Yes, its true, I have to make another post on this board about ignition problems.

You guys have been extraordinary in helping me solve my problems thus far.
We've worked through my initial ignition problems, wiring all sorts of lights, restoring functionality around my car.

Unfortunately, its time to make a decision regarding the harness.
I was left stranded tonight because my car wouldn't start, and I want this to be the last time it happens (at least because of electrical issues).

During my lunch break at work, I installed an electroluminescent strip along the underside of my dash. None of the installation of this involved fiddling with ignition-related wiring or components, but at one point I did have to push the main section of the harness around a bit, and I did tug on it once or twice lightly. Now my car wont start. I have walked through the solution of every previous problem, and this does not match those.

Normally I would be fine with just troubleshooting this problem and making repairs like all the other times, but now i'm starting to wonder just how safe it is to be driving a car that has finicky high-voltage connections, ones that become disconnected because of a slight nudge...

I need this car to run. My current plan of action is just to buy a new wiring harness and forget about wasting time chasing down electrical grimlins and making shoddy repair jobs on something that in all honesty just needs to be replaced.

I would appreciate your guys's thoughts on this, and even if you don't agree with my decision to replace the harness, I would appreciate any information you can give me on how to go about purchasing one or where I should look.

Thank you again for your time and consideration

-Andres H.

 

You probably have a loose connector on the back of the ignition switch, but, as you have considered, there are about a thousand other places where there could be a problem.

If it were me, I'd find the problem and fix it - still probably less trouble than replacing a whole harness.
I'd also carry enough wire in the car to hotwire it and get home, should the need arise.

- Eric

 

Now that im not freezing trying to figure the problem out at 3 AM miles from home >< I'm just going to make a straight connection from the battery terminal on the back of the ignition switch to the junction block, because it sounds like the solenoid is engaging; it's just not getting any current.

 

Food for thought.


Since you think there is a problem with the under dash harness I'll share a problem I once found on a Pontiac. The car was less than a year old and intermittently everything electrical would go dead.


With the top of the dash off I moved the harness and found a small arc mark on a metal brace. There was a pinhole in the harness wrap and under it was a main power feed. The fix was to re-wrap the insulation and relocate the harness so it wasn't rubbing on the sharp metal brace.

 

If the solenoid is engaging but the starter isn't turning, you could have a bad solenoid. Usually this is just a buggered up contact disk - you disassemble the solenoid, remove the disk, flip it over to the unused side, and reinstall it. Also clean up the contacts it connects with. Of course, you could also replace it, but a modern replacement might not be as high quality as an OEM part.

Other things to check are the heavy wire from the positive terminal to the starter - easy for corrosion at any point to do this - all connections should shine, and there should be no green crud where the wires are crimped to the connectors. Same goes for the ground wire, and it should be connected to the block, not the body. The block should have a ground strap connecting it to the body, at the back, screwed into one of the tapped hoes in the head.
Also, the battery terminals themselves must be clean and shiny.

I'd check all that stuff before getting involved with the harness.

- Eric

 

Andres, your problem will be finding a harness. Any harness you get from a junker is liable to be in as bad shape or worse, and a new one will be a custom job ($$$$$$) because none of the normal Olds repro houses have it. You'll have to go thru somewhere like Rhode Island Wiring Service http://www.riwire.com/ or M&H Electric Fabricators http://www.wiringharness.com/ .

Then there's the fun of installing it.

I think you're capable of making a permanent professional repair. It may involve replacing sections of wire but with a shop manual, wiring diagram, and a good tutor like Rob, no reason you can't make this fix.

Here's something else to try before you go tearing into it. Whack the starter lightly with a "suitable" tool (BFH if you have one). Sounds like the starter may have given up and sometimes a well placed whack will get it to spin over enough to start the car and get you home or somewhere you can work on it.

Sometimes I think an old car can tell when someone has it who will spend a little money and time on it and all these weirdass problems will show up. They'll drive you crazy, but for a lot of us, making it work as designed is part of the fun. But most of us aren't depending on our old cantankerous car for daily transport either.

Just don't get discouraged.

 

alright i will take another crack on it tomorrow.
I'm just so certain that its a problem with the harness under the dash because until i tugged on that slightly, everything was working perfectly. I've checked all the connections and they seem fine....I just don't kno whats up.
I am trying to stay positive about this, I know that I will get it fixed i just haven't figured it our yet. Thanks for your help guys.

 

Never be certain about anything. Stuff that was absolutely 100% obvious sometimes turns out to be something entirely different.

I'd just carry dikes, stripper, and enough wire, connectors, and tape, to hotwire any problem that might arise, and wait for it to rear its head again.

I'd also think about checking out that starter and solenoid, and those starter wires.

- Eric

 

Fixed. Removed starter from car to have it tested, came back clean. But when I went to reinstall the starter from the car, I noticed the power wire which attaches to the solenoid was frayed on the side that I couldn't see, and was making contact with the engine, causing a short circuit.



booyah

 

 

Boy, I keep telling you- you'll be old car people before you know it!

I remember you saying early on that part of the rationale behind you getting an old car was for you to learn how to work on it. Electrical skills are always good to learn.

Great job.

 

It seems that the frayed power wire is not the problem, as I have been having problems on and off for a while. It would seem that there is some sort of loose connection somewhere, although I have tightened each nut on the solenoid with pliers, and sanded all connections. Tugging on the starter power wire slightly is the only thing which fixes it when it wont start...I have completely unwrapped that wire and it has no breaks, the connections at both ends are solid...will keep tugging it to fix it temporarily but I wish it would just work you kno?

 

Sounds like a bad solenoid. Follow MDchanics solenoid advise. or buy a new one.

 

No. I must be misreading that.

Sounds like you need to follow the problem.
First question is "What else moves when you tug on the heavy starter wire?"
Answers probably include the positive battery terminal, the solenoid terminal, and possibly other wires that are resting against the heavy wire near the starter.

Next question is "Am I absolutely sure that the big wire has continuity all the time, even though it seems to?"
To test this, I'd disconnect it from the starter and attach it to a meter or test light, and see if you can make it flicker by jiggling it in its exact operating position - if you take it out of the car, it might affect an intermittent connection, so you want it right where it is to test it.

Next question: "Could it be the solenoid?"
Now that the big wire is off, might as well drop the starter and take apart the solenoid to be sure you don't have some sort of an intermittent in there.

You never know what you'll find.

- Eric