Sounds like you may have a short in the turn signal switch or the pigtail
that connects the switch to the harness. If you can release the contacts
in the connector that the turn signal switch plugs into (a jewler's screw
driver is what I use), disconnect all of the output leads from the switch
and try that. If the problem goes away, put one lead in at a time until
you fine the one with the problem.
You state that you put the harness in after most of the work was done. Was
this a new harness, or the old one? It is possible that there are shorts in
new harnesses, and old harnesses can develop shorts when insulation gets hard
and flakes off when it is bent.
If you find that the problem is in the harness there are ways to troubleshoot
this without cutting the harness open. You will need to identify the two
wires that are shorted together. One seems to be a ground wire and the other
one will be the wire that you put in at the switch that causes the ammeter
to deflect.
If the wires can be identified so that one is at one end of the harness and
the other is at the other end of the harness you can use a magnetic compass
to track the wire. Make a jig of a headlignt and enough clip leads to connect
it so that the light is between the battery and the shorted wire. Ground
the wire on the other side of the short. The headlight will come on. Now
run the compass along the harness and you will find a deviation of the needle
when it is over path of current flow. First feel the harness along the
current path to see if there is a warm spot. If there is, that is where the
short is. If not, get a can of freeze spray from your local electronics
parts house and spray the harness in sections. If there is enough resistance
in the short the frost from the spray will melt more quickly at the location
of the short. You might also just flex the harness all along the current
path and see if the headlight flickers.
Electrical shorts can be a real pain to find, but with care can be found and
repaired.
Good luck.
Peace,
Pat
--
- Support Habitat for Humanity, A "hand up", not a "hand out" -
Pat Horne, Network Manager, Shop Supervisor, Future planner
CS Dept, University of Texas, Austin, Tx. 78712 USA
voice (512)471-9517, fax (512)471-8885
|