School me on wiring

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BigBlockMopar28

BigBlockMopar28

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Not sure if this kind of post is allowed, but here it goes. I have very very basic understanding when it comes to wiring and such. Ive wired a LED headlight to a go kart with a switch and a small battery, thats about it. Pretty soon i'll need to get my headlights, tailights, ignition, fuel pump, etc wired up and i have absolutely no idea what im doing. So if you guys have any tips or tricks for a beginner it would be greatly appreciated. I realize that i need to research elsewhere to figure it out completely but i thought this would be a good place to start. Thanks in advance
 
BigBlockMopar28 said:
Not sure if this kind of post is allowed, but here it goes. I have very very basic understanding when it comes to wiring and such. Ive wired a LED headlight to a go kart with a switch and a small battery, thats about it. Pretty soon i'll need to get my headlights, tailights, ignition, fuel pump, etc wired up and i have absolutely no idea what im doing. So if you guys have any tips or tricks for a beginner it would be greatly appreciated. I realize that i need to research elsewhere to figure it out completely but i thought this would be a good place to start. Thanks in advance
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Lets see, no nudes and no phone numbers. Your probably good on the post. LOL
But to get any good info you will need to provide a bit more yourself. What are you working on? Are you starting with a factory harness? If so, what do you want to change?
 
I have a /6 harness i was given to use on my 318. Guy that gave it to me used a /6 harness on a 440. Said it was pretty straightforward but then again, how would i know. Lol
 
Very first thing is to get a test light and a volt/ohm meter.
The test light is the kind you ground with a clip and touch wires with so it lights when touching a positive voltage source.
The volt/ohm meter tells you how much power is available and what the resistance of a circuit is.
Then there is continuity, which is testing to make sure there is a connection between one place and another and the volt/ohm meter also does this.
 
74 dart, 318, possibly using a /6 harness? Msd 6al, some kind of aftermarket fuel pump, havent decided yet. Factory lights and gauges, just the basic stuff to get the car running
 
BigBlockMopar28 said:
74 dart, 318, possibly using a /6 harness? Msd 6al, some kind of aftermarket fuel pump, havent decided yet. Factory lights and gauges, just the basic stuff to get the car running
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Fuel pump is very basic, power supply from battery to relay. Power from relay to pump. Ground wires to chassis. Then a signal wire to relay. Either a 12v switch or a keyed hot. Msd box just as simple. Will have wire diagram on back of box.



Before you start anything google about relays and fuses. You are going to want to use relays and inline fuses when ever possible.
 
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I second whitepunkonnitro. Im not a fan of the "simple" aftermarket one "one size fits all" wiring kits. Either find some non-boogered factory harnesses or good repop harnesses. They will virtually drop into place. Adding an electric fuel pump and aftermarket guages is a breeze to add onto.
 
If you decide to go the factory harness route get yourself the original schematics. Easy to find online. Everything is color coded including different options. Let's say you get a dash harness. A cheap trick is to get a 4x8 sheet of peg board and strech and hang the harness. Between that and the schematic it's a breeze to figure out.
 
Find a good book. That's much better than posting on an internet forum where no one can or ever will agree on any one subject. That's my advice and I'm stickin to it.
 
younggun2.0 said:
Fuel pump is very basic, power supply from battery to relay. Power from relay to pump. Ground wires to chassis. Then a signal wire to relay. Either a 12v switch or a keyed hot. Msd box just as simple. Will have wire diagram on back of box.



Before you start anything google about relays and fuses. You are going to want to use relays and inline fuses when ever possible.
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Why...why??? I have been building cars for nearly forty years, and have never, ever even once considered adding a relay to ANYTHING.
And fuses? Only when absolutely totally necessary.
Anything you add to a cars electrical system presents another potential point of failure and complication to trouble shooting issues when they do arise.
And relays... Think about this for a second.
You are taking an electrical load that can be handled with a hard wire, and transferring it to a set of contact points, which will eventually dirty from arcing and reduce the quality of the circuit you are trying to improve.
Totally counter productive
 
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Make sure you have all the basic tools required for wiring work. Multimeter, soldering iron, solder, flux, solder wick, suction bulb, heat shrink, heat gun, electrical tape, zip ties, crimping/stripping tool, diagonal cutter, and a large assortment of terminal ends/splices.
 
whitepunkonnitro said:
Why...why??? I have been building cars for nearly forty years, and have never, ever even once considered adding a relay to ANYTHING.
And fuses? Only when absolutely totally necessary.
Anything you add to a cars electrical system presents another potential point of failure and complication to trouble shooting issues when they do arise.
And relays... Think about this for a second.
You are taking an electrical load that can be handled with a hard wire, and transferring it to a set of contact points, which will eventually dirty from arcing and reduce the quality of the circuit you are trying to improve.
Totally counter productive
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Not trying to start a pissing match here but relays are
whitepunkonnitro said:
Why...why??? I have been building cars for nearly forty years, and have never, ever even once considered adding a relay to ANYTHING.
And fuses? Only when absolutely totally necessary.
Anything you add to a cars electrical system presents another potential point of failure and complication to trouble shooting issues when they do arise.
And relays... Think about this for a second.
You are taking an electrical load that can be handled with a hard wire, and transferring it to a set of contact points, which will eventually dirty from arcing and reduce the quality of the circuit you are trying to improve.
Totally counter productive
Click to expand...


It's pretty simple really, in the case of a electric fuel pump. A novice might find a keyed hot wire and simply tap into this wire to run the pump. If amp draw is too high and wire not rated for the current draw it could burn the car to the ground. Now if same wire was used to simply trigger a relay it's no problem! That's what relays are for. That's why new vehicles use them for vertually everything. It's also why ma Mopar used a starter relay. When you start adding things to a harness that wasn't designed to have it you need to take that into account
 
RustyRatRod said:
Find a good book. That's much better than posting on an internet forum where no one can or ever will agree on any one subject. That's my advice and I'm stickin to it.
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That's not true.

Sorry, I had to do that. :D
 
younggun2.0 said:
Not trying to start a pissing match here but relays are



It's pretty simple really, in the case of a electric fuel pump. A novice might find a keyed hot wire and simply tap into this wire to run the pump. If amp draw is too high and wire not rated for the current draw it could burn the car to the ground. Now if same wire was used to simply trigger a relay it's no problem! That's what relays are for. That's why new vehicles use them for vertually everything. It's also why ma Mopar used a starter relay. When you start adding things to a harness that wasn't designed to have it you need to take that into account
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Not to mention lightening the amp loads and wear on the OE switches that are getting harder to replace.
Or shifting an electrically shifted transmission that these cars never had before.
Or having brighter safer lighting.
Or
Or
 
1. Similarly to what everyone already said - a multimeter and a test light will be all you need in 90% of the time. With a multimeter you can test if two wires have continuity, if a wire has power, if a wire is grounded, the current through a circuit - learn how to use one.
2. An understanding of Ohms law will help with some of the less "on/off"-y things (Fuel sending units, ballast resistors, temp sensors)
3. Learn the electrical components (relays, solenoids, ignition coils if you're feeling ambitious)
 
Best advice ever think about it like water going through valve to a ground, and I have and I have a masters in avionics,
 
You can buy all the schematics in the frikkin world, but if you don't know how to read them, you're lost. The factory service manual, while I agree you need, will not TEACH you a damn thing regarding technique. You need some good publications for that.
 
whitepunkonnitro said:
... never, ever even once considered adding a relay to ANYTHING. ...
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Are you the guy who wired my 64 Valiant? As bought, someone had wired an electric radiator fan directly to the ignition switch, with NO RELAY. I had to hot-wire it to drive it home.

My advice is read the many, many posts here. youtube and wikipedia until you at least understand what "voltage difference" and "current" mean. Get a free w/ coupon multimeter at Harbor Freight. You can download wiring schematics free from links here. Some are very pictoral. No knowledge needed, just put your finger on a wire and trace it thru. Note they give color and wire gage to help you.
 
RustyRatRod said:
You can buy all the schematics in the frikkin world, but if you don't know how to read them, you're lost. The factory service manual, while I agree you need, will not TEACH you a damn thing regarding technique. You need some good publications for that.
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I threw all that out there because Del's not here, just pickin up the slack until he returns!! See Del, somebody was listnin!!! :)
 
I have all the good tools....I've read books...I've watched videos. ..etc...
When I rewired my Cuda, I still came here begging for help! LOL
Thank god for this forum. ....and Krazy Kuda helped me a ton....

All I can say to the op is get in there and gives it your best....and don't be shy to ask lots of questions here....they'll get you through it.
I asked a LOT of dumb questions. .....but everything works now!

Jeff
 
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