scottd
Junior Member
Posts: 76
|
Post by scottd on Dec 3, 2010 20:52:27 GMT -5
Ive spent the last 3 months rewiring this car. Ive installed every single wire myself. Ive followed the wiring diagram perfectly and even used the same colors. I tested each circuit, brake lights, running lights, turn signals, high/low, ignition....everything worked. I was very impressed with myself because I had NO factory wiring harness to start with. I wired up the dashboard, screwed it in and nuts! Everything went haywire. My right turn signal stops working when I turn on the headlights. My Tach buried itself on 6K and comes up to 4K when keyed on. No shorts, no grounded wires, no crossed leads. I got so mad I smashed a beer bottle on the car. Maybe this is why nobody ever finishes these cars.
Rant off. I just had to complain out loud.
|
|
|
|
Post by centralvalleygter on Dec 3, 2010 22:21:46 GMT -5
Scott,
I know that sometimes when things go wrong, you just have to let off steam. Electrical isn't an issue for me (I rewired mine from scratch, making my own schematic, but electrical comes easy for me), but small mechanical details drive me crazy. I've tried several ways to make a better door system and other things and have come away frustrated too! But, when we get it figured out the sense of satisfaction will be more!
One thing that makes fiberglass kit cars harder to wire is the grounding issue. Since you have no massive convenient common ground body, you have to run extra wires for grounding, thus it is easy to get a "floating" reverse-current circuit completion. Sometimes one well placed diode will solve all the funny little cross circuiting issues. Hang in there, you'll win the battle.
Warmest Regards,
|
|
|
|
Post by jspbtown on Dec 4, 2010 9:42:43 GMT -5
Scott..its always the simple things that mess up wiring.
Your actually in a good spot. You know its your dash.
Some questions I would have are:
1. How did you do your grounds? Where do you pull them from. Where is your battery grounded to?
2. Explain" screwing the dash in" and "everything worked". Do you have connectors for the dash part? How did you make sure each circuit worked?
3. What types of switches are you running. Any relays?
4. Are your markers well grounded? If so how?
5. How many wires from the marker lights do you have? Are they 1 wire or two?
6 Did you wire in parking lights to the front & back? How did you wire your rear lights? Sorry...GT or GTII? Do you have 2 lights out back or 4? And if 2 how did you deal with the brake/turn signal function?
My initial guesses?
1. Headlights are wired wrong. Do you have the same ground wires on the same tab for the connection on all headlights? Are you sure you have the correct + on the headlight tabs and the correct - on them as well?
3. If your running 2 rear tail lights and not a converter your wiring is not correct.
2. Tach is really super easy. Positive, ground and signal. It should take long to test those 3 wires. Positive should be a keyed source. A clean separate ground is a must. And the signal lead in on the - side of the coil right?
You clearly have a ground issue in my mind. Tach is either grounding out or is mis-wired.
|
|
|
|
Post by brianboggs on Dec 4, 2010 10:16:59 GMT -5
And where are you located? Someone may be close by that could help. Or try the local VW club for assistance. Welcome to the Bradley club BTW.
Brian
|
|
|
|
Post by don29163 on Dec 4, 2010 12:13:31 GMT -5
Welcome to the site! I'm learning to hate my GT II also. I should have stuck with muscle cars !
|
|
scottd
Junior Member
Posts: 76
|
Post by scottd on Dec 5, 2010 20:34:33 GMT -5
Well, my lighting and turn signal issue was all due to one stinking loose ground wire at the rear signal lamp! Sumufabeyotch!
But the Tach...what the hell?? The tach shows 0-6000 rpm. The needle is stuck on 6k. I gave it a separate ground and powered it up, it sat and made noises and was trying to reset its self and was hitting some internal stop. The needle needs to go counterclockwise back to 0, is seems as if its trying to co clockwise....I even reversed polarity and it didnt do anything???
|
|
|
|
Post by jspbtown on Dec 5, 2010 20:54:54 GMT -5
Coil wired correctly?
Tach is real simple. Keyed power, good ground and a wire to the neg side of the coil.
Got your coiled wired backwards? Positive side of the coil should be a keyed ignition source, then a wire to the choke and idle solenoid (if equipped) and back up swicth (again if equipped). Also, if you have an electronic ignition the red wire should be on positive. Negative side should be tach signal and wire from points or black wire from electronic ignition.
Re-look at each one of those. Its something simple that you think is right but is actually wrong.
|
|
|
|
Post by unclebill on Dec 6, 2010 14:50:07 GMT -5
Usually in a fiberglass car, or a boat it's grounding issues that haunt people. I've done a number of Manx type buggies and used ground bus bars like these: www.solar-electric.com/tbb.html I put one up front, one in the back, run a wire to chassis ground from each, then I have all the grounds I need at both ends. You can get these at most RV and marine supply places. B |
|
|
|
Post by mj on Dec 17, 2010 9:06:51 GMT -5
My experience might not help. When I decided to rewire everything I found a lot of things were wired in-series. In other words, one failure in the circuit (ground) made others fail. I ran a #1 welding cable (very thick, low resistance) the length of the body, and tapped it into the sub-frame, the engine, transmission, and to the battery ground. Then I wired everything with its own ground wire to distribution blocks on the wire. All series connections eliminated. Now it is good.
|
|
|
|
Post by centralvalleygter on Dec 17, 2010 12:29:57 GMT -5
Hello mj, nice to see you post again. As usual, your insight is very useful.
Warmest Regards,
|
|
Zmud
Junior Member
Posts: 57
|
Post by Zmud on Dec 17, 2010 13:36:18 GMT -5
Hello mj, nice to see you post again. Not really!!! |
|
