no power goin to my lights

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mopar7172

mopar7172

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i finished wiring up my dart. no power at all. the tail lights and blinker lights don't work nor the wiper motor or dome light or side marker lights. do u think i have no ground or is it the wiring harness or starter relay? the starter won't turn over. i have a good battery.any advice would be nice
 
What year/ model is the car, and what did you use/ do to the wiring harness?

Exactly what sort of harness did you use?

"No" power is usually the most basic of problems, that is, easiest to find.

You have a shop manual? wiring diagram? meter/ test lamp/ clip leads?
 
Have you checked all of your fuses to make sure that none are blown?
 
mopar7172 said:
what do u mean by that?
Click to expand...

There is a wire in the wiring harness that acts like a fuse and blows/separates when it is overloaded. That is called a fuseable link. I was just going to suggest this.
 
It depends on the car. It will be shown in the service manual wiring diagrams.

If I remember correctly, on a-bodies it is between the harness coming out of the firewall and the starter relay.
 
It is in the middle rectangular plug that plugs in at the firewall. I was trying to find a pic but no luck.
 
When you find the fuseable link, feel down the length of it. If you feel a "soft spot" where you don't feel wire, that is your problem/blown wire. You will need to splice a new same gauge fuseable link wire in there to fix it properly. You should be able to get fuseable link wire at NAPA.
 
Also there is a ground strap that runs to the firewall or the wiper motor stud from the back of the engine block or head. Make sure it is there and the negative battery lead is bolted to the engine block or head.
 
Are you gettin power in to the fuse block?

Poke around with a test light to see.
 
krazykuda said:
Are you gettin power in to the fuse block?

Poke around with a test light to see.
Click to expand...
Yep, the fuseable link leads to the back off the fuseblock. There it has a female blade type terminal that plugs into a copper/brass male blade terminal. This terminal leads to all of the fuse locations. I would check for power there after you check the fuseable link.
 
mopar7172 said:
its a 71 dart used all the factory wiring
Click to expand...

You didn't answer --- you have a shop manual? wiring diagram? test lamp? meter?

Usable diagrams from "MyMopar:"

(These diagrams are not always complete or correct, but usually better than nothin)

http://www.mymopar.com/downloads/1971/71DartA.JPG

http://www.mymopar.com/downloads/1971/71DartB.JPG

which came from here:

http://www.mymopar.com/index.php?pid=31

You can download a 72 shop manual here for free:

(Look through the thread, there's a 71 wiring diagram there)

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=132309&highlight=manual,+download

Read this article, mostly for the simplified diagram:

http://www.madelectrical.com/electricaltech/amp-gauges.shtml

posted below:

As others posted, follow the diagram. The battery junctions at the "big stud" on the starter relay. From there a fuseable link takes off and feeds power INTO the interior of the car, represented by the red wire in the diagram. It then goes to the ammeter, through the ammeter, back OUT the bulkhead connector on the black charging wire, to the ammeter

Check with your light/ meter. IF you have power at the start relay "big stud" and NOT at the alternator output stud, the problem is between those two

Your top suspects are:

bad fuse link

bad connections in the bulkhead connector

bad/ loose connections at the ammeter, or something wrong with the ammter

(The ammeter MUST be hooked up or the wires hooked together to get power in the car)

might be a damaged "in harness" "welded splice" In the simplified diagram, that splice is taped up in the under --dash harness, to find it, untape the harness following the black ammeter wire (the only large black wire with a ring terminal)

amp-ga18.jpg
 
67Dart273 said:
You didn't answer --- you have a shop manual? wiring diagram? test lamp? meter?

Usable diagrams from "MyMopar:"

(These diagrams are not always complete or correct, but usually better than nothin)

http://www.mymopar.com/downloads/1971/71DartA.JPG

http://www.mymopar.com/downloads/1971/71DartB.JPG

which came from here:

http://www.mymopar.com/index.php?pid=31

You can download a 72 shop manual here for free:

(Look through the thread, there's a 71 wiring diagram there)

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=132309&highlight=manual,+download

Read this article, mostly for the simplified diagram:

http://www.madelectrical.com/electricaltech/amp-gauges.shtml

posted below:

As others posted, follow the diagram. The battery junctions at the "big stud" on the starter relay. From there a fuseable link takes off and feeds power INTO the interior of the car, represented by the red wire in the diagram. It then goes to the ammeter, through the ammeter, back OUT the bulkhead connector on the black charging wire, to the ammeter

Check with your light/ meter. IF you have power at the start relay "big stud" and NOT at the alternator output stud, the problem is between those two

Your top suspects are:

bad fuse link

bad connections in the bulkhead connector

bad/ loose connections at the ammeter, or something wrong with the ammter

(The ammeter MUST be hooked up or the wires hooked together to get power in the car)

might be a damaged "in harness" "welded splice" In the simplified diagram, that splice is taped up in the under --dash harness, to find it, untape the harness following the black ammeter wire (the only large black wire with a ring terminal)

amp-ga18.jpg
Click to expand...
i do have a shop manual and a wire tester that is it.
 
Have you checked the dimmer switch for power yet ? I have seen these do the same thing, No Light's!! Dimmer switch went south, NAPA has them.
 
memike said:
Have you checked the dimmer switch for power yet ? I have seen these do the same thing, No Light's!! Dimmer switch went south, NAPA has them.
Click to expand...

Mike, he's got a lot more "missing" that headlights. No wipers, etc.

Me'n the cat, 'tis mornin'
 
mopar7172 said:
did some testing today gettin power, gettin no power into the wiring main harnesss.
Click to expand...

I don't know what this means

You have power at the starter relay stud?

power where the fuse link goes into the bulkhead?

power at the ammeter terminals?

Power at the alternator output stud?

We can help but we need SPECIFICS to help ya.

AND if you have a shop manual, you have the answers right there. Get back in the wiring diagrams in section 8. Near the front of the diagrams will be a drawing of the layout of the bulkhead connector, which normally is labeled in alpha, not numerical. Then when you look at the wiring diagram, the connector will show which terminal the fuse line goes through.

The trouble with the "My Mopar" diagrams is that they are not always correct. BUT JUST as an example, open them up, posted above

http://www.mymopar.com/downloads/1971/71DartA.JPG

http://www.mymopar.com/downloads/1971/71DartB.JPG

On diagram "A", find the start relay near the battery near the top of the page. Follow the thick RED down the page, notice it is labeled "fusible link" and note that it goes to the bulkhead connector "J"

Now move about a 1/4" to the right and find "J" on the second half of the connector, which represents the INTERIOR half of the bulkhead connector. Follow that "RED" wire up and off to the very top right of the page

Now open up diagram "B" and see the RED coming in from the top LEFT of the page and notice that it goes directly to the ammeter.

Now if you go back to the "MAD electrical" diagram I posted, you can see that this diagram is pretty much the same thing.
 
mopar7172 said:
did some testing today gettin power, gettin no power into the wiring main harnesss.
Click to expand...

Bet the fuseable link is blown/burned through inside the insulation. Its hard to tell by just looking at it. You will need a sharp test light and probe it about 6 inches from the solenoid.
 
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