Wiring is definitely one of those things that many really don’t like when it comes to classic cars. Dare I say, they may HATE wiring and electrical work. What if I told you that it really isn’t all that hard and can be learned. The truth is that it isn’t particularly hard as long as you start at the beginning and take it one step at a time. I’m going to show you how to handle one of the most important parts of this process, reading and understanding a wiring diagram. Let’s dig in and talk about how to read a wiring diagram so that you can see how it works!
It all starts with having the right kind of guide to start with, the most common for classic car owners are the Haynes and Chilton Repair Manuals. They have maintenance and overhaul steps for everything on the car, including wiring diagrams! These are a great place to start and will give you the necessary information to start troubleshooting. My personal favorite is the factory service manuals when you can find them for your car. I’m using the factory manuals wiring section for part of this demonstration.
Need a manual? Start here! Factory Service Manual
After that understanding the electrical symbols is the next step, I go over those in the video. From there you can begin to work your way through your electrical systems to find where the problem lies. In classic cars, the issue can be anything from previous repairs, modifications and broken or loose connections. I created a checklist so that you can easily keep track of where you are headed to find the issue. Finding the issue is really a matter of starting at the battery or known location and working your way along the circuit until you find the source of the problem.
Here’s a link to the checklist I created for electrical troubleshooting! snowfamilyracing.com/electrical-checklist-sign-up
Here’s some links to stuff I like to use! These are affiliate links and I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.
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