Electrical

[BadBird]

I know everyone is so busy and there just aren't enough open spots for all of us to get tech days, so I keep asking for help with things on the forum that probably seem stupid. I am trying to get my under dash electrical hooked up and I bought a E-Z wiring harness. Might be easy for some but not for someone as electrically dense as I am.
If someone has used one of these harnesses on a 64 or if you are electrically savvy I would sure appreciate some help. If you feel like you can help I will attach copies of my schematics and pictures of the parts that just don't make sense.
Also went down to the Cruise Colby area today. Rainy and didn't spend a whole lot of time. Going back tomorrow and hope the weather is better. Larry

[Jeff W]

Larry - I have not used an EZ or even rewired a complete car.. but keep the questions posting and we will collectively get you through this.

This will also keep a record for the next guy needing those same questions answered.

[BadBird]

Jeff, I appreciate that. I think this may provide a good lessons learned spot for future usage. I am going to start off using this to post some of the parts I have completed. Then go on to what I don't understand. The E-Z Wiring harness is divided into three segments. 1).
Front which encapsulates the engine bay and all front lights, etc. 2). The Rear Segment and 3) the Under Dash Segment.
I am going to show in this post what I did for the rear segment then attach additional posts to show the other segments. The attachment shows how I hooked it up. REMEMBER>>>nothing I have done is tested yet. So there may still be problems. Which I will identify when I fire this monster up.

[BadBird]

This post will document the "Front Section" but will not include the engine portion. That will come in another post.

[BadBird]

For the engine bay I am going to attach the page out of the E-Z wiring directions.

[BadBird]

This attachment is going to show under dash wires with explanations of where I believe the wires should go. Please scrutinize and comment please.

[BadBird]

This attachment is the notes affected by the light switch issues. Please let me know if you see anything.

[BadBird]

Now for the stuff I don't understand at all. This attachment lists the wires that are under dash and I really need help with. Larry

[BadBird]

Attachments are copies of pages 15-7 and 15-16 out of the 1964 Falcon/Comet book.

[BadBird]

If looking at this post to help me figure out the wiring you will need to review several of the previous posts to see how I have broken up the E-Z wiring installations in segments. If you have ideas concerning the question page please let me know. Thanks Larry.

[Luva65wagon]

All looks pretty straight forward to me. :p

Actually, I think you may just be trying to look at the whole rather than the one. Break it down to one item at a time. Get your wires to all the right places and do one item at a time and only concentrate on one at a time.

All of the wires are marked where they go, as you see (and as you have them drawn). The item (light, motor, sender) is either grounded itself, which means it is the terminating end -- juice flows to it, through it, then to ground -- it works; an example of his would be a gauge; or juice flows to a switch first (from the fuse box), and then juice flows from the switch to the part it powers, and again the part is grounded and -- it works.

The complexity comes when the switch has more than one function; like the headlight switch, which might have one input of power, but feeds other things depending on the way you twist or pull the switch. Or the turn signal switch, which also junctions to the brake circuit so when you apply brakes the turn signal will still flash even though the filament for the brake light is also the filament for the turn signal. The brake light switch goes through the turn signal so it will bypass the brake juice path through the flasher.

Yes, it can be very confusing -- but think small. Think a flashlight battery. Think circular. The juice flows from the positive, through a switch, then to a bulb, back to ground. Close the switch, juice flows. Open the switch, it stops.

Now think a battery goes to a two-pole switch, then tees to two bulbs, the bulbs to ground. Here's you brake-light path (ignoring, for now the turn-signal switch path).

Insert the turn signal switch and instead of a tee, you have another switch, which is sort of a switching tee. Essentially now you have two switches, one that closes the path between the battery (the brake light switch) to both bulbs (as noted above), but now we add another switch (the turn signal switch) that opens this path to the bulb you want to flash and instead passed it through the flasher on that feed (you always have two wires from the turn signal switch to the brake/turn bulbs, though only one from the brake light switch). And the light instead flashes.

A third brake light has a feed that totally bypasses the turn signal circuit and goes directly from the brake pedal switch (meaning there are two wires on the same terminal of this switch, one to the turn signal switch and the other to the 3rd brake light) and the other side of the switch goes to the battery (through the fuse-box, of course).

The fuse box, of course is, on newer cars, very close to the battery. On our cars they really had a lot of wires at potential, meaning they had no fuse for about 5 or 6 feet of wire. If the wire grounded anywhere in this battery to fuse box path -- the wire would fry... or try to turn into a light bulb. And usually fry any wire close to it and make one big ugly mess. Hence the need for grommets in any hole a wire passes through. Any wires feeding mid 70's- to current cars with fuse boxes under the dash use either a circuit breaker or a fusable link between the fuse box and the battery. These are designed to act like fuses, but with much higher ratings.

So, that's another lesson in wiring. Maybe it helps.

Doing all I can to confuse even myself at times. [thumb]

[Jeff W]

I would email the page marked "under dash stuff" to EZ and see what they advise. I have heard good things about their tech support.

Everything else you have written makes sense to me.

Here is a link to Falconparts.com for the switch on the tranny. I would use this for the Neutral and the back-up lights.

http://falconparts.com/1960-1970+NEUTRAL+SAFETY+SWITCH+-+C-4+AUTOMATIC+ONLY.html

It's expensive @ $80- I pulled mine from a clunker at the Pull-a-Part for something like $5 - they were on many cars so pick a clean one if you want used.

[Luva65wagon]

RockAuto has them too, much cheaper, and are Motorcraft parts:

http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/raframecatalog.php?carcode=1332313&parttype=4584

[BadBird]

Well, I got the brake switch hooked up. When I saw the picture of the neutral safety switch you sent I remembered that when I bought the newer year C4 transmission it had a part on it with wires. Don't know what I couldn't remember that until I saw the picture. Age, I guess.
Cleaned that switch up and will start trying to figure out how it goes in. If you have installed one before I would appreciate directions. Thanks

[Jeff W]

Instalation of the C4 switch - I have not installed mine yet but here is a link with step by step:

http://www.buildacar.com/images/NS450-INST.pdf

Note this statement :NERVOUS:

Caution: Exercise care when tightening the nut, if over tightened, the switch will be damaged.

[BadBird]

WEll, I ran a OHM check and it was at .04 and decided to hook up the battery cable. Blew one fuse. The dome light fuse because I forgot to hook up the dome light and the wire was shorted against structure. Fixed that and tried again. Haven't checked all systems yet. The radio, dome light, cig lighter, heater motor, wiper motor, backup lights (with dash mounted switch) all work ok. But, the headlights, running lights and dash lights do not work. I am sure it is because of how I wired the light switch. It is the one thing that was never clear to me.
Guess it's back to the drawing board on the light switch.

[BadBird]

Update on electrical. Roger kindly came by and helped me figure out a major problem I was having getting the lights to work. Found that one of the terminals that I didn't think needed to be hooked up happened to be the main power terminal. That might explain why it didn't work!! Re-wired the switch and now the headlights are working. Brake lights are still a issue but moving forward step by step. Thanks a bunch Roger.

[Luva65wagon]

No sweat. I still suspect until the turn-signals are connected, the brakes may not work.

Now if I can just figure out my electrical (new one-wire alternator) problem.

[Jeff W]

My 63 has the brake lights running back into the steering column and through the turn signal switch. I suspect Roger is correct and you will be fine.

[BadBird]

Think I have all the electrical to all the parts of the car working. Still haven't turned the key to start yet so everything may go up in sparks. But my son remedied my brake lights and other quirky problems.

I had the steering column wires all screwed up. I used the schematic that came with the steering column but that wasn't correct. So, now the horn, turn signals, brake lights, hazard lights, dome light, trunk light and instruments lights all work when they are supposed to. Hallelujah!!!!!!!! Larry