• Hi Guest!
    You can help ensure that British Car Forum (BCF) continues to provide a great place to engage in the British car hobby! If you find BCF a beneficial community, please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

Major Short on the 65

Share this page

HAN8L1965

HAN8L1965

Jedi Warrior
Offline
Well putting the dash together has created a major problem. I posted earlier today asking about what wires for the headlight went to what post on the dash switch. Bill suggested a wiring diagram and the numbers on the back of the switch. Well I went that way, turned it on and shortly there after I smelled the bad stuff. The double red wire was toast from behind the dash to the rear lights. The red wire going to the license light on the rear was melted along with just behind the dash at the switch. I checked all light wires according to the diagram and I seem to have everything connected properly???? I think I have a solid ground in the system front and back, I take it red is the hot wire can I run a new wire outside the loom or am I toast. Any suggestions regarding the frying?

Sad Day for Mark
 
Sorry I did'nt see your post in time. I learned the hard way to hook up a temporary fused cable between the battery post and the battery cable when doing a wiring job. Probably better split the loom to be sure you have'nt welded any wires together inside of it. Try the fuse trick till you get it sorted.
Good Luck!!
KA
 
Yeah Mark, I had a BE partially wired by DPO. I decided to finish the job. Smoke resulted before I came up with the fuse idea. All thats needed is a inline fuse holder with wire end under the cable clamp nut and a hose clamp on the wire on the battery post. I don't remember how big of a fuse I used but believe a ten amp would cover it. I went thru a box of them before I finally got it right.
Good luck again!!
KA
 
The red wire is the parking light wire, check the license plate lamp, the short may be there where the wires pass through the body or the lamp itself.
Also, with the wires running down the inner sill and up over the wheel hump to the back, they can fray behind the inner skeleton and short out.
Unplug the red wire from behind the dash where it runs to the tail lamps, that may isolate the problem.
 
Yes, I was just thinking that. If the wire overheated along its length, the short must be near the rear lights, not an incorrect connection in the dash.

Also a good lesson on why you might want to add fusing to the light circuits. Someday I'll do this, along with adding relays.

Good idea about the temporary fuse, too.
 
Thanks for the info guys that kinda of issolates it and doesn't make it look so major but still bad.

Mark
 
Back
Top