new wire harness install questions

[Chuck W.]

Maybe this will help. Don't pay any attention to the color of the wires in the above photo, they are wrong. Here are the correct colors, just remember, the oil light socket has two wires, one 16 G purple goes to the sender and the other 16 G purple goes to the ignition switch coil terminal. The amp light socket also has two wires, 16 G Gray goes to the voltage regulator terminal and the other 16 G gray wire goes to the ignition switch coil terminal.  all of these sockets should have been pre-wired in your new harness.

[Chuck W.]

Also, don't be surprised if your temperature and fuel gauges don't work, it's very common on these instrument clusters. Both gauges are actually 6 volt. The fuel gauge has a mechanical oscillating voltage regulator that almost always fails and sends 12 volts to both gauges and burns them out. I am working on a fix using a solid state voltage regulator and NOS gauges, but haven't quite figured out the correct resistances yet.

[tow hook]

Maybe this will help. Don't pay any attention to the color of the wires in the above photo, they are wrong. Here are the correct colors, just remember, the oil light socket has two wires, one 16 G purple goes to the sender and the other 16 G purple goes to the ignition switch coil terminal. The amp light socket also has two wires, 16 G Gray goes to the voltage regulator terminal and the other 16 G gray wire goes to the ignition switch coil terminal.  all of these sockets should have been pre-wired in your new harness.

that helps a lot...     what is the ignition switch coil ?   i assume you mean the ign stud on the key start assembly ? seems like a lot of wire on the ignition stud ?

i have a green wire as well that comes from the ignition. that goes to the fuel gauge now, so unhook that right?
white wire from the top of the tank goes to the level sender?

[Chuck W.]

what is the ignition switch coil ?   i assume you mean the ign stud on the key start assembly ?

That is correct

i have a green wire as well that comes from the ignition. that goes to the fuel gauge now, so unhook that right?

Sounds like that is hooked up correctly

white wire from the top of the tank goes to the level sender?

White wire goes from the fuel tank level sensor to the terminal on the fuel gauge in the dash cluster.

You should have received a schematic from Walck's with your new harness showing all of this. If you didn't get it, I can make you a copy. It takes a little study, but it shows all the wires, the colors and where they go.

[tow hook]

what is the ignition switch coil ?   i assume you mean the ign stud on the key start assembly ?

That is correct

i have a green wire as well that comes from the ignition. that goes to the fuel gauge now, so unhook that right?

Sounds like that is hooked up correctly

white wire from the top of the tank goes to the level sender?

White wire goes from the fuel tank level sensor to the terminal on the fuel gauge in the dash cluster.

You should have received a schematic from Walck's with your new harness showing all of this. If you didn't get it, I can make you a copy. It takes a little study, but it shows all the wires, the colors and where they go.

ok that is all hooked up and makes scence. no i didn't get one, just a 3 page copy  main harness,  right side harness, and  and a electrical system diagram ( it does show the gauge #25 and  letters to the corresponding holes but i still had wires to the wrong place, like the wrong gray wire to the acc, that really goes to the dash gauge. once us said the double gray wire, i fixed that up... had it way wrong.

i have the gray and the purple wire on the ignition switch, the amp lite ( gray wire bulb is lit , would it be lit already ?? ) and the purple ( is not lit ) the oil light i wouldn't expect to be lite, but the purple dash lights up top are not lit with the key in the acc or run poss?

i do have a double purple to a ring term from the driver side harness that isn't hooked up yet # 16 i be leave? it goes to the light switch tail light term. that should be the last of the wires that are un hooked..

electrical diagrams are like maps i'm sure how to read one 100% as of yet

[tow hook]

ok i put #16 to the head light switch, rear tail light terminal .   purple wire with bulb, gray wire with bulb, and green wire is on the ign stud of the key switch . i had the wrong gray wire to the key switch. ( that wire was the amp wire ) i wonder if that pop the other night was the voltage regulator ? 

 please let me know if this is normal

 key is off or acc position : park lights on, dash gauge bulbs on, hi beam bulb is on

key is off  or in acc position : head lights on, dash gauge bulbs out ( with hi beams on ) dash bulbs on when hi beam is off, amp bulb goes on when head lites are on lo beam

key is run position :  amp bulb on, dash bulbs off, hi/low beam no affect

something seems odd ?


 if the world wasn't on fire i'd have the father in law over, he draws these for a living, to hard to try a decipher over the phone

[Chuck W.]

I really don't think I can do you any more good from here, it sounds like you have several wires connected incorrectly, and I can't tell you without actually looking at your harness. The head lights/dash lights/tail lights should work regardless of ignition switch position, totally independent of ignition switch, only takes power from the battery terminal of the ign switch. I would say you need to get some local help from someone who can read and understand the schematic and look at your connections.

[Chuck W.]

Here are the two schematics that I received from Walck's with my new harness, you should have received the same with yours. This should tell you all you need to know.

[Rus Curtis]

Wow, that's a lot of colors!  On my harness, there were little numbers taped on to each wire end.  This helped me identify when I was connecting.

I wonder if drawing each component and illustrating each wire (color and number) going to each stud/terminal on those components would make it any easier. 

I also would pull out my multimeter and use on some wires to verify continuity before adding electricity. 

[Chuck W.]

I put tags on each terminal of my old harness as I removed it, then laid the old and new harness side-by-side and transferred each tag to the new harness. Everything worked the first time except for the right front parking light and turn signal which I had reversed the wire colors when I rebuilt the socket - was an easy fix. But I have been doing this sort of thing for a long time, retired after 36 years with a Caterpillar dealer. I think towhook needs someone to give him a hand on site who is familiar with how to read these schematics, it can get very confusing!

[tow hook]

I really don't think I can do you any more good from here, it sounds like you have several wires connected incorrectly, and I can't tell you without actually looking at your harness. The head lights/dash lights/tail lights should work regardless of ignition switch position, totally independent of ignition switch, only takes power from the battery terminal of the ign switch. I would say you need to get some local help from someone who can read and understand the schematic and look at your connections.

thanks, and i do under stand what u mean. the dash lights are the only problem i have as of now. i'll talk to the wife and see her  dad is willing to stop over. we've only scene them for ten feet away for the last 9 months....  would you proceed with the rear harness ? or get i what i have right before putting it in ?

[tow hook]

Here are the two schematics that I received from Walck's with my new harness, you should have received the same with yours. This should tell you all you need to know.

indeed that's what i got, to bad i'm not good at reading that type of map, i just got the little sun images were bulbs at the end of the wires the other day...

[tow hook]

Wow, that's a lot of colors!  On my harness, there were little numbers taped on to each wire end.  This helped me identify when I was connecting.

I wonder if drawing each component and illustrating each wire (color and number) going to each stud/terminal on those components would make it any easier. 

I also would pull out my multimeter and use on some wires to verify continuity before adding electricity.

yep it is. i wish some of the wires had a tracer, i hooked the amp wire ( on the right side harness ) to the ign switch vs the dash amp gauge/ light  i leave the battery unhooked after each test that i run.  i've done a ton of hand drawn diagrams. hi / low switch, ign switch, head light switch, and the dash gauge....and the turn signals !!!   i have a good multi meter, how ever the operator needs better trained 

[tow hook]

I put tags on each terminal of my old harness as I removed it, then laid the old and new harness side-by-side and transferred each tag to the new harness. Everything worked the first time except for the right front parking light and turn signal which I had reversed the wire colors when I rebuilt the socket - was an easy fix. But I have been doing this sort of thing for a long time, retired after 36 years with a Caterpillar dealer. I think towhook needs someone to give him a hand on site who is familiar with how to read these schematics, it can get very confusing!

half of the old harness was missing up front, it had no head light switch , or any wires to the rear at all i'm going to stop down at blacks electrical service and see if they could go over it for me? and how much.  they did my generator, and doing my buddys 57 3b starter. family's  not keen on haven people over yet. you guys have been a great help so far. i'd like another set of eyes to look it over

[tow hook]

ok i called the place that did my generator , and they will go over my issues. 60$ per hour 3 last questions

i got 2 felt strips i the box with the harness, any clue were they go ?

tail light to the harness connection, use a butt splice ? a spade term ? and use srink tubing right

how did you hold the harness down going the frame rail ? kaiser willys sells clips i saw. the harness goes threw a frame hole in the front by the wire wall, and you run it on the top or bottom rail to the rear ?

 thanks