How do I fix this mess
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 2,383
Likes: 385
From: Leland , North Carolina
How do I fix this mess
This maybe why my car will not get fuel now or overdrive to work Lol. I hope anyway . Relays are slightly melted inside. Are there pigtails available?
Last edited by TommyFox; Dec 13, 2019 at 03:17 PM.
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 4,564
Likes: 1,676
They are not melted. Its just the goo that GM used.
What possibly is the issue, is that the copper has become corroded and no longer making a good connection. You can buy terminals and connectors and repin after cutting the wire back some (if there is enough length. or you can have a lot of fun and just run new wire.
What possibly is the issue, is that the copper has become corroded and no longer making a good connection. You can buy terminals and connectors and repin after cutting the wire back some (if there is enough length. or you can have a lot of fun and just run new wire.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 2,383
Likes: 385
From: Leland , North Carolina
They are not melted. Its just the goo that GM used.
What possibly is the issue, is that the copper has become corroded and no longer making a good connection. You can buy terminals and connectors and repin after cutting the wire back some (if there is enough length. or you can have a lot of fun and just run new wire.
What possibly is the issue, is that the copper has become corroded and no longer making a good connection. You can buy terminals and connectors and repin after cutting the wire back some (if there is enough length. or you can have a lot of fun and just run new wire.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 1,060
Likes: 80
From: Fort Mill, SC
They are not melted. Its just the goo that GM used.
What possibly is the issue, is that the copper has become corroded and no longer making a good connection. You can buy terminals and connectors and repin after cutting the wire back some (if there is enough length. or you can have a lot of fun and just run new wire.
What possibly is the issue, is that the copper has become corroded and no longer making a good connection. You can buy terminals and connectors and repin after cutting the wire back some (if there is enough length. or you can have a lot of fun and just run new wire.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 2,383
Likes: 385
From: Leland , North Carolina
Yes I could slide the wire out with a probe on a few. I ordered new pig tails as pictured above. Funny how this kind of thing doesn't fail when one is test driving the car lol
Safety Car
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 4,757
Likes: 1,647
From: Fairfax Virginia
Hello TommyFox!
I have become very tired of constantly cleaning the connections mechanically with a wire brush or a points file. I recently learned of a material called DeOxIt and it is available on Amazon. This stuff removes corrosion like nothing I have ever seen or tested. You simply paint it on and it removes all the corrosion down to the base metal. It is so helpful when working on my 32 y/o C4 Corvette. When I pulled my dashboard out I was shocked at the number of dirty connections there were under there. The grounds were filthy and corroded so I used the DeOxIt and the difference was amazing. I now have a bottle of DeOxIt in my primary tool bag and it gets used a lot, I am on my second bottle already.
One other thing, if the connector (In your photo) was still working I might have suggested liquid Electrical tape to be a solution for the exposed wires. Use DeOxIt to clean the parts that plug together. Testing the fusible links is not hard once you find them. I would measure the battery voltage at the battery and then at the fuse panel, they should be the same or very close. If one fuse does not have power then you have a burned out Fusible link connection. On my 1988 C4 I had a two volt drop between the battery and the fuse panel. The post where the fusible links get their power from was the culprit, it was corroded under and in-between the terminals attached to the post. After cleaning the whole mess I had full battery power available inside the car and that makes the Corvette Much happier.
Catching things like you did was a great thing to do, you would not want to have it cause a breakdown or a fire. Preventative maintenance at it's best!
Best regards,
Chris
I have become very tired of constantly cleaning the connections mechanically with a wire brush or a points file. I recently learned of a material called DeOxIt and it is available on Amazon. This stuff removes corrosion like nothing I have ever seen or tested. You simply paint it on and it removes all the corrosion down to the base metal. It is so helpful when working on my 32 y/o C4 Corvette. When I pulled my dashboard out I was shocked at the number of dirty connections there were under there. The grounds were filthy and corroded so I used the DeOxIt and the difference was amazing. I now have a bottle of DeOxIt in my primary tool bag and it gets used a lot, I am on my second bottle already.
One other thing, if the connector (In your photo) was still working I might have suggested liquid Electrical tape to be a solution for the exposed wires. Use DeOxIt to clean the parts that plug together. Testing the fusible links is not hard once you find them. I would measure the battery voltage at the battery and then at the fuse panel, they should be the same or very close. If one fuse does not have power then you have a burned out Fusible link connection. On my 1988 C4 I had a two volt drop between the battery and the fuse panel. The post where the fusible links get their power from was the culprit, it was corroded under and in-between the terminals attached to the post. After cleaning the whole mess I had full battery power available inside the car and that makes the Corvette Much happier.
Catching things like you did was a great thing to do, you would not want to have it cause a breakdown or a fire. Preventative maintenance at it's best!
Best regards,
Chris
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 2,383
Likes: 385
From: Leland , North Carolina
Hello TommyFox!
I have become very tired of constantly cleaning the connections mechanically with a wire brush or a points file. I recently learned of a material called DeOxIt and it is available on Amazon. This stuff removes corrosion like nothing I have ever seen or tested. You simply paint it on and it removes all the corrosion down to the base metal. It is so helpful when working on my 32 y/o C4 Corvette. When I pulled my dashboard out I was shocked at the number of dirty connections there were under there. The grounds were filthy and corroded so I used the DeOxIt and the difference was amazing. I now have a bottle of DeOxIt in my primary tool bag and it gets used a lot, I am on my second bottle already.
One other thing, if the connector (In your photo) was still working I might have suggested liquid Electrical tape to be a solution for the exposed wires. Use DeOxIt to clean the parts that plug together. Testing the fusible links is not hard once you find them. I would measure the battery voltage at the battery and then at the fuse panel, they should be the same or very close. If one fuse does not have power then you have a burned out Fusible link connection. On my 1988 C4 I had a two volt drop between the battery and the fuse panel. The post where the fusible links get their power from was the culprit, it was corroded under and in-between the terminals attached to the post. After cleaning the whole mess I had full battery power available inside the car and that makes the Corvette Much happier.
Catching things like you did was a great thing to do, you would not want to have it cause a breakdown or a fire. Preventative maintenance at it's best!
Best regards,
Chris
I have become very tired of constantly cleaning the connections mechanically with a wire brush or a points file. I recently learned of a material called DeOxIt and it is available on Amazon. This stuff removes corrosion like nothing I have ever seen or tested. You simply paint it on and it removes all the corrosion down to the base metal. It is so helpful when working on my 32 y/o C4 Corvette. When I pulled my dashboard out I was shocked at the number of dirty connections there were under there. The grounds were filthy and corroded so I used the DeOxIt and the difference was amazing. I now have a bottle of DeOxIt in my primary tool bag and it gets used a lot, I am on my second bottle already.
One other thing, if the connector (In your photo) was still working I might have suggested liquid Electrical tape to be a solution for the exposed wires. Use DeOxIt to clean the parts that plug together. Testing the fusible links is not hard once you find them. I would measure the battery voltage at the battery and then at the fuse panel, they should be the same or very close. If one fuse does not have power then you have a burned out Fusible link connection. On my 1988 C4 I had a two volt drop between the battery and the fuse panel. The post where the fusible links get their power from was the culprit, it was corroded under and in-between the terminals attached to the post. After cleaning the whole mess I had full battery power available inside the car and that makes the Corvette Much happier.
Catching things like you did was a great thing to do, you would not want to have it cause a breakdown or a fire. Preventative maintenance at it's best!
Best regards,
Chris
Last edited by TommyFox; Dec 16, 2019 at 07:27 AM.
Safety Car
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 4,757
Likes: 1,647
From: Fairfax Virginia
The easiest way to find a bad Fusible link is when there is no power down stream of it. On my C4 it was easy as there was 10 volts at the fuses and all the fuses had power which tells me that the fusible links are good. The fusible link is the last ditch effort to protect the electrical system. The battery cable coming from the battery positive connector has no other protection. Using a safety pin you punch a small hole into the wire's insulation and use it to measure the continuity of the fusible link. Be sure to cover the hole with silicone or tape or whatever, you don't want water to get inside the wire and corrode. Fusible links are designed to melt on a bad short to protect the car and the battery. If you had a shorted Fusible Link then you would see that some fuses don't have any power. Fusible links "open" the circuit after a short.
Cutting out the old harness and soldering a new one makes good sense. I like using marine/boat style heat shrink as they have glue built into them that seals them better. The liquid electrical tape is handy stuff to keep around as it is so easy to use in tight spaces.
I had an intermittent problem that turned out to be a broken locking tab on the power lead to the distributor which was making a momentary disconnect on hard bumps. I have also found crimps that were done improperly where the wire slides right out when you pull gently on it. It is always a good idea to do a good examination of the wiring on your C4 now that they are getting older. Mine is 32 years old and it needs regular help to keep everything operating properly.
I bought two connector building kits that have everything you need to connect from 1 to to 8 wires in waterproof connectors like the ones GM uses. Both kits have both sides and the connectors and this can come in handy. I had to replace the connectors going to my A/C compressor as the factory connector was broken, the replacement looks factory and makes a good solid connection.
Don't you hate a No-Start due to No-Gas? I have done the same thing, I had my lawn mower carburetor off and my wife opens the gas cap and pronounced that it was dry. I sure looked silly trying to fix the carburetor when all I needed was some gasoline in the tank....
To Old too Soon, Too Smart to Late....
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Chris
Cutting out the old harness and soldering a new one makes good sense. I like using marine/boat style heat shrink as they have glue built into them that seals them better. The liquid electrical tape is handy stuff to keep around as it is so easy to use in tight spaces.
I had an intermittent problem that turned out to be a broken locking tab on the power lead to the distributor which was making a momentary disconnect on hard bumps. I have also found crimps that were done improperly where the wire slides right out when you pull gently on it. It is always a good idea to do a good examination of the wiring on your C4 now that they are getting older. Mine is 32 years old and it needs regular help to keep everything operating properly.
I bought two connector building kits that have everything you need to connect from 1 to to 8 wires in waterproof connectors like the ones GM uses. Both kits have both sides and the connectors and this can come in handy. I had to replace the connectors going to my A/C compressor as the factory connector was broken, the replacement looks factory and makes a good solid connection.
Don't you hate a No-Start due to No-Gas? I have done the same thing, I had my lawn mower carburetor off and my wife opens the gas cap and pronounced that it was dry. I sure looked silly trying to fix the carburetor when all I needed was some gasoline in the tank....
To Old too Soon, Too Smart to Late....
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Chris
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Drifting
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,354
Likes: 325
From: San Antonio Tx
My 86 had connectors that looked like that. The insulation shrinks back and the connectors corrode. I replaced my harness with one from a 88-89 when GM switched to better wire and weather pac connectors. I also had to change to the later relays to match but I've not had any electrical problems in the ten or so years since I switched.