Maybe read this
It's good to learn Basic Automotive Electrical Theory
It's good to learn Basic Automotive Electrical Theory
Stop in for a cup of coffee
- Thread starter toolmanmike
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What are you lost on?
follow a line/circuit from the Battery, till you get what it is you are running, like the headlights.
dukeboy440
Well-Known Member
ok. im gonna be working from the fuse box to the end, so the fuse box to headlights. i'll just have to give it a go and see what happens.
So for this the fuse box is the Battery. A circuit just goes from the fuse box to the headlight. Goes thru two switches, the headlight switch and the dimmer switch. Both are in Matts circuit he posted. The battery powers the fuse box....And the headlights do not have a fuse. They have a circuit breaker in the headlight switch. Self resetting.
So, waiting? I dont know how long. Just got text cant make it.
Was coming back about 2-1/2 hours ago.
Whatever. Been putting around shop anyway.
I now have more than one square foot of workspace on my bench.
Was coming back about 2-1/2 hours ago.
Whatever. Been putting around shop anyway.
I now have more than one square foot of workspace on my bench.
That connection in your car, is a welded splice connection. You need to remove all the wrapping to see it. It is the wire coming from the Alt.
dukeboy440
Well-Known Member
yep, it melted on mine.
You see why? In the diagram?
My 69 Bee had that terminal melted a bit and it acted up occasionally. I could wiggle the harness going into the bulkhead and it would start. I finally just drilled the cavity out and ran a 10 gauge wire through. McGuiver'd the thing but it worked.
zkx14
Duster De-ruster
Definitely a mod that was worth doing. Really happy with my relays and Nighthawks. AND, that takes away a good bit of the juice going through he bulkhead to the gauge,
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dukeboy440
Well-Known Member
nope. i think it may have been due to the huge subs and amps the PO tried running. combined with the electronic ignition conversion over amping the system.
Fuse box is not the main distribution point.
Tim's trying to help you on two fronts. And he's right to do so.
Concept of electrical power.
Power is the combination of voltage and current.
Voltage is the potential to flow. There can be voltage even if there is no flow. For example when the engine is off, every wire attached to the battery psoitive has the same voltage. Go measure the voltage from ground to battery positive, and then ground to the alternator output stud (marked Bat). Both will be 12.5 Volts. It's like having a a well pump and water tank on the roof of your house. With all faucets closed and the pump off, there's pressure at the tank outlet.
Current is the amount of flow. Open the faucet in the sink and that pressure sends 5 gals per minute through the pipes into the sink, and from there to ground.
It wouldn't hurt to learn this stuff. Here's a Chrysler A/V about it
1963 Fundamentals of Electricity and Magnetism from The Master Technician Service Conference Series (Session 184)
The other part is how to read a wiring diagram.
Start at the high voltage source.
If the engine is running that's the alternator; if its not running then its the battery.
(Because the alternator output is regulated to roughly 14.5 Volts, and at best a battery will be 12.8 or so. (It will float a little higher but as soon as current flows its going to drop.)
Tim's explained how the lines represent wires and dots are connections.
and there's more here.
Electrical Wiring (Session 247) from the Master Technician's Service Conference
Nah, the Amplifiers yes, the other no. You can only run so many AMPS thru any given conductor/wire or device, connector/ switch. That connection was under engineered for about 35 AMPS. Which is a lot in 12 volt DC. Anything over that, and it over heats and causes Resistance, which in turn makes it get hotter and causes more resistance which gets hotter.......You get it? Review Ohms law..Ohms Law Calculator
This comes second nature to me, so it is harder to try to teach someone what it is I know. Just concentrate on a simple circuit first, then expand to more complex circuits. Like the horn circuit in the example I posted. It is best to understand an issue rather then just winging it the one time. AND maybe getting it work, but not understanding it.
dukeboy440
Well-Known Member
so basically I need to work from the battery to the end source?
What Tim said.
Chris if you need arrows to see the current flow, these diagrams may help.
Understanding Charging Systems with Ammeter:
Chris if you need arrows to see the current flow, these diagrams may help.
Understanding Charging Systems with Ammeter:
What's the battery voltage?
What's voltage does the car run at?
dukeboy440
Well-Known Member
ok, as i go through this thing, I will take pics and ask you all. I can see having to splice ends and such for this universal one to work until I track down a complete original harness
dukeboy440
Well-Known Member
12~
This is your first hurdle.
The engine runs at 14.2 Volts plus/minus .5 depending on temperature and load.
I wish I were there, you could learn a lot...And I bet I could as well from you.....
But follow the wires from the alternator output to the battery positive.
They both end up at the same place. The Main junction - usually a welded splice.
So for the subsytems you can start tracing from the main junction.
Several important systems never go through the fusebox.
A few circuits go through fuse box but not the start switch,
That's why starting at the fuse box could get confusing.
They both end up at the same place. The Main junction - usually a welded splice.
So for the subsytems you can start tracing from the main junction.
Several important systems never go through the fusebox.
A few circuits go through fuse box but not the start switch,
That's why starting at the fuse box could get confusing.
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