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64 Cutlass: Wire from ignition to kill switch started to melt. Help!
Hi all. Went for a drive today and stopped for gas. Topped up and went to start the car but nothing happened, no cranking, nothing. Kept trying and eventually saw a puff of smoke come out from under the dash. Reached under and felt the plastic sheath on one of the wires super hot to the touch. Fast forward, I managed to get it started and drove back home and snapped this photo.
What you're seeing here is the ignition circled in orange. The highlighted yellow wire is the one that got super hot, to the point of the sheathing melting onto the adjacent wires (red and black) next to it. The highlighted yellow wire runs to a kill switch which in turn, connects the non-highlighted yellow wire to the purple.
I'm all very new to this car stuff and was hoping someone can explain what's happening here and how I can solve this problem. Please and thanks!
Well, it appears that your fundamental problem is that whoever installed that kill switch used too small a wire gauge. The purple wire runs from the ignition switch to the neutral safety switch, and from there to the "S" terminal on the starter. This carries a lot of current and that factory purple wire is 12 gauge. The yellow wire that is spliced to the purple wire appears to be heavy gauge (though there is no way to know how much of that diameter is copper and how much is plastic insulation). The wire running from the kill switch back to the ignition switch appears to be smaller, though that may be an optical illusion due to your red line. By the way, the exposed terminal where the purple wire meets the yellow one is a REALLY bad idea. That could also cause a short, which could cause the wire to overheat. All in all, I'm underwhelmed at the workmanship here.
The portion of the circuit that the kill switch operates (kills) can be jumpered under the hood. The switch is really not going to stop the car from being stolen, I would return the wiring back to stock and not worry about burning up the harness.
The portion of the circuit that the kill switch operates (kills) can be jumpered under the hood. The switch is really not going to stop the car from being stolen, I would return the wiring back to stock and not worry about burning up the harness.
You and I know that, but I'm willing to bet that most car thieves today wouldn't have a clue as to how to hot wire a 1960s car (despite the fact that it is incredibly easy). Heck, most of these clowns steal a 1969-up car with a slide hammer and screwdriver. Having to deal with wiring would make their head explode.
Well, it appears that your fundamental problem is that whoever installed that kill switch used too small a wire gauge. The purple wire runs from the ignition switch to the neutral safety switch, and from there to the "S" terminal on the starter. This carries a lot of current and that factory purple wire is 12 gauge. The yellow wire that is spliced to the purple wire appears to be heavy gauge (though there is no way to know how much of that diameter is copper and how much is plastic insulation). The wire running from the kill switch back to the ignition switch appears to be smaller, though that may be an optical illusion due to your red line. By the way, the exposed terminal where the purple wire meets the yellow one is a REALLY bad idea. That could also cause a short, which could cause the wire to overheat. All in all, I'm underwhelmed at the workmanship here.
That being said, does it explain why nothing would happen when I tried to crank the engine? Could there have been a possible short somewhere along the way?
That being said, does it explain why nothing would happen when I tried to crank the engine? Could there have been a possible short somewhere along the way?
This is exactly the wire that gets powered when you crank the starter. If that exposed terminal were grounded when you cranked it, it both explains the heating and the no-start.
September 19th, 2018, 05:46 PM
