[Josh_Gordon]

Hey guys, Ive got a few wiring problems going on in my 68 mustang coupe. I was hoping that any of you might have an insight into whats happening.

The last owner of the car had an electrical fire happen in the car in the steering column when he was driving it. it melted the steering wheel and it fell off and burned the carpet. as a result i now have no head lights, tail lights, brake lights, blinkers, radio, cigarette lighter or horn . but i do have park lights, map lights, door jam lights, wipers, interior lights. :sadcry:

I have taken the dash pad off and all the trim, im left with this ugly gold metal housing with a bunch of wires. Any idea where to start?

 

[bubbamace]

Hey guys, Ive got a few wiring problems going on in my 68 mustang coupe. I was hoping that any of you might have an insight into whats happening.

The last owner of the car had an electrical fire happen in the car in the steering column when he was driving it. it melted the steering wheel and it fell off and burned the carpet. as a result i now have no head lights, tail lights, brake lights, blinkers, radio, cigarette lighter or horn . but i do have park lights, map lights, door jam lights, wipers, interior lights. :sadcry:

I have taken the dash pad off and all the trim, im left with this ugly gold metal housing with a bunch of wires. Any idea where to start?

Hi Josh. If your 68 is like my 66, a lot of your wiring goes through the steering column such as turn signals, horn etc. Your headlamp circuit along with your brake lights are all in that area. You will need to order some new wiring harnesses and a manual that shows all the color codes on your wiring. That way you can trace the burnt wires by color. Good luck.:yup:

 

[rex1965]

There is a wiring diagram at the top of this forum with the colors of the wires, just print it off. Then I would try to identify the burned or melted wires if possible, this will give you a clue to what wires need to be replaced and what they power. Brake lights, blinkers, and horn go in the steering column, headlights, taillights, radio, and cigarette lighter do not. First check all your fuses, not only for whether it is blown or not, but that it is also the correct type and current rating. If you decide to use crimpers and butt splice connectors to make your repairs, I recommend a crimper that dimples the connector, not the ones that like flatten it out, in addition, I twist the coppers strands of the wire before I insert it into the connector prior to crimping, this makes a tighter crimp, and does not come apart as easily as one with the wire strands straight. I'm pretty old fashioned, I like soldering the wires and heat shrink tubing or electrical tape. Good Luck.

 

[Josh_Gordon]

There is a wiring diagram at the top of this forum with the colors of the wires, just print it off. Then I would try to identify the burned or melted wires if possible, this will give you a clue to what wires need to be replaced and what they power. Brake lights, blinkers, and horn go in the steering column, headlights, taillights, radio, and cigarette lighter do not. First check all your fuses, not only for whether it is blown or not, but that it is also the correct type and current rating. If you decide to use crimpers and butt splice connectors to make your repairs, I recommend a crimper that dimples the connector, not the ones that like flatten it out, in addition, I twist the coppers strands of the wire before I insert it into the connector prior to crimping, this makes a tighter crimp, and does not come apart as easily as one with the wire strands straight. I'm pretty old fashioned, I like soldering the wires and heat shrink tubing or electrical tape. Good Luck.

Thank you, yea i have redone the wiring from the front bumper to the firewall and my neighbor who is a mechanic for the city of vancouver here has a bunch of supplies he has given me, i have the crimpers you are refering too and your right, they hold a lot better than my cheap ones. the thing is i am missing the cover thing that goes on the steering column behind the steeringwheel. and all the wiring running to the wheel has been cut off. 12 wires or so. luckily there is a guy selling steering columns on my local craigslist for 150 bucks each. Should i buy one from him maybe because getting the cover would be difficult and then just plug the column's wiring into my harness via the one big connector?

Here is a link to the steering colmns, i have a black shelby interior so id get the black colmn. 1968, 69 Mustang steering columns - $150 (Langley)

Thanks! :bigthumbsup

 

[gizmo.7000]

It also sounds like the car had an electrical issue that may have caused a fuse on a particular circuit that runs through the steering column to blow.

Somebody may have put a larger rated fuse in...and this may have caused the electrical fire.

Go through all the fuses with the manual and make sure they are the correct amperage/rating.

You don't want to re-do all that work for it to happen again!

 

[Josh_Gordon]

It also sounds like the car had an electrical issue that may have caused a fuse on a particular circuit that runs through the steering column to blow.

Somebody may have put a larger rated fuse in...and this may have caused the electrical fire.

Go through all the fuses with the manual and make sure they are the correct amperage/rating.

You don't want to re-do all that work for it to happen again!

Thanks! i never thought about that! ill make sure that i check them tomorrow when i start work on it :bounce2: