Minor electrical issues
Thread Starter
5th Gear
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
Minor electrical issues
I am still working on getting a few minor things straightened out in my 66. Three questions for electrical gurus:
1. i have found a light blue wire that terminates in what i think is a condensor (silver cylinder about 2 inches long). It has a side plate with a screw hole. It looks like this attaches or grounds to something? Can anybody tell me what this is for? I can't find it on any wiring diagrams or harness pictures.
2. i have a brown wire with a female connector on end (with plastic shielding) with no home. I think it might connect to radio capacitor? But i have not found any place this could connect to in my car. I DO have the radio noise reduction capacitor located near the brake light switch connected properly.
3. I have re-installed the cigar lighter and ignition bulbs in the cluster, but don't seem to get any illumination. The other bulbs all function (the ones with grey wires), so i think i am ok ground wise. Any ideas? How much illumination can i expect from these bulbs anyway. There isn't alot to "light up" it seems to me.
Any suggestions are much appreciated.
1. i have found a light blue wire that terminates in what i think is a condensor (silver cylinder about 2 inches long). It has a side plate with a screw hole. It looks like this attaches or grounds to something? Can anybody tell me what this is for? I can't find it on any wiring diagrams or harness pictures.
2. i have a brown wire with a female connector on end (with plastic shielding) with no home. I think it might connect to radio capacitor? But i have not found any place this could connect to in my car. I DO have the radio noise reduction capacitor located near the brake light switch connected properly.
3. I have re-installed the cigar lighter and ignition bulbs in the cluster, but don't seem to get any illumination. The other bulbs all function (the ones with grey wires), so i think i am ok ground wise. Any ideas? How much illumination can i expect from these bulbs anyway. There isn't alot to "light up" it seems to me.
Any suggestions are much appreciated.
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 38,897
Likes: 1,926
From: Washington Michigan
I am still working on getting a few minor things straightened out in my 66. Three questions for electrical gurus:
1. i have found a light blue wire that terminates in what i think is a condensor (silver cylinder about 2 inches long). It has a side plate with a screw hole. It looks like this attaches or grounds to something? Can anybody tell me what this is for? I can't find it on any wiring diagrams or harness pictures.
2. i have a brown wire with a female connector on end (with plastic shielding) with no home. I think it might connect to radio capacitor? But i have not found any place this could connect to in my car. I DO have the radio noise reduction capacitor located near the brake light switch connected properly.
3. I have re-installed the cigar lighter and ignition bulbs in the cluster, but don't seem to get any illumination. The other bulbs all function (the ones with grey wires), so i think i am ok ground wise. Any ideas? How much illumination can i expect from these bulbs anyway. There isn't alot to "light up" it seems to me.
Any suggestions are much appreciated.
1. i have found a light blue wire that terminates in what i think is a condensor (silver cylinder about 2 inches long). It has a side plate with a screw hole. It looks like this attaches or grounds to something? Can anybody tell me what this is for? I can't find it on any wiring diagrams or harness pictures.
2. i have a brown wire with a female connector on end (with plastic shielding) with no home. I think it might connect to radio capacitor? But i have not found any place this could connect to in my car. I DO have the radio noise reduction capacitor located near the brake light switch connected properly.
3. I have re-installed the cigar lighter and ignition bulbs in the cluster, but don't seem to get any illumination. The other bulbs all function (the ones with grey wires), so i think i am ok ground wise. Any ideas? How much illumination can i expect from these bulbs anyway. There isn't alot to "light up" it seems to me.
Any suggestions are much appreciated.
2. That brown wire connects to the radio capacitor that's located adjacent to the ignition switch (and it's "hot" any time the key is "on").
3. Those two bulbs should light with all the other gray-wire bulbs if the cluster is grounded; do you have the black ground wire in the harness connected to the ground spade lug just above the tachometer on the back of the cluster?
Thread Starter
5th Gear
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
Thanks JohnZ, i got the ignition switch bulb to light, so all of my grey wire bulbs light, except the cigar lighter bulb, which i have not replaced yet.
There is no radio capacitor next to the ignition switch in my car, but i am not going to worry about it, it does not seem to adversely affect anythign else.
But i have one additional problem. I bought a new switch for my glove box courtesy light. When i hook up the orange wire and try to secure the switch in the metal hole in the glove box, i get sparks and a blown fuse. Since my cluster lights are almost all working, i am confident that ground is good. I also checked the ground from the radio connector to the Z bar and that is good. Any ideas what is going wrong?
There is no radio capacitor next to the ignition switch in my car, but i am not going to worry about it, it does not seem to adversely affect anythign else.
But i have one additional problem. I bought a new switch for my glove box courtesy light. When i hook up the orange wire and try to secure the switch in the metal hole in the glove box, i get sparks and a blown fuse. Since my cluster lights are almost all working, i am confident that ground is good. I also checked the ground from the radio connector to the Z bar and that is good. Any ideas what is going wrong?
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 38,897
Likes: 1,926
From: Washington Michigan
Oops - the site photo uploader is paralyzed again - will try again later.
Thread Starter
5th Gear
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
Thanks again JohnZ
I had a feeling it could be the switch itself. I just orderd it from Corvette America. If you can post that pic, that would be great, maybe i can take it apart and correct the problem. Maybe Corvette America owes me a functioning switch!
I had a feeling it could be the switch itself. I just orderd it from Corvette America. If you can post that pic, that would be great, maybe i can take it apart and correct the problem. Maybe Corvette America owes me a functioning switch!
