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Kelmo's Coupe Build(?)


KELMO

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Well, I have been working on getting the dash back in and have just about everything hooked back up.  The main reason for doing this was to repair the part of the harness that connects to the ign switch.  While wringing (ringing? hell, I don't know) out the circuits, I have complete connection on 3 out of 4 wires.  The one that is not a complete circuit? OH, just the one that goes to the starter dammit. I get a complete circuit all the way to the other side of the connector that takes the harness to the engine bay, somewhere between the firewall and the starter it goes away. I am going to replace the connector at the starter just for grins but if that fails (probably will), time to dig around and see if I have another engine harness.  Woo hoo, I get to play seek and find today.

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Nice!  I was at  Walmart yesterday, did I look? no, I forgot.

 

Anyway, I think I am gonna need one of these.  Have one but for Autotrajic or later year...has an electrical connector and is a bit larger.

3jj4esz.jpg

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Welp, found another engine harness.

Wait, I'll be back, I keep getting the same damn oic.

E7ZYm4a.jpg

So my thought was to take the sub harness out of the engine harness. Yeah, that is probably going to be a pain.

1sjO1JI.jpg

From the Ign/Sw harness, I have power on the engine side of the connector. Really don't want to replace the whole engine harness.

TTP2yaY.jpg

The "Y" junction in the second pic could be my culprit on the harness, but who knows. "Y" junctions have been giving me trouble since I was a teenager.

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Couldn't you run a temp length of wire from known power down to wherever it's going? See if that corrects the problem?

 

Then at least you know your issue is there for sure and you know replacing wire will fix it.

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It is not "known power" as it were. I am just verifying circuits. My latest idea was to take this particular lead out of the harness that I have on the bench and just replace that.  That would mean getting the one female connector out of the six pin connector, easier said than done.  I guess I could use a "vampire connector" (scotch lock ?) to tap into the lead that shows complete circuit on the engine side of the harness, but damn that is the lazy way around it and I may pay for it later.  I am starting to think I should wring out all of the circuits on the bench harness and just replace the whole damn thing.

Another possibility would be to start cutting the starter lead out of the engine harness, cut it every six inches or so and hope to find a complete circuit before I get to the connector. There almost has to be a break in the wire between the starter and the connector at the firewall.  I mean, it ran before I started molesting it for parts. :thumbup:

 

Third possibility.......say fuck it and move the wagon into the work spot and blow this one off for oh, I don't know, another year.

 

For now, a couple drinks, relax a bit....tomorrow is another day to be jacking with this

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You can definitely start at the far ends of the section of lead with probes and check for continuity. Then work your way backward up the wire till you find it. Then you've found your break.

 

I depin those connectors frequently. I use the stainless steel strap from an old wiper blade and file them into various shapes and widths to use as depinning tools. Small enough to fit, stiff enough to do the job. (That's what she said...?)

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I think I am going to work my way back toward the connector. This particular circuit wrings out on my other 1200 and the only difference is I can drive that one...and it has a battery in it.

 

Hmmmm, maybe I will slip a battery in just to see if that completes the circuit.  It shouldn't but, just in case.

 

I learn as I go.

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So, I have been in the process of cleaning/making an inventory/organizing and stumbled across this.....

SBTSk7X.jpg

Should make fixing that harness connection a whole lot easier. Wish I would have stumbled across this a week ago.

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I have a couple spares laying around here also. Breaking out the paint just seemed the thing to do at the time.

 

 

Well, the saga continues.....

3aWbY4t.jpg

So I put some good light in there so I could see what I was doing and found this.

kxTHSoc.jpg

This car used to be an autotrajic, and THIS is a neutral relay. It is also where the starter circuit issue is.....not the harness itself.

I didn't take the relay into consideration as it has been on the car since I have had it and with no issues.

I am going to try and by pass the deal. Neither the spare harnesses I have nor the other car are set up like this.

The silver lining? At least I am learning stuff.

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  • 2 weeks later...

So, I am stll messing around with this and the only thing I know for sure is that I am not gettting spark out of the coil.  Everything in the ignition system (excluding the ignition switch itself) has been swapped out of the grey car and into the green car....the green car runs without fail every time. I think part of the harness for the relay needs to be found and removed and I plan to work on this over the weekend.

Electrical is not my strong suit (I am kinda like a blind man without a guide dog or a cane, just bumbling through this). So if I post a pic of the grey car burned to the ground, well, one of two things happened......I wired something wrong or I just got fed up, found some gas and a Zippo lighter.

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So, I am stll messing around with this and the only thing I know for sure is that I am not gettting spark out of the coil.  Everything in the ignition system (excluding the ignition switch itself) has been swapped out of the grey car and into the green car....the green car runs without fail every time. I think part of the harness for the relay needs to be found and removed and I plan to work on this over the weekend.

Electrical is not my strong suit (I am kinda like a blind man without a guide dog or a cane, just bumbling through this). So if I post a pic of the grey car burned to the ground, well, one of two things happened......I wired something wrong or I just got fed up, found some gas and a Zippo lighter.

Are you using a test light, or voltmeter to check? Voltmeter can lie to you, displaying voltage, not amperage, so 12v turns to 0v when you put load on it. Have you wired a power lead from the battery to the coil, and fired it up yet?

 

In other words, I'm not trusting your ignition switch.

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Volt meter = too smart for this guy. Yes, using a test light....when circuit is complete, it lights up (that type). I had some doubts about the ignition switch up until yesterday, pulled it out of this car and installed into the green coupe and it started.  I have not run a lead from the battery to the coil cuz well, I ain't that smart.  Also, not really a mechanic and just slowly trying to rule things out. I have swapped out just about every thing that is ignition related: Dizzy, coil & resistor, cap & wires, and now the ignition switch.  Someone had suggested to swap out the voltage regulator but I don't see that being part if the ignition system.....still gonna try it though, just for grins.

After I try the V/R swap I plan to go back and start all over again with the harness. The harness in this car belongs to an autotrajic and has worked for 10+ years in this car.  The problems all started when I tried to remove the neutral starter relay(I think that is what the manual called it), and associated wiring.  I do have some other harnesses but I am going to try and repair this in car if possible as the other harnesses will need some repair.

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Kelmo when you removed the automatic "neutral starter relay(I think that is what the manual called it), and associated wiring" you may have created an open nuetral start cirduit.  By this I mean that the automatic had to be in neutral or park position in order for the starting cirduit to be complete.  If the manual transmission has a nuetral safety switch on it or if the neutral safety switch is located by the clutch pedal (like a brake light switch) then find the 2 wires comin from the old automatic nuetral safety switch and connect them to either switch.  If you have the transmissin switch then the trans will have to be in nuetral to start.  If you have the clutch pedal type switch then the clutch pedal will need to be pushed in to start.

 

If you do not have either switch and do not plan on installing one then find the 2 wires from the automatic nutral switch in your harness and connect the 2 switch wires together.

 

Please ask any questions you might have about this.  I am hoping you have a factory service manual wiring diagram to work from to help identify wires and wire colors.

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There is no pedal switch, there is a switch on the trans which is connected.  BUT now that you mention it(dammit Charlie its too early for my brain to be working), there should be something as far as wiring up by the pedal, even if there are no switch(Guess what uncle Kelmo is doing later on today).  I think you may be on to something there as I have been so focused (focus: fuck off cuz ur stupid) on the wires from the ignition switch and that circuit, I never really considered all those extra green wires under the dash since they weren't connected before.  I have a Haynes manual that is fairly decent and has 3 different wiring diagrams (Automatic, Standard, and US & Canada) and it has helped quite a bit....even though I need to use a magnifying sheet to read it.

 

I am hoping to sort this out soon as I am chomping at the bit to get started on the wagon that I have owned since 2013. :thumbup:

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I am guessing the 72 1200 automatic harness is similar to the truck harnesses.  I am guessing that you removed the wires that went to the Inhibitor switch that is on the automatic transmission.  The inhibitor switch only will let the vehicle start when transmission is in Park and also sometimes it will start with the trans in neutral.  This switch has 4 wires, 2 of which are reverse lights and the other 2 are the inhibitor switch (park/neutral).  All you have to do is connect the 2 inhibitor switch wires to together and it will star in any gear.  The safer way to wire it would be either a neutral safety switch on the trans or a clutch pedal operated switch to where you have to depress the clutch pedal to start the car.

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  • 2 weeks later...

So, this saga still continues but will have to end at some later date.  It could be said that the real problem here is that I worked on it.  This car is going back on the dollies and getting pushed aside....every time I start to figure it out I end up confusing myself.  When time permits the harness will come out of the car and be laid out on a board (or table) so I can figure this pig out and/or fix the extra harness I have from a standard.

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So, for a temporary solution.......

v6cvRY5.jpg

 

And since this one was smoking and started making a new noise just the other day.

3DSRK9N.jpg

 

Edit: Dammit, I forgot to resize my oics...........again.

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Kelmo I only work on wiring when I have a lot of time to put into it.  It never fails an easy fix turns into a Madusa of wiring snakes waiting to strike when you get near the wire. 

 

I would search out wiring diagrams for the automatic of the same year and model.

 

Happy New Year my friends.

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Yeah, I am putting this one off to the side for now until time permits.  I do have a Haynes manual for starters which has diagrams for both auto and standard along with another dash and engine harness that appear to be for a standard.  I have too many cars sitting around that are not running and the missus seems to want to be driving one ( she even went as far as to say she would drive the grey coupe....who are you and what have you done with my wife).

 

Happy New Year to you too buddy.

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