Replaced Main Wiring Harness and now...

wayne1426

wayne1426

Junior Member
...the car won't start! These two things can't be related, can they? I am 99% sure I did everything right in replacing the harness. I've checked and rechecked all the connections. But none of the lights work and neither does the horn. And now the car won't start. It turns over strong but won't fire. Could I have shorted something out somewhere and, if so, what would it be? I checked the battery tonight and it's fully charged. All connections appear to be clean and tight. I'm new to this having only bought this '30 Model A 3 months ago. I was thrilled when I replaced the points and adjusted the timing and got it to run. But now this. Any ideas will be greatly appreciated.

Wayne
 
there should be 2 wires to the generator/alternator terminal. One from the terminal box and one to the light switch. Are they both connected?
 
I would test the ignition switch, maybe something got bumped/disturbed and now it is shorting out.

Another option is to remove the harness and re-install it using the book to force you to re-do the connections. I know I have looked at something I did 2 or three times on other vehicles and I had such tunnel vision I overlooked what I did wrong.
 
You might have the ignition cable screwed too far into the distributor. Be sure you have no drain on the battery, or disconnect the battery so it doesn't kill it or overheat some wires until you get this figured out. Killing a battery is very hard on it and takes some of the life out permanently.
 
If you have a ohm meter, check for voltage at various points (cutout, starter, ignition cable that screws into the distributor, points). If you believe the wiring is correct, I'd guess it is a short. If so, you won't have spark when the ignition is turned on and the points are opened. The starter switch wires may be grounding on the gastank behind the dash panel; or, I agree the ignition cable might be too far into the distributor; or there is a ground inside the distributor; etc.) Good luck.
 
Do you have the after market fuse holder on the starter?Maybe you blew a fuse when you were hooking up the lights?If that was the case,nothing would work except the starter.
 
My thought is the same as ColumbiA's. If your lights don't work and the car won't start that is saying to me that you have no power into the system. If the starter turns, there must be an open connection close to the starter switch. Gar Williams
 
Thanks everyone for the advice here. I won't have time to work on this today but have all today tomorrow (Tuesday) to spend in the garage so I will try everything suggested and let you know what I find. Any additional thoughts are welcome, too. I am new to this so I'm gaining experience as I go here. I appreciate the help very much!
 
Since you disturbed the Ignition switch be sure you include it in your diagnostics. There was a good thread several days ago on trouble shooting the system. Bob
 
I'm thinking columbiA is on the right trail.(if it has a fuse).BTW,if it blows a second time,you probably do have something wired wrong. Good luck
 
Can you all see that fried wire just outside my terminal box? I just noticed this tonight while I was poking around trying to figure this out. Do you think that's my problem? Also, is there a fuse inside that black plastic thing there?
 
Yes that should have a fuse inside of it and should not be on the car. Someone has added that and your problem most likely lies around it.
 
yessiree. That Black tube hold s a fuse. First though, you need to find out why the wire got so hot. There is a short somewhere. You will need a voltage meter and a continuity tester. It could be as simple as the exposed metal clamp on the wire near the burn spot shorting against the block behind it.
 
I too am chasing a problem, my 30 cranks and the dies. Anyways, he wasn't turning over after I replaced the starter switch. Thanks to the wonderful feedback, my starter switch had 1 screw that was slightly longer causing the starter to ground out and not turn over. Check that out. I'm curious to see what you find. As I found out, electrical problems can be a pain sometimes.
 
wayne1426 said:
Can you all see that fried wire just outside my terminal box? I just noticed this tonight while I was poking around trying to figure this out. Do you think that's my problem? Also, is there a fuse inside that black plastic thing there?
Click to expand...

That black plastic "thingy" is a $2 wire-in fuse holder. Apparently a former owner had a problem with shorts in the same wire circuit. I would trace the wire and see where it goes. The problem will probably be some where along that wire. Another thing to check is the glass fuse inside the holder and what AMP rating it is. Sometimes guys will put two heavy of a fuse in hoping to stop them from blowing and just add to the problem. I found a nail inside a fuse holder replacing the fuse one time. Another time I found the blown glass fuse wraped in tin foil.
 
a few areas to check:

the two terminal box wire mount screws loose or not screwed all the way into their recess or with too large heads, allowing the head of the screw to contact the firewall. since the fuse might suggest previous trouble, this is one possibility. It can be intermittent.

repro headlight sockets allow the contacts to bend over against each other or against the side of the socket, shorting out when the lights are switched on ( very common). Since you just re wired this, its worth investigating

ammeter wires shorting against the gas tank

ignition switch wires shorting against the gas tank

horn wires shorting against the horn cover

repro brake light switch, or hot wire to switch is contacting the switch body due to bent tab or poor wiring.

cut out wire mount screw too long and shorting out against the generator.

dash light wire worn through and pinched by the dash against the tank.

wires running up the wire tunnel in gas tank have worn through the insulation, shorting against the tunnel.

lower dist plate shorting against distributor casting via bent lower plate tab or missing condenser insulator. pig tail wire shorting against casting.

I'm sure there are some more I'm not remembering right now. Others will chime in.
 
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