I’ve Lost My Wires, My Mind, or Both!

piscator · 08-03-2019, 01:10 PM

I got my refreshed motor halfway up, into the engine compartment and discovered I have two wires with nowhere to go! What’s worse, is that I labeled these wires and attached opposite male/female connectors to them. I must have known where they went at one time! :-(

I’ve posted photos below. One wire is green/yellow and the other is gray/brown. They run through their own sleeve and exit the rear of the engine through the rubber block that fits into the pan.

However, it’s possible that these wires did not go through the rubber block originally. When I cleaned up and put new insulation on the harness, it’s possible I wrapped these wires incorrectly and sent them in a wrong direction. I tried to be very careful with this, but it’s possible.

Looking through some of the schematics, I think I found green/yellow and gray/brown wires in the tail-lights circuit – but I’m not certain.

So, does anyone know where my green/yellow and gray/brown wires are supposed to go?

I can’t proceed without solving this and will be most grateful for any and all help!

pmax · pmax's Garage

Looks like starter wiring

proporsche · proporsche's Garage

maybe your wires to back up light switch on trany??
Ivan

piscator · 08-03-2019, 01:37 PM

Pmax & ProPorsche,

It's not the starter, P. I thought it might be that, also, but those wires are all accounted for.

Pro, I'd love you to be right! But isn't the backup switch located on the right side of the transmission? In that location, there is a tightly wrapped, thin, black, double wire that passes through a rubber boot through the firewall. The ends of this wire/wires are plastic encased spade connectors which connect to their conterparts in the tunnel at the shift coupling.

I thought this was the back-up light switch, yes? no? If it's not, where is the back-up switch?

pmax · pmax's Garage

Since that's non original wiring, ask the manufacturer ?

proporsche · proporsche's Garage

right here

piscator · 08-03-2019, 01:56 PM

Pro,

That's it! That's it! That's it! Gosh, I'm dumb sometimes!!

The reason I can't find that connection in my engine compartment is because THAT wire is sitting on my parts bench! I saw it on the bench the other day, reminded myself that it's the back-up light cable and promptly forgot the whole thing!

Thank you SO MUCH!

Pmax, thanks to you too!

proporsche · proporsche's Garage

ur welcome

Ivan

pmax · pmax's Garage

But those are spades, not bullets ?

Is that custom wiring ?

A spade connection would be better than the latter... here was mine in a sorry state.

piscator · 08-03-2019, 04:50 PM

Hi P,

I'm pretty sure the bullets are what's under the rubber boot on the wire that's sitting on my bench. In the hazy mist that is my memory, I recollect splicing in the blue spade connectors. Now what I don't remember... is why!

I probably didn't realize that the wire disconnected from the transmission, when I sent it to the rebuilder, so I put in the splice. When I got the gearbox back from the builder, I think the wire was separate, which is how it ended up on the parts bench.

This aging thing is a challenge! ;-)

patkeefe · 08-03-2019, 04:58 PM

If you jump the spade connectors together, do the back-up lights come on?

proporsche · proporsche's Garage

as of now, the OP cannot see anything by jumping the connectors -the engine is still out.

Ivan

piscator · 08-04-2019, 04:18 AM

Pat,

Ivan is right. Not only is the engine still out, but those connectors are attached to the wire that's sitting peacefully on my parts bench. Jumping them now would be an undramatic entertainment... unless you have a very low threshold for what constitutes entertaining! :-)

patkeefe · 11:12 AM

I am confused. What do the wires on the bench connect to, besides the blue spade connectors?

electrical issues after engine swap

pmax · pmax's Garage

They should end up at the 14 pin connector pins.

Piscator, you have that, right ?

piscator · 04:24 PM

Hi P,

I do have that right. The 14 pin connector is in place where it’s supposed to be. Thanks!

Pat,

I’m sorry if my own confusion has caused more!

The back-up lights are powered through a 2 conductor cable, comprised of a gray/brown wire and a yellow/green wire in a black vinyl casing. This cable starts at the 14 pin connector located behind the engine compartment fuse-block and runs atop the engine shroud, under the intake manifolds, out the back of the engine pan, and then to the rear end of the transmission.

At the transmission, the ends of the grn/ylw and gry/brn wires have ‘bullet connectors’ (inside a rubber boot) that plug into a receptacle in the gearbox housing.

For reasons I can’t recall:

I cut the (2 conductor ) back-up light cable where it exits the engine pan -- leaving half attached to the 14 pin connector and the other half still connected to the transmission. Where I cut the cable, I marked the wires and put spade connectors -- so I wouldn't forget where they went! I then sent the transmission out for rebuilding with it’s half of the cable attached to it – leaving the other half in the car.

The re-builder disconnected the transmission’s half of the cable and sent it back separately. It was just lying on top of the transmission. I put this ‘half’ of the cable (bullet connectors on one end -- my spade connectors on the other) on my parts bench... and forgot all about it.

Soooo... when I started putting the engine back in the car, I discovered the ‘half’ of the 2 conductor cable from the 14 pin connector – but not the other ‘half’ that they connected to. The reason, I didn’t find the corresponding ‘half’ of the cable is because it was still on the bench -- forgotten. And if the two wires therein were conversing with each other, they were certainly saying, ‘Boy, is this guy dumb!”

So there’s an awful lot of verbiage to relate something so mundane, but you did ask the question! ;-)

pmax · pmax's Garage

Alright, the mystery is solved !

patkeefe · 08-04-2019, 04:49 PM

Makes sense now. You cut the wires. I think they go to the middle of the 14 pin? I don't remember...I have no backup lights nor 14 pin connector.

piscator · 08-04-2019, 05:11 PM

Pmax & Pat,

Hurray for Ivan! The second I saw the photo he posted, my brain flashed a 'photo' of the half-wire on the bench. Prior to that, the splice, wire marking, all that I had done previously was a total blank in my memory. One of those strange mind phenomena!

No work today, I took my mom to lunch. But I'm looking forward to getting back at it in the morning!

I'm not that good at smiles, but in honor of you guys, Ivan, and our successful outcome, allow me the privilege to offer...

As always, thanks for your generous help!