Corvette C3 Forum 1968 through 1982

79 electrical problems

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  #1  
Old 01-03-2012, 09:31 PM
maverick7952's Avatar
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Default 79 electrical problems

My wife and i purchased a beautiful 79 vette and have had nothing but eletrical problems, mainly due to the previous owner splicing wires and not caring. due to this the radio barely works, we have no windshield wipers, and the guages only work when they want to. are there manuals or places to purchase new harnesses for? any information would be great. Thanks. Mike
 
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Old 01-04-2012, 12:17 PM
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There are several manuals that include wiring diagrams,those printed by Helms are good.
Most vette specialists Corvette Central,Ecklers, Mid America,Zip,and others sell wiring looms. A loom change is a lot of work requiring a lot of disassembly. There are several suppliers that sell connectors like those in the car,this can be an option allowing you to build small sections of looms to cure problems without having to take the whole car apart.
Good Luck! Wiring problems can be a headache!
 
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Old 01-27-2012, 08:16 PM
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maverick7952: Welcome to the forum.

Another great reference source is an Assembly Instruction Manual (AIM).

Hope you find all the gremlins. Nothing worse than a "bubba" wiring job. I always recommend soldering all connections/connectors.
 
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Old 02-05-2012, 02:48 PM
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Hello Maverick,
I had all kinds of similar problems when I first purchased my 74.
Best move for me was to purchase and install a Painless wire harness kit.
The harness for the engine compartment was easy to install and the under dash harness took the most time.
End result no more electrical problems.
Remember your Vet's wiring is 34 years old and you have to assume your going to have some problems from age and previous owners screwing around.
Good luck,
Schoon
 
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Old 02-25-2012, 10:28 PM
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My experinces resurrecting this beast(78 Vette),DO NOT take your battery grounds for granted,for any electrical component mounted here. Since the firewall is fiberglass a non-conductive the grounds to complete the electrical circuit are wired to the componet rather than from the mounting surface. That means make sure you have negative ground to your wiper motor.
 
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