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tips on tracing wiring problems ?
Any tips or low cost tools that would help me trace wiring problems ?
For example, my brake lights work, but not the regular rear lights which are the same bulb. Under the crowded dash is basically a rats nest of wires, so I'm hoping some folks have some tips, techniques, or low cost tools that may help me figure this out. Thanks, George |
A long jumper cable with alligator clips at each end, and a multimeter can solve most problems.
The most common problems with lights on fiberglass bodied cars is bad ground connections. I'd check that first. |
What he said.
If the item used to work, at least you know it was wired correctly to start with. If it never worked, you may need to trace the wires and that can be more difficult. I've found wires that were clipped and wrapped in the wire loom that were never connected. That kind of thing is a bit more challenging to fix. Also, a wiring diagram is really helpful. Painless and Ron Francis wiring kits are pretty common and if you have one of those the diagrams are available. |
Wiring problems
Nearly all of the problems on my car stemmed from grounding problems. I even went so far as to remove all of the ground connections from the vehicle, clean them up, clean off the paint underneath, and re-attach using electrical joint compound. When I got the car, only the starter and ignition worked, well, kinda. Now everything works, no other repair needed. Amazing thing was that there were 15,000 miles on the car with it that way!!!!
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The ERA troubleshooting guide:
http://www.erareplicas.com/427man/wiring/wprimer.pdf |
The ERA troubleshooting guide:
http://www.erareplicas.com/427man/wiring/wprimer.pdf |
Another bad ground vote. I made some jumpers that went straight from the battery ground to the cockpit and solved my broken directional light problem in about a third of a beer...
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Thanks Gents, very helpful info.. George
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If both your brake lights don't work, I would look for the activation switch that is related to the brake pedal. Could be a simple button switch located on or near the brake pedal that is activated when you depress the brake or an in line pressure switch with two wires. Of course you should test the bulbs first and also the ground to the bulb sockets.
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Go to your local parts store and buy a 12v test light for under $10. It looks like an icepick with a wire coming out of the handle. With the clip on the wire clipped onto a known ground, you can use the pointed end to test for the presence or absence of voltage to any point in a circuit. It will be a handy tool to have around if you pull a boat, too.
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