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So I have a 62 Corvette with NOM (but still dresses as original). I replaced the water pump a week ago and now I find an unconnected wire on the passenger side of engine compartment. It was not “intentionally” disconnected, but assume it came loose while we were doing the water pump. Any help in identifying what this wire is and where it is supposed to connect would be great. It is a blue wire (I think 16 gauge) that has a braided heat shield around in and goes through firewall (first picture). When I found it loose the blade end was on top of the passenger side exhaust manifold, but the wire is long enough to reach front of the engine.
Show us a pic of your temperature sending unit next to the thermostat housing on the pass side
I have a newer Edelbrock intake manifold. There is no temp sending unit on it, but there is something that looks like a temp sending unit that I can see under the directly under the back half of the exhaust manifold on the passenger side. That this is exactly where the end of the wire was "when I found it". The engine is a mid-70's 350 (I think a 74 passenger car version), if that sounds like a legit location for a temp sending unit, then it makes sense. I am also pretty confident that the rest of the wire was not where it was sitting when we started the water pump, but it could have moved when the engine got jacked up and down replacing the water pump.
You can get the correct wire and route it through the firewall and tape it into the harness and connect it to the screw terminal on the gauge end - that's what I would do.... That spade female connector will fall off again - its not the right terminal...
IF you don't want to do that get the right wire anyway and solder the correct terminal end onto the wire in the engine bay well up inside the insulating sleeve and shrink wrap the repair tightly -- roll the insulation forward and nobody will know and you'll have a secure connection.
Also, I don't know what's going on with all that mess on your ballast resistor but I'd track that stuff down and clean it up....I'm surprised you don't have some ignition issues. If any of those wires are for aftermarket things that need switched 12V take the power from your wiper motor lead -- not the ignition.
Last edited by Frankie the Fink; Aug 18, 2018 at 02:40 PM.
You can get the correct wire and route it through the firewall and tape it into the harness and connect it to the screw terminal on the gauge end - that's what I would do.... That spade female connector will fall off again - its not the right terminal...
IF you don't want to do that get the right wire anyway and solder the correct terminal end onto the wire in the engine bay well up inside the insulating sleeve and shrink wrap the repair tightly -- roll the insulation forward and nobody will know and you'll have a secure connection.
Also, I don't know what's going on with all that mess on your ballast resistor but I'd track that stuff down and clean it up....I'm surprised you don't have some ignition issues. If any of those wires are for aftermarket things that need switched 12V take the power from your wiper motor lead -- not the ignition.
Anyone got a picture of the correct terminal? I guess the entire wire is pretty cheap, I will probably swap the whole thing out instead of trying to splice in the right terminal.
Franki: Thanks for the advice. I will look into cleaning up the ballast resistor. Haven't had any ignition issues so far, but...
Anyone got a picture of the correct terminal? I guess the entire wire is pretty cheap, I will probably swap the whole thing out instead of trying to splice in the right terminal.
Franki: Thanks for the advice. I will look into cleaning up the ballast resistor. Haven't had any ignition issues so far, but...
Unknown wire identification
