Prodigious

I'm tired of having four switches and a button in my car and I want things done in a cleaner more professional way. Currently (and ever since my car's purchase) it's ignition switch/keyhole does not do anything at all. I have one switch that the previous owner claimed was for "electrical" although it does not seem to do anything at all. One switch for the fuel pump, one switch for each radiator fan, and then a button to start the car. The PO actually had told me I needed to use the fuel pump and "electrical" switch to start the car, but as I said the "electrical" one does not seem to do anything and the car will start, run, drive, and otherwise function completely without it. I would like to get rid of all of these switches and the button and restore functionality to the key. I want my fans to come on with the key also. How would I go about doing all of these things in a correct manner?

paulo57509

Get a factory service manual. Get both the big book and the electrical supplement.

Pick up a DVM and learn how to use it.

Don't start ripping out the offending switches and wires until you identify what each is/was supposed to do. Do not skip this step.

Once the switches and wires are gone, expect to fix whatever those switches and wires were supposed to fix.

Keep notes; write down stuff.

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

Good advice.

However even without the FSM, you can start with the basics:

Find the wires that have been butchered. Remove all the butchery, and hook them back up like they came. (red to red, green to green, ... it's not rocket surgery or anything, just electricity) Then once you have all the sodomy undone, all ya gotta do is, troubleshoot the defective component the PO hacked his way around. Might wanna start with anything that looks burned up or frayed. Ign sw, fusible link, neutral safety sw, whatever it might be; it's MUCH easier to figure out what's NOT doing its job, when EVERYTHING ELSE around it, IS doing its job.

Prodigious

I have a Haynes manual for my car, however I don't have the extra electrical one. The fan switches were actually wired in by me to temporarily replace a malfunctioning fan controller the PO had in the car. The normal wiring for my fans seems to be totally gone, the only wiring left of them is what is coming directly out of the fan motors. I know my neutral safety switch works because I once tested it by trying to start the car in gear. My guess is that either the fuel pump wiring was jacked up and he didn't want to fix it or the ignition switch was. Although it's hard to say because my car was an engine swap car, it went from a 305 TPI to a 355 TPI and simultaneously had all of its emissions torn out. Literally all of it except for my disabled smog pump that I haven't bought an idler pulley for yet.

My only worry is that if I tear out all the switches and hook everything back up in its normal location is something going wrong and me being without a car, because sadly at the moment this is my only ride. Hopefully not much longer though.

Aside from this though, what would be the simplest, safest, and cleanest way for me to wire the fans to come on at startup and do away with the switches? I think that since I know where all of my current wiring goes and runs for the fans that this should be the first part of this task I tackle.

If it's of any importance though, none of the fuses in my fuse box are blown and they all seem to be there.

I think what I would like to do is get my ignition switch working again and wire a relay for my fans and another one for my fuel pump into the ignition switch so that way they both activate when the key hits the run position. I'll just see if I can't figure out how to hook my ignition switch back up and then if it works.

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

The way the factory wired them.

The whole last paragraph you wrote is A GIANT MISTAKE. All that does, is perpetuate the PO's hacks, and hack some more of your own hacks on top of it. Won't "fix" A DAMN THING.

Put it back like it came from the factory.

I only mentioned the NSS as a case in point; not necessarily something you have to mess with. It's just, something POs often seem to have disturbed, for reasons not known to me.

Just put it back FACTORY.

Smog pump has very little wiring; just because it's missing, isn't an excuse to pile hacks on top of hacks on top of hacks.

I would almost bet MONEY that all the original wiring for your fans is still there; just buried somewhere. If it's not, the ends probably still are, and all you have to do, is supply the chunk of wire that goes between the ends. IOW, find the {fill in the blank color} at the fan motor, and the same {fill in the blank color} at the relay area, and replace what goes in between. Same for the temp switch in the head. Same for the wires around the ign sw. Same for all the rest.

DON'T hallucinate that it's EVER going to be any better or more reliable than it is, by just hacking on it some more.

paulo57509

I think hacked wiring is the single biggest reason these cars end up in the junk pile.

The second biggest reason is that no one takes the time to figure out how the dang thing works....which leads to hacking.

Kudos to those who feel they can save these cars from certain electrical death. May the amperage be with you.

Prodigious

Fair point about the reliability thing and also for the other reply saying that most of the reason these cars end up in junkyards is due to hacked up wiring. I will plan to either set it up back to factory and turn the fans on earlier in the prom or leave the car as is for a while because I'm currently playing around with the idea of ls swapping the car and using a new painless wiring harness. We will see how that plan goes soon enough, but for now thank you guys for your advice. Especially you sofa, you have helped me out a lot in several threads I've started.