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04-19-2017, 05:09 PM | #1 |
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Cleaning up old electrical wires
Okay fellows, I need your help again. (Not unusual. LOL)
I am trying to clean up old wires to determine color patterns in order to tell what goes where. Dirty wires are common to the hobby don't you know. What is the best solution to use? Some pretty bad, others not so bad.
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04-19-2017, 05:11 PM | #2 |
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Re: Cleaning up old electrical wires
Lawson,
Did you get your horn problem fixed???
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04-19-2017, 05:32 PM | #3 |
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Re: Cleaning up old electrical wires
I've had trouble with the same thing and sometimes it is very hard. First off I guess I would ask if your sure you really need to know the color coding? If you are replacing it, it goes end to end and the wiring diagrams will give you what the color should be. You can try wetting the wires with water or thin oil and looking for a protected section that's not quite so faded.
What are you trying to accomplish, replace one wire at a time or install a new harness? |
04-19-2017, 06:04 PM | #4 |
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Re: Cleaning up old electrical wires
If they are cloth covered wires, the colors tend to fade out over time. Rhode Island Wire coats their wire with lacquer so it will last longer but I haven't seen any others that do that. I use heat shrinkable markers on the ends for aircraft wire. They don't use color coding in aviation. They mark a number code on it that corresponds with the wiring diagrams.
On the old cars I make my own wiring diagrams since the OEM ones are lacking in certain information. At lease that way I have a better idea what wires go where. |
04-19-2017, 07:30 PM | #5 |
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Re: Cleaning up old electrical wires
Still working on it, trying to bring out colors to trace wires easier.
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Life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer to the end, the faster it goes. It is better to be seen, than viewed. "We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm". Last edited by Lawson Cox; 04-19-2017 at 07:41 PM. |
04-19-2017, 07:36 PM | #6 | |
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Re: Cleaning up old electrical wires
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Quote:
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Life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer to the end, the faster it goes. It is better to be seen, than viewed. "We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm". |
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04-19-2017, 07:39 PM | #7 | |
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Re: Cleaning up old electrical wires
Quote:
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Life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer to the end, the faster it goes. It is better to be seen, than viewed. "We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm". |
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04-19-2017, 07:53 PM | #8 |
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Re: Cleaning up old electrical wires
I found that having a wiring diagram with the original wire color codes was a great help to me. As roto mentioned, the colors certainly fade over time. However, if I know that the horn wire is blue with a white tracer, for instance, I can easily distinguish it from the headlight wiring which may be solid green. It is all relative. In addition, knowing where the connections are supposed to run often helped with the process.
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04-19-2017, 07:54 PM | #9 |
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Re: Cleaning up old electrical wires
I have had a little luck with spraying the old faded wire with lacquer to bring out the colors
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04-19-2017, 08:03 PM | #10 |
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Re: Cleaning up old electrical wires
Have you tried cutting part of the wire loom back?
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04-19-2017, 08:54 PM | #11 |
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Re: Cleaning up old electrical wires
Lawson,
You should be able to use a wire tracker ( tone generator ) to find your short, I believe Home depot stocks the Ideal brand unit. Here is a generic brand one on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ADHQCIO?psc=1#Ask Just remember to disconnect your battery first, (I don't think there is a horn relay that would need to be powered on your truck). Regards, Brian |
04-19-2017, 09:04 PM | #12 |
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Re: Cleaning up old electrical wires
Lawson, do you know what a "short" is ? Have you fixed your horn problem yet ? You don't need to trace your wire colours but just do some testing with a test light or multimeter. Where are you up to with this ? Is your horn rod and button OK or not. Regards, Kevin.
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04-19-2017, 09:22 PM | #13 |
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Re: Cleaning up old electrical wires
Kevin
An old lawyer NEVER lets you know what he is up to. Bruce
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04-19-2017, 09:35 PM | #14 | |
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Re: Cleaning up old electrical wires
Quote:
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04-19-2017, 10:28 PM | #15 |
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Re: Cleaning up old electrical wires
Lawson, Yes very true what Bruce said in post #13 about old lawyers. Stretching the job out so as to charge more for the time. You are beating around the bush with this simple horn problem. Need to separate the systems and pinpoint the problem, so do this check now. You already have the headlight switch disconnected from the bottom of the steering column. Look into the top end of the switch and note the centre brass spring loaded round contact, which is where the horn rod end makes contact. Take a short length of wire (jumper wire ) and touch one end of it on to that brass contact and then connect the other end of the wire to ground bare clean metal on the chassis or engine block. The horn should then blow. Just do that and NOTHING ELSE and report back pronto the test results and then we can go on from there. Forget tracing wiring and working out the bloody colours which is only complicating the problem for you. We need to fix this this year. LOL. Regards, Kevin.
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04-19-2017, 10:56 PM | #16 | |
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Re: Cleaning up old electrical wires
Quote:
The only thing I know about electricity is that it will hurt you or make you hurt yourself. The only thing I know about wiring is sending a Telegram. (See how outdated I am) That's why I am totally skinning my ignorance here and asking for help from those that are far more knowledgeable. I have tried Kevin's jumper wire suggestion but NO HORN, I am not sure I made good contact. Have to take the little lady to the doctor tomorrow, but will re-test it after we get home, and report back. I'm not beating around the bush, by the way. I have to find a bush first. Thanks for all your help. Big time. Hard to teach an old dog new tricks, so I appreciate your patience. Lawson
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Life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer to the end, the faster it goes. It is better to be seen, than viewed. "We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm". Last edited by Lawson Cox; 04-19-2017 at 11:12 PM. |
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04-20-2017, 01:37 AM | #17 |
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Re: Cleaning up old electrical wires
Lawson, You need to make sure your jumper wire test has good connection to ground, ie CLEAN METAL. If still not working then remove the horn cover by taking out the centre screw and pry cover off and then with a test light (you do have one don't you ?) connect between ground and either one of the wires on the connecting block inside the horn. Just one of these connector terminals should light up your test light. Test your test light directly across the battery to make sure IT IS WORKING. Report back. Tell your Mrs to get herself to the doctor. Old Fords more important. Regards, Kevin.
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04-21-2017, 05:34 PM | #18 |
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Re: Cleaning up old electrical wires
Look into the top end of the switch and note the centre brass spring loaded round contact, which is where the horn rod end makes contact. Take a short length of wire (jumper wire ) and touch one end of it on to that brass contact and then connect the other end of the wire to ground bare clean metal on the chassis or engine block. The horn should then blow. Just do that and NOTHING ELSE and report back pronto the test results and then we can go on from there.
Okay. I have done that, and the horn does blow. Only one horn though, but I know how to fix THAT. Next ?
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Life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer to the end, the faster it goes. It is better to be seen, than viewed. "We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm". Last edited by Lawson Cox; 04-21-2017 at 10:35 PM. |
04-21-2017, 07:01 PM | #19 |
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Re: Cleaning up old electrical wires
Yea Lawson!
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04-22-2017, 03:28 AM | #20 |
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Re: Cleaning up old electrical wires
Lawson, Good boy !! Next is to test the horn rod and button circuit. You have a multimeter ? If so set the dial to ohms X ONE or the continuity test with the beeper. Touch both meter leads together to test meter is working. One meter test lead connected to the outside metal tube of the horn rod. The other test lead connected to the contact on the bottom of the horn rod tube. Press the horn button and a reading should occur on the meter or the beeper sounds. If it does this then the horn rod is OK.. If no reading on the meter then there is an open circuit (a break in the connection ) inside the horn rod or a bad contact up the top at the horn button contacts. Test this and report back. Regards, Kevin.
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