhere around 80 hours into this with no result. I live in San Francisco. Any leads to someone in this area that could actually fix this would be appreciated.
Too far away to swing by and help, but what's your problem? We may be able to assist, even from a distance. Basic stuff to check - make sure the ground is good. Make sure the battery is charged. Make sure the polarity (+ and -) is correct. Past that, just give specifics as to what is not working correctly.
I do a couple of full wiring harnesses a year, shoot me a pm about the brand, i can probably help you out... To start with, 6 volt/12 volt, what motor, 1 wire/2 wire alternator, or generator? Some companies cross up wires in certain places, and to my knowledge there is no such thing as a plug and play wiring harness (despite what they all say). Like i said feel free to shoot me a pm and we can talk specifics about brand an not unintentionally bash anyone...
Wish I was nearby. It maybe takes me longer, but I can usually get it figured out...most times I get where you are at....done.... from dead ends. smoke from H/L switch. All i can say without seeing the lighting fuse circuits... I would have to be looking at wrong wiring to the headlights? On most older cars, headlight sealed beams were not on conventional fuses; they were only protected from burned wires, due to a crash, by the fusible link inside the H/L switch. If there are no helpers from local hambers, and if you know there are no fuses on the headlights themselves, I'd look at the headlight socket wire pattern.
Dang 'mon you are in the Bay Area, some of the smartest car folks on the west coast are at your door step .... your asking for a recommendation when the answer is as close as your phone. Shouldnt have any problem getting your problem solved considering the location. I'd help if I was closer.
Sorry, this is like a train wreck across the street, I can't not look it it. My can may never get wires. Bob
Tough night, eh Bob? 2 different burned car threads, plus a smoking headlight switch thread, all on page one..
I know how frustrating it can be. Sometimes you just have to turn out the lights and go do something else for a while. Or a day or two. Or longer. Clear your head- change the subject, etc. It's probably something real simple. Good luck- most of us have been there or somewhere like it.
How many circuits does the harness have? You really have to trace them one by one. I like the idea of something fusible between the ground and battery myself. I've made something up in a pinch with an old fuse block before. That'll pop before something else does, or does again. There has to be a dead short somewhere. You should have gotten a schematic with the harness. Time to hone up on your test light & schematic reading skills! Hppefully there is someone close by that can take a look at it, nothing like fresh eyes on a problem. Bob
If I was only closer, I just put that same harness in the J. Someone needs to get over there and help him out, he needs to get that truck on the road !
When the smoke came out, there's a good chance that you cooked the switch. Time for a new switch, no matter what you decide to do next. But the fact that the smoke came out does tell a couple important things - first, the battery is good. Second, power is making to the switch. When the smoke comes out, that's an indication that you lack a proper load in the electrical system. Since this is a lighting circuit, I would imagine that there is a wiring issue around the headlight somewhere - likely at the wiring connections in the back of the bulb.
If this was a house fire and a 2x4 was smoking, I'd replace it, what would most people do with a melted wire?
I'm suspecting the dome light/switch. Wire it wrong & the HL switch will be toast (reostat) Some dome lights switch the 12v, some switch ground.
Did it smoke when you hooked the battery up or when you operated the switch? Disconnect the battery, pull all bulbs out (including dash lights), unplug the headlights, get an ohms tester and see which wire going to the headlight switch is still grounded.
I"m thinking this is a "visual" trouble shooting project and your frustration level is going to be greatly reduced if you just chum up to someone local, and experienced, and let him look at it. It could be the simplist thing that can only be found by "hands-on". Good luck.
Wiring a non computer car is simple. I wired a car when I was sixteen. People make it hard because they hear other people complain. I did not have problems when I was sixteen because I did not know it was suppose to be hard. I knew I wanted ignition, headlights, dash lights, horn, brake lights, generator, starter amp gauge, voltage regulator and wipers. I needed to feed the power through a fuse, a switch and to the appliance. Pretty darn simple. I figured to use different colors for different appliances. I got a soldering gun and terminals and proceeded. No custom built harnesses for this kid. I don't think they existed back then. I look at the wiring on new cars today and wonder what are these people thinking. I would not buy a wiring harness today for a hot rod. I still use a rotatory dial phone too. I enjoyed wiring the car. No turn signals or radio but they could be added later. I just went one item at a time and kind of decide what was the best route for the wires. I think I used a generic wiring diagram out of a HOT ROD MAGAZINE.
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