I still have an issue with my electrics and can't figure it out. I'm just reassembling the car after 5 year restoration and having a problem blowing the brake light circuit when I push the clutch in. The problem is somehow tied to the neutral saftey switch / starter solenoid wiring. I do have an aftermarket mini starter in and an HEI so the resistor wire is not used.

1) When I push in the clutch I get extra ohms on the line that has the brake fuse in it that is blowing.

2) There are two plugs, one for an auto neutral and one for the clutch. I traced down the auto plug and it is not touching anything. The clutch one is in correctly and looks ok.

3) I pulled the starter solenoid leg the triggers it and is at the end of the stream for the power passing through the clutch switch and I still draw ohms on the brake circuit when the pedal is depressed.

4) The power goes through the steering column, but would think if there was a short in there it would blow even without the clutch switch being engaged.

5) There is not much else to this circuit which leaves me to believe it may be in the connector between the engine and interior harness, but not sure how that could happen.

Any suggestions? I'm running out of fuses!!!!!

The car starts fine and everything else electrical works fine unless I push the clutch in and it blows the brake circuit.

 

That doesnt make sense. Extra ohms would lower the current passing through the fuse. Sorry I cant be much help without knowing how the circuit is or should be wired.
Good luck.

Greg

 

I should clarify, I took the fuse out and disconnected the battery, so I'm checking the continuity in ohms when I activate the clutch neutral switch etc. I have attached one lead to the hot side of the fuse holder for the brake circuit. It should be a totally separate circuit, the power for the starter solenoid and the brake light circuit, but when I step on the clutch pedal it effects the brake light circuit.

 

OK thats confusing you have 1 meter lead to the hot side of the brake fuse holder with fuse removed--I assume you have the other lead attached to ground. Thats not really telling you anything. You need to hook your leads to ground and the brake light side of the fuse holder(if your brake fuse blows the short is on the load side of the fuse not the supply side), that way you will be reading a fairly small resistance that is the brake light bulb filaments. Now when you push your clutch that resistance should not change.

 

I am going to guess you have one lead to the clutch switch and a lead to the brake light switch crossed.

 

Your right, I should be on the brake light side. I'll try that in the morning.

The one thing I need to test is the Spal fan relay. It is on the load side of the same fuse as the brakes. But they run fine until I push the clutch in and it pops the fuse.

 

I don't see how I could do that as the two purple wires are on one plug and they are clearly for the clutch neutral switch and the brake light switch as I recall were orange and white but also on one plug. No way to put them on the wrong switch.


What gets me is the clutch switch circuit is very simple and can't think of where the short to the brake circuit would be.

 

Have you tried putting a jumper across the 2 purples at the plug for the Auto neutral switch ? This should tell you if the problem is truly in the the purple wire circuit and not a wire rubbing somewhere on the clutch linkage. ( this would also be the same as unplugging the clutch switch and operating the clutch pedal)

 

I think you have a wire rubbing on the linkage somewhere either up by the pedal or down by the transmission--these two circuits really shouldnt have anything to to with each other.

 

UPDATE:

I think I found it. The reverse light switch wiring runs in the tunnel and the clutch fork has rubbed through the wiring. So when it travels far enough it is grounding out that wire.

 

A similar thing happened on my car. The clutch pedal arm was grounding out on the wire harness that sits next to it.