Dose11

Alright so I am about to tackle some shorts. Radio had a short, now it just never works....headlights have a short...the high beams come on at random...Before I take everything apart...the question is...DO I NEED TO? I just have a feeling I am about to take the entire dash off...someone stop me if it isn't necessary!

Easy Mike

You should be able to get to the radio plug without pulling the console. Ditto for the dimmer switch - it's under the carpet. It's a toss up whether either of those locations will reveal your shorts.

Dose11

Great...that means its all probably coming off...I already looked behind the radio etc...could not find any loose wires there...everything looked to be connected nicely...which means the problem lies a little deeper within....aaarrrggghhhhh

SonnyLynnVick75

I bought a circuit tester the other day real simple old tool (has a ground clamp and a pointed tip, looks like a screwdriver, light comes on if youre getting power) best investment yet. you should be able to search from the fuseblock out and the headlights and radio in and narrow it down.

Dose11

Thanks Sonny, that's exactly what I started to do. But I think I found the problem....

The orange wire that is suppose to always have power just smoked up on me, and now no longer has power. This happened after I checked if it had power it did, so I reconnected the radio and it went up in smoke. What would cause this?

Now I have a 1973....I don't even think I am suppose to have an orange wire am I? I thought the orange was only if you had rear speakers? I thought my power wires should be Gray/always hot, and Yellow/For Account etc...

SonnyLynnVick75

Thats a real tough call, I would definitely get a wiring diagram and start searching for and orange wire running to the radio, my 75 uses a yellow wire power and grey wire dimmer. On your car theres a number of possibilites, someone may have ran an orange wire to your radio for some strange reason to feed power. someone may have had an orange wire for an accessory for an amp, sub, etc. (im just shooting stuff out there. If i were you, i would find the part on the block running power to the radio, get some extra wire and run directly from there to radio to test it out, if youre still getting a short theres probably a wrongly ran wire, a wire rubbing another wire, etc. if it works fine then you have a problem within the wiring harness, Like i said i would put a wire to the accessory on my fuse block turn the key hook it to my radio and work from there.

Dose11

Here is the wire in question
https://picasaweb.google.com/1004814...69158491539138

And it goes up behind the dash here behind the tach
https://picasaweb.google.com/1004814...69453177592674

Doing this mobile...so couldn't or don't know how to get the img code

Dose11

Yeah I have the yellow wire, that is working well, I am thinking my orange wire is suppose to be my gray wire....hmmm

SonnyLynnVick75

it could very possibly be your "grey" wire

Dose11

Alright so the Orange wire blew the Stop/Hazard 20a fuse. According to the wiring diagram the radio should be hooked up to a 10a radio fuse, and a 7.5amp fuse. Could the problem be the radio, or is there too much voltage coming through?

Raphiki

No. If you smoked a wire you have a dead short somewhere. Sounds like Bubba got behind the dash before you did.

Dose11

Fuhh, I don't like where this is going...

So how do I pin point it?

Also I connected the radio nothing, checked the wire again...dead....changed the fuse again....live. Then I connected the radio and left the orange wire disconnected... I then touched the orange wire to the radio harness and voila it powered up...

So now what? I don't want to connect the wires back up especially if something is wrong would I be better off just running a new wire?

Dose11

Alright, I found a red wire that looks like it was used for a ground, near the radio ground. The red wire leads to the distributor it looks like...

sweeet76

Most Bubba's I know including me, would never use a red wire for ground, be careful. I would get an inexpensive volt meter and take a quick course in using it. I promise it will pay off in the end.

learje

yep get a meter.

i just cleaned up the wiring in mine, had a sheet metal screw holdin up the carpet run straight though a harness, multiple bad connections made by bubba, and a few very old solder joints that i can only guess were factory. after fixing everything up ive got all the electrical systems in my car workin, except the AC which is gone. took awhile, and yep ull prob be pullin the dash

GL!

Raphiki

Sooner or later you're going to have to pull the dash. When you do you'll be able to see what's really going on back there. With mine I found so many cuts, patches and splices that I replaced the harness. That was fun!

sweeet76

If you can determine where some of the spliced wires go, mark them with some numbers on white tape and keep a log as to where these numbered wires go. This will help down the road when you have to get into the wires again for some other reason.

Dose11

Thanks for the input guys.

I checked the red wire there was no power going to it, I believe it was definitely being used as a ground. Where is the ground wire usually located for the distributor? I should have taken a pic!

So I got the radio to work....
I changed some wires around, changed the ground wire, changed the ground location...it's working...

Ok so the radio always hot wire is being ran with the Brake/Hazard lights for some reason. Which is interesting because the radio goes out real quick when you step on the brakes Also the turn signals stopped blinking, they come on but stopped blinking...

I have to find out where the wire is really suppose to be, I will see if this works or if it shorts out again...I just wan't it to last the summer...I plan on taking the whole interior apart this winter and just want to enjoy the car for the summer.

I am assuming I am going to just have to go ahead and buy all new wiring harnesses because who knows what's going on back there...I keep finding cut wires, disconnected wires etc...so to be safe I am just going to have to do everything over...can't hurt right!

Raphiki

Are you working with a good wiring diagram? These cars are flammable!

Dose11

What does a good wiring diagram consist of?

I have the AIM, Shop Manual, and Haynes.