All lights Dead

[Meangene83]

1973 Plymouth Roadrunner
383 engine

The ignition harness was roached... So I got some Molex connectors and wired them in as a replacement.
2 separate connectors of totalling 8 Connections. (just like the orig)

I wired it up exactly as it was before... except the Blue striped and Double Blue Striped. Before replacement they were twisted together and going into same point on the harness. Based on my wiring diagrams, these two 22Gauge blue wires are for "key buzzer"?

NOT PICTURED. A PINK Wire is spliced to the RED (battery?) wire on the harness. Off camera
What is this PINK WIRE?

What happened is this... added new molex connectors... Fired up the engine... Turned on headlights, and noticed the Dash Gauge lights were Super Bright, where as before they were very Dim.
As I rev'd the engine a couple times the brightness seemed to fluctuate with the engine rev.
Then... DEAD. No gauge lights, no head lights, no tail lights, no blinkers. No flashers.
All of these items Worked BEFORE the molex connector swap.
(Note: the dash gauge indicator for both Blinkers was blinking, and I could hear the Flasher Clicker.)
Also if I stomp the Headlight switch on the floor by the brake, the Dash Indicator light comes on/off in sync)

I then broke out my tester, I figured I blew a fuse.
I checked each fuse (SEE VIDEO)

#5 NEVER SHOWED ANY POWER. (engine running, or engine off with key in full forward position)

#2-3-4 showed VERY BRIGHT
#6-7-8 showed very dim with the tester.

Does this matter???

I tried to identify with my Plymouth Manual the Fuse #'s, but the book didn't seem to match up to what I had physically in front of me.

Basically I need some help with where I should look. I have no experience with old Mopars but am quick to learn. Thank you for the help...

VIDEO
http://youtu.be/ngvrGjEq9l4

 

[67 coronet]

start with checking in and out voltage at headlight switch and turn switch.you should be able to see which wires to check from your diagram.back track from there.did you install a fusable link or fuse the main circuit when you rewired?without that safety point you can burn up many items with a short.

 

[Meangene83]

"Fuse the main circuit" -- ???? Layman's terms..
Do you mean the Red (battery wire) on the ignition harness.

Fusible link?
This is a plastic male / female connector of sorts, with a fuse in the between? Sort of an in-line fuse.


---

One more separate thing.... This PINK wire is bothering me.
here is a pic of how the Pink wire is married to the RED wire

The Pink and Red are together. (note- in this pic I bypassed the Old Roached harness.

When I re-wired the new Molex connectors, I left the PINK disconnected. Someone here stated in a previous thread that the PINK was for the Emergency Flashers.

With this pink DISCONNECTED - Car would not turn over turning the key forward.

I feel like this PINK wire (if it is for E-flashers) should not be needed to get the car started.
As of right now... it is needed to start the car.

I am feeling like I may need to look at the connections behind the steering wheel and see what is what.
This car used to be a COLUMN SHIFT and was converted to a Floor Console Shift. Maybe someone re-wired at that point?

Thanks again.

 

[nm9stheham]

Pink is normally the power feed into the brake light switch and comes from the fuse panel. It should have power even with the key OFF. That comes from a fuse that has power all the time which also feeds the hazard flasher and some other lights like the dome light on another pink wire. Another pink wire feed power to the wiper switch connector, but that has power only with the key in RUN. So you will have to trace that pink wire and see where it leads.

Headlights are fed direct from the harness and does not go through the fuse panel. The instument lights feed out of the headlight switch and then to the 'Instrument' fuse on a tan wire, and then feed back out of the fuse panel to various dash and related instruemnt lights on orange wires.

That power feed to the headlight switch is a black with tracer to the headlight switch connector and comes from what is called a welded splice in the harness. It will be taped up and 4-5 wires coming together. 2 will be the large black wires that come from the alternator through the bulkhead connector and then head on to the ammeter. The red wire to the ignition switch also feeds from this harness splice, as well as a wire that feeds 3 of the fuses.

It almost sound like your igntion switch is dead/open; this would explain why you don't have real power to the 3 fuses that are together. One of these fuses feed to the blower switch on a black with trace wire, so if the blower does not work with the ignition switch in RUN and the heat seelctor button or lever selected, then it sounds like the ignition switch is not working right. That ignition feed to those 3 fuses also feed the turn signal flasher, so that would explain the loss of turn signals.

But that would not explain why the headlights and tailights do not work.

Has this car had some 'wire butchery' before?

I would be worried that the very bright instrument lights and the lights getting brighter with engine revs means that the voltage regulator (VR) is not seeing the proper voltage to it, and is commanding the alternator to full blown uncontrolled output, and you had a resulting overvoltage situation that blew some stuff. If the ignition switch or its feed connections on the blue wire out through the bulkhead connectors has any corrosion anywhere (switch, wires, connections), that will cause this exact problem. I would disconnect the small blue and green wires from the back of the alternator to disable the alternator) as I troubleshot the other issues, and run the car just off of the battery for now. You wil need a voltmeter, not a test light, to troubleshoot voltagea drop problems to the VR.

 

[Meangene83]

It almost sound like your igntion switch is dead/open; this would explain why you don't have real power to the 3 fuses that are together. One of these fuses feed to the blower switch on a black with trace wire, so if the blower does not work with the ignition switch in RUN and the heat seelctor button or lever selected, then it sounds like the ignition switch is not working right. That ignition feed to those 3 fuses also feed the turn signal flasher, so that would explain the loss of turn signals.

This part about the blower/heat not working with the ignition switch in RUN is true!
I have no blower motor control, the other day I traced the wiring from the blower motor to the controls. All looked good. Just had no power, and was going to pick it up later.

And YES, the car has some serious wiring butchery.


I am going to read and re-read your description because I can definitely tell the answer is in there somewhere in your analysis. Thank you for detailing that out.

So if we talk more about the Ignition switch being dead/open?
Should I look at the physical connections in the Column - at the switch?

- - - Updated - - -

And to answer a previous Questions, Is there a fusible link?
I ran outside and check the starter relay, and yes there is a fusbile link. I googled what they looked like on a mopar and compared it to the one under my hood.

 

[nm9stheham]

If the fusible link opens, everything is dead everywhere. With power on part of the fuse block, that is not it.... unless the prior butchery bypassed it to part of the fuse block. But I am doubtful at this point.

The ignition switches commonly go bad. So it might be time to go get a new one. Also check the connections direct to the switch itself.

 

[Meangene83]

So the fact that the PINK wire is currently part of the Ignition/Start/Run wiring? Could mean the prior owner re-wired it at the ignition to "get it working".

The guy before we was a bit of a goof, and everything I find that was done to the car... always is kinda *** backwards of jerry rigged.

I dont know much, but I know when something isnt done right.

thanks again.

 

[Meangene83]

I figured out what I did wrong.

Inside the cabin, under the dash, the numbered 16 pass thru in the bulkhead was bypassed.
so I went straight from battery power to the harness connector to the ignition switch.

short of it is, I bypassed the whole harness under the dash.

from battery, to ignition red wire for battery power.

so now knowing what I did wrong.
and the fact that my headlights are still
not working after routing the connection from battery, thru the harness and up to the ignition switch.
What do you think I fried?

voltage reg?
headlight bulbs themselves?
thr fusible link at the relay looks ok. Are there others?

as of now. No dash lights. No flashers. No headlights or high beams.
no brakes or blinkers.

i F'd myself royally... Haha

- - - Updated - - -

I just tested power at the brake pedal switch itself.
boom, had power.
i then went to the lights themselves. Took off the covers and BOOM Dead bulbs.
replaced and they work a-ok, along with the blinkers. Makes sense because the blinker and brake lights are tied together?

headlights still don't work.

i guess I BLEW them up too?

going to tear out the dash lights next and check the filaments...

 

[nm9stheham]

Well, the only likely way to blow up all those lights is to have excess voltage in the system. So somehow the wiring to the VR and alternator got wrong voltages on them and the alternator went to and stayed at full tilt output. I would suspect the main ignition output to the ignition system and to the VR power on the blue wire out in the engine compartment had low voltage; it was enough to run the ignition but with a low voltage there, the VR will think it needs to force the alternator to a higher output voltage.

You need to check this path from the ignition switch through the bulkhead connections for corrosion. At this point, you are going to need a voltmeter so I strongly urge you to go get one. As before: I would disconnect the small blue and green wires from the back of the alternator to disable the alternator as I troubleshot the other issues, and run the car just off of the battery for now. You need to troubleshoot a likely voltage drop problems to the VR.

The headlight siwtch has a circuit breaker inside. It ususally automatically resets itself. If you have any instrument lights and parking lights, you are at least getting power to the headlight switch. Check the wire from the headlight swtich to the floor dimmer with the headlight switch ON to see if you are getting headlight power out of the switch.

BTW when you say 'boom' in your posts, do you mean you are running across and setting off small packets of explosives in your harness? If so, yes that PO WAS really goofy..... :grin: