In article <a05010403b6f5299c99ad@[192.168.1.100]>, Dan Buettner
<danb@thelittlemacshop.com> writes
>One thing that comes to mind is a poor electrical ground. This might
>explain why you're able to get things to work while the vehicle is
>moving - the vibration brings things into contact.
And with the state of the roads in Bedford, vibration is an
understatement.
>
>I would check the ground cable that goes from the dash to the body.
>I have a '77 1500, but I don't remember just where that wire is - I'm
>probably blocking it due to the extreme levels of frustration I've
>had with the wiring in that car.
You'd love mine - there are odd bits of wire hanging loose everywhere.
The previous owner fitted a very modern and very expensive sound system,
and it appears that he disconnected or re-routed almost everything else
whilst he was doing it (and still failed to cut the power to the radio
when the key was out of the ignition...) I'll have a look in the
Haynes Manual and see if it tells me where I might find this ground
cable.
>
>There are those who say that it should never be necessary to replace
>a wiring harness, and there are those who highly recommend it. I put
>myself squarely in the latter camp - if you're having ongoing,
>systemic wiring problems, you may well be better off with a whole new
>harness than trying to maintain the patchwork that these
>25-plus-year-old cars often become. I just think that after a
>quarter of a century of heating, cooling, vibration, flexing,
>oil-soaking, and other abuse, if the copper isn't cracked, the
>insulation is, and that's just as bad.
>
>However - often cheap, simple fixes work quite well, so try those first!
Thanks, I will. The thought of rewiring a car frightens me, but the
replacement harnesses for Spitfires seem very straightforward, and with
only three fuses, there can't be too many connections to make. If I
can't fix it any other way, I'll try a whole new harness <gulp>. I
also run a Saab 9000S that has the odd electrical problem - but with
something like 43 fuse connections there is no way I'm going to embark
on a similar exercise with that beast.
ATB
Mike
--
Michael Hargreave Mawson, author of "Eyewitness in the Crimea,"
published by Greenhill Books on 28th March, 2001:
http://www.greenhillbooks.com/booksheets/eyewitness_in_the_crimea.html
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