Couple of things that should seem obvious but..............

Post by **Greg D** » October 21, 2007, 3:49 pm

I'm a pretty picky detail oriented person. Especially when I work on one of my toys. I will literally let it sit waiting for weeks or longer rather than do a job less than perfect.
With that being said, I was surprised to start my Uni yesterday and have the Generator light stay on! I started checking things (the generator was working fine and so was the regulator??) so I needed find another issue. My next thought was the 45 year old wiring which is actually in surprisingly good shape. Turns out the harness from the generator to the regulator had come loose from a wiring clip and rubbed against the crank pulley and cut 2 of the wires. I repaired them and the truck is fine now. I also tightened the clips that hold the harness (which I had missed when I assembled the truck). It pays to take your time (some of you will remember why the assembly had to be rushed) and double check all of the details.
I have also had some very good luck with the wiring by taking the time to gently pull apart all of the connectors, clean them up good (hand cleaner works great for cleaning wires etc.) and reassemble them with some dielectric grease also using it on bulb sockets. This also makes them much easier to deal with if you have to take one apart later on, it also cuts down on the corrosion that happens in electrical connectors. Make sure you re wrap all of the looms with electrical tape like they were when new, it's worth it to protect them. Make sure all of the rubber grommets that where the wires pass through the frame are in place like they should be also. If they are there but just popped out you will sometimes have to cut a slit in them to get them back in because they dry out over time.

Slick Fan · Post by **Slick Fan** » October 21, 2007, 10:53 pm

At least it was an easy fix.

You know...if it was a new car, a problem like that could have smoked the alternator, regulator, wiring harness, ignition module & main brain all in one fell swoop!

Here's to old trucks!

Phil · Post by **Phil** » October 22, 2007, 7:40 am

Slick Fan wrote:At least it was an easy fix.
You know...if it was a new car, a problem like that could have smoked the alternator, regulator, wiring harness, ignition module & main brain all in one fell swoop!

Here's to old trucks!

Yeah but you could just plug in a little box with a readout that says "I'm F'd"

Good save G

turtle1056 · Post by **turtle1056** » October 22, 2007, 11:30 am

or like in my efi conversion you could spend an entire week chasin down a no start, and eventually find the problem to be a detached wire inside a rubber enclosed glob of five soldered wires/junction in the harness that Ford hadnt soldered properly and had come apart

Gary Seymour · Post by **Gary Seymour** » October 22, 2007, 11:37 am

I cleaned a harness with go-jo type hand cleaner once, and it turned really brittle after some time.

dotcentral · Post by **dotcentral** » October 22, 2007, 11:44 am

I use "armour-all" type protectorant on these things to clean them up and hopefully add a little moisture back to the wiring and rubber/plastic connectors. It really improves the looks.

I have read that these products actually can dry them out, but not sure if there is a good product to use.

The Good Humor Man · October 22, 2007, 12:21 pm

Greg D wrote:I'm a pretty picky detail oriented person. Especially when I work on one of my toys. I will literally let it sit waiting for weeks or longer rather than do a job less than perfect.
With that being said, I was surprised to start my Uni yesterday and have the Generator light stay on! I started checking things (the generator was working fine and so was the regulator??) so I needed find another issue. My next thought was the 45 year old wiring which is actually in surprisingly good shape. Turns out the harness from the generator to the regulator had come loose from a wiring clip and rubbed against the crank pulley and cut 2 of the wires. I repaired them and the truck is fine now. I also tightened the clips that hold the harness (which I had missed when I assembled the truck). It pays to take your time (some of you will remember why the assembly had to be rushed) and double check all of the details.
I have also had some very good luck with the wiring by taking the time to gently pull apart all of the connectors, clean them up good (hand cleaner works great for cleaning wires etc.) and reassemble them with some dielectric grease also using it on bulb sockets. This also makes them much easier to deal with if you have to take one apart later on, it also cuts down on the corrosion that happens in electrical connectors. Make sure you re wrap all of the looms with electrical tape like they were when new, it's worth it to protect them. Make sure all of the rubber grommets that where the wires pass through the frame are in place like they should be also. If they are there but just popped out you will sometimes have to cut a slit in them to get them back in because they dry out over time.

Now, I am OLD, 52. My eyes are not what they use to be.... am I the only one that has a hard time reading this?
Could just be the bold print blending in together, maybe just the green...... Just wanted to let you know it is hard for my OLD eyes to read your posts.
Carl

Phil · Post by **Phil** » October 22, 2007, 1:01 pm

I use DnL and dawn dish soap to clean my harnesess and rewrap them when air dried. I'll use kerosene to get paint off the connectors.

So far no issues and the extra attention has helped me find bad spots in the harnesses

Post by **Greg D** » October 22, 2007, 6:59 pm

I have never had any issues using hand cleaner on wires. I also don't soak them with the stuff either. Back when I was a printer we used to keep rag handy that was slightly dampened with water and had a little hand cleaner mixed into it for quick ink clean ups on our hands and the machine etc. Works great for cleaning up all sorts of things also dang handy for a quick wipe off of the hands when working on stuff.

blackagatha · Post by **blackagatha** » October 22, 2007, 11:49 pm

the handcleaner on a rag is a great idea...

We got a big bucket of GOOP in the garage, apparently that stuff doesn't like being 115 + degrees. At some point, it completely liquefied and never went back together.... but it still works. strange stuff.

Has anybody ever tried Silicone spray lube to remove the crud from old wires? I have no idea if it has any cleaning properties, but it is supposedly good for most plastics/rubber.

Post by **Greg D** » October 23, 2007, 10:12 am

I'm a pretty picky detail oriented person. Especially when I work on one of my toys. I will literally let it sit waiting for weeks or longer rather than do a job less than perfect.
With that being said, I was surprised to start my Uni yesterday and have the Generator light stay on! I started checking things (the generator was working fine and so was the regulator??) so I needed find another issue. My next thought was the 45 year old wiring which is actually in surprisingly good shape. Turns out the harness from the generator to the regulator had come loose from a wiring clip and rubbed against the crank pulley and cut 2 of the wires. I repaired them and the truck is fine now. I also tightened the clips that hold the harness (which I had missed when I assembled the truck). It pays to take your time (some of you will remember why the assembly had to be rushed) and double check all of the details.
I have also had some very good luck with the wiring by taking the time to gently pull apart all of the connectors, clean them up good (hand cleaner works great for cleaning wires etc.) and reassemble them with some dielectric grease also using it on bulb sockets. This also makes them much easier to deal with if you have to take one apart later on, it also cuts down on the corrosion that happens in electrical connectors. Make sure you re wrap all of the looms with electrical tape like they were when new, it's worth it to protect them. Make sure all of the rubber grommets that where the wires pass through the frame are in place like they should be also. If they are there but just popped out you will sometimes have to cut a slit in them to get them back in because they dry out over time.

There you go Carl, I'm 49 and my peepers aren't what they used be either so I understand.

Couple of things that should seem obvious but..............

Couple of things that should seem obvious but..............

Re: Couple of things that should seem obvious but...........