Bratton harness turn signal fuse keeps blowing

3

32Ford13

Senior Member
As per Paul's video, I installed the complete Bratton's wiring harness with turn signals. Pretty plug and play, nicely done. Once complete, I noticed my turn signals didn't work. First step was to test the flashers (I had a few). All good except one. Not the problem. So last night, I double checked the wiring diagram and forgot about the inline 14A fuse. Saw it was blown, changed it and tried the signals. This time the pilot light on the turn signal on the steering column, lit up for about a second, then went out. Checked the fuse and blown again. Hmmmmm. I've been studying this brown wire and where it goes, and can't figure out what might be the issue. Haven't taken a meter to anything yet, I figured that I would enlist you guys to give me a direction before I call Brattons.
Any ideas boys?
Thank you in advance for your input.
 
Take all the bulbs out and see if the fuse still blows then. If it still blows then there is a short to ground somewhere in the wiring or the switch. Get out the meter. Disconnect one thing at time to find the short.

There is another discussion on the forum where there is an apparent short in the brake light switch.
 
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Not yet. I took nkaminar's advice and removed all bulbs, metered for grounding issue in the brake and cowl lights. They checked out fine.


That is as far as I got with my limited time. Tonight I'm going to check for a short in the connector at the base of the steering column. I for sure will reply as to what I find. Thanks for asking.
 
A fuse is there to protect the wiring from shorts otherwise they will burn instead of the fuse. Something is shorting to ground. It could be in any wire in the circuit. This includes the brake light circuit since it has to be controlled any time a signal is selected with the brakes applied. It may be something inside the switch housing but I have no idea what model of aftermarket signal system is involved. Anything made of metal that is grounded will react to contact with a live bit of exposed wire or a terminal too close to a metal housing.

Set up a short stop breaker to supply power. That way you won't need several boxes of fuses to find the short. An Ohm's meter, with isolation of individual sections of the circuit, would be more painless.
 
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Not solved yet, but according to the company that makes the harness for Brattons, a couple of harnesses got out with a short in the shrink wrap on the underside of the turn signal. He told he how to fix it and apologized all over the place for the issue. it was a problem in assembly. I will try the fix tonight and report back. Hat's off to Bratton's and the gentleman who assembled the harness. I appreciate their great customer service trying to help in getting this issue solved.
 
So if you have one of these harnesses that is affected, remove your turn signal assembly from the steering column and turn it over. Remove the two Philips head screws that hold a cap in place. When you remove the cap, you will see one black wire held down by a Philips head screw. If you remove this screw, lift up the wire and inspect the heat shrink tubing. On the bottom where the heat shrink passes over a buss bar you will see a small nick in the heat shrink, shorting the wire to the buss bar causing the problem. A new piece of heat shrink and carefully fitting the wire back in place solves all the grief and turn signals work without blowing a fuse!
I hope this helps someone who is having an issue like I was. I’ve been told that this issue has been fixed in production. The good news is that now I know how to search for shorts and I also know where every single wire in my truck goes to. Thank you guys for your help.
 
Often times problems become opportunities. In this case, you not only fixed the problem, but got an education in Model A wiring. :)
 
Bratton's product quality is well-matched with their excellent service. Prices may be higher than the other guys, but well worth it. Don't pinch pennies for the cheap stuff, it's often flimsy and won't fit. Bratton's never disappoints.
 
Years ago, when I first started doing business with Bratton's. I noticed that they would give more information about the quality of items in their inventory so the customer could make the choice whether to purchase a specific item or not. They knew that a lot of restoration parts were not made quite like Ford made them but they were the only replacement parts available at the time. Snyder's has also followed a similar path in business relations and I consider both to be on the up & up. There are others hat try but maybe not as much.
 
The OEM for wiring harnesses for Brattons is Bauer Electronics. I talked to Chris yesterday about making a harness for my phaeton. He said he doesn’t typically do direct-to-consumer but would consider it if you need something custom. Tyree Harris is referring new business to him (Tyree is retiring.)
 
Thank you, 32Ford13, for this explanation of the problem and related solution...I am in the process of installing a Bratton's turn signal wiring harness at the current time (originally purchased a couple of years ago), and with your excellent explanation will be able to inspect my turn signal assembly and take any needed corrective action before placing the harness in my car.

I really appreciate the "heads up" that your posting provides!
 
Looks like most of Bratton's harnesses are currently out of stock. How long ago did you order it?
 
You are welcome cliffordward. We all need to share these things as it ramps up the learning curve for all of us.
Zax40, I ordered mine back in May.
alexiskai- Yes I did speak with Chris at Bauer. Super helpful and knowledgeable and went over and above to help
Badpuppy - I agree 100%. I'm taking my time with my truck as I don't want to redo things later. Better quality parts and taking my time will benefit me later. This summer is going by so fast, I'm just hoping to get a few more miles in to make sure my basic reliability is there for next year.
As far as the suppliers go, Snyders is in my state and shipping is quick, but like the other suppliers, sometimes parts availability is an issue. All of the suppliers in this hobby have been top shelf and a joy to do business with.
 
Thank you 32Ford13! I purchase my harness in May also. If I have the same problem I know where to start. Good information!
 
It was an easy inspection...unscrew the two phillips screws on the back (non lighted side) of the signal switch, then inspect the ground wire under the phillips screw (location is pretty obvious, it is the only screw holding a wire ring connector inside)...mine was fine...button things back up and it's on with the installation!
 
Sorry to hear that Tyree is retiring. He has been an excellent supplier. I have bought a few harnesses for him and helped him get a part for his Model A few years ago.
 
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