[DMCForum] Re: ANSWERS TO MY SEVERAL ELECTRICAL QUESTIONS

["content22207" <brobertson@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Trust me: I am intimately familiar with this part of the wiring
harness. When my headlight switch and attendant wiring burned up, I
took the opportunity to redeign some DMC weirdness. For example, why
is there a relay for 4 A/C panel bulbs, but no relay for 8 side light
bulbs? Why are the A/C panel bulbs constantly illuminated? Why is the
defroster switch constantly illuminated but the cigarette lighter bulb
tied to the headlight switch? Perhaps nowhere is the last minute
cobbled together genesis of our little silver cars any clearer than
the Red/Orange and Green/White circuits (although the genius who
forgot to redesign a spare tire well big enough for our rear wheels is
a close second).

I added a relay for the side lights. Since it had an extra terminal, I
moved A/C panel illumination to it as well (my old A/C panel relay is
now just a spare). Dash gauge illumination and the cigarette lighter
bulb are tied to it via the old Red/Orange junction (clock dimmer and
headlight/hazard switch illumination have been eliminated). My
headlight switch (which is nothing more than a hazard switch with the
headlight button transferred to it) now has only two wires: power in
and trigger out (I tied the new relay's trigger to headlight relays in
the relay compartment). Only draws something like 300 miliamps. Is
protected with a 1 amp inline fuse anyway.

Because the rear window defroster is totally unnecessary (unless you
want to melt and warp that piece of plastic that holds the T panel), I
threw the whole circuit away. I don't even have the unused switch in
my console (replaced it with a dummy button). There's more than enough
heat radiating off the engine to defrost the rear window naturally
(windshield however is another matter: right above the vents melts
immediately, but takes FOREVER to clear up high enough to see out).

End result: I basically have no Green/White wiring. It still goes to
my power window motors, but I've unplugged the console switches
because I'm afraid of snapping off those ancient track teeth and
ending up with a totally useless toll window stuck down. Nobody really
uses them anyway. They're useless for ventilation. At the drive
through or ATM people pop their doors. With EZ Pass you don't even
need them to pay tolls. Some owners love to wave at each other through
them, but I can't risk a broken window for that novelty. 

Bill Robertson
#5939

>--- In DMCForum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, mike clemens <rmclemns@...> wrote:
>
> Bill,
> 
> You're awesome, right on the money about the question
> of the day.  The black and light green/white wires
> were for the little light on the shifter lever of the
> automatic.  The clock has a 4-wire circular connector
> that goes to it.  Does #5939 have a console clock in
> it??
> 
> Mike   TPS   1630
> 
> 
> 
> --- content22207 <brobertson@...> wrote:
> 
> > Automatics had a lightbulb to illuminate the
> > "PRND12" display -- could
> > have been that. Could have been an unused clock
> > power lead. I guess it
> > could even have been the A/C panel illumination (if
> > it never was wired
> > per factory). 
> > 
> > Everything keyed to the headlight switch is
> > Red/Orange, if I recall
> > correctly. There's a big junction right under the
> > rheostat. In the
> > process of rewiring my headlight circuit I tied the
> > A/C panel bulbs
> > bank to it so they wouldn't be illuminated all the
> > time. Whose bright
> > idea was the original design anyway (I see no need
> > to illuminate the
> > panel in broad daylight, unless you just want to
> > melt the plastic).
> > Left my clock alone, however, even though it's
> > pretty useless due to
> > the mounting angle.
> > 
> > I also chunked the rheostat (didn't work anyway).
> > Once upon a time I
> > intended to mount cruise control buttons there, but
> > the unit still
> > remains in its box. Yet another languishing project.
> > 
> > That two wire plug to the idle speed motor/vacuum
> > advance solenoid may
> > have been intended to trigger automatics in gear
> > versus park/neutral.
> > Would allow you to idle slow, then open the
> > butterfly futher when the
> > transmission was in gear (maintaining same slow idle
> > speed). Volvo's
> > idle spec was 900 +/- 50 RPM, and that may have been
> > to compensate for
> > the load of an automatic transmission (dropping back
> > to 750-800 when
> > engaged), which was common practice in those days.
> > Most solenoids that
> > pressed against the throttle linkage were tied to
> > A/C compressor clutches.
> > 
> > Bill Robertson
> > #5939
> > 
> > >--- In DMCForum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, mike clemens
> > <rmclemns@> wrote:
> > >
> > > Two reasons to have a capacitor in any circuit:
> > > 
> > > First-----to give any starting circuit an extra
> > jolt
> > > of power when first firing up the circuit.  A good
> > > example is your home A/C unit.  There is normally
> > a
> > > huge capacitor wired into the starting circuit. 
> > It's
> > > that great big huge oblong thing attached to some
> > > obscure place that has two wires going into it. 
> > > Capacitors store power and only discharge when
> > called
> > > upon----or some stupid idiot puts his finger
> > across
> > > the terminals.  :-)   (Not that I have ever done
> > > something like that!!!  LOL)
> > > 
> > > Second-----To stop any electrical interference
> > with
> > > your radio.  Note that on the Delorean there are
> > many
> > > capacitors wired into any circuit that is in
> > > continuous motion, when the circuit is energized. 
> > Ex:
> > > the A/C fan, the coil, the fan speed switch, etc. 
> > > Josh's car even had two capacitors wired into the
> > > radio circuit (sometime) and the only reason I can
> > > figure out why is because the PO didn't want to
> > take
> > > the time to figure out what the real cause of his
> > > static was.
> > > 
> > > My thoughts on your original question are that the
> > > engineers decided they needed a capacitor in the
> > idle
> > > speed circuit and this was a good place to put it
> > as
> > > any.  Anybody else have any other thoughts??
> > > 
> > > Now, just to enlighten everybody----Josh's car had
> > a
> > > two wires, under the consol, beside the drivers
> > right
> > > knee that were black and light green/white, but
> > they
> > > had been cut off at the connector and taped over. 
> > > This puzzled me for a long time before I finally
> > > figured out the problem.  Anybody want to give it
> > a
> > > try.  The answer will follow tomorrow, for anyone
> > that
> > > is interested.
> > > 
> > > Mike   TPS   1630
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > --- timnagin <timnagin@> wrote:
> > > 
> > > > What would this connector do on cars that used
> > it? 
> > > > My car doesn't have it.
> > > > 
> > > >  
> > > > 
> > > > Greg
> > > > 
> > > >  
> > > > 
> > > >  
> > > > 
> > > >   _____  
> > > > 
> > > > From: DMCForum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > > > [mailto:DMCForum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
> > > > Of mike clemens
> > > > Sent: Sunday, October 07, 2007 3:29 PM
> > > > To: dmcforum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx;
> > > > dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > > > Subject: [DMCForum] ANSWERS TO MY SEVERAL
> > ELECTRICAL
> > > > QUESTIONS
> > > > 
> > > >  
> > > > 
> > > > Thanks to all who responded, especially Dave D.,
> > > > Bill R., and Greg. Between everyone, I think I
> > have
> > > > solved the melted wiring problem.
> > > > 
> > > > The single white/orange wire does indeed fasten
> > to
> > > > oil
> > > > pressure switch on the lower, drivers side
> > engine
> > > > block, which turns the light off and on in the
> > > > instrument panel.
> > > > 
> > > > The relay is for the start resistor circuit.
> > > > 
> > > > And the white plug, which by the way 'does not'
> > have
> > > > a
> > > > black and white set of wires, but a black and
> > "RED"
> > > > set of wires. That was my mistake and the red
> > wire
> > > > goes to a capacitor that is utilized in the idle
> > > > speed
> > > > regulator/vacuum solenoid circuit. As some folks
> > > > noted, it was utilized on some cars and not on
> > > > others.
> > > > 
> > > > Mike TPS 1630
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been
> > > > removed]
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > >        
> > >
> >
>
____________________________________________________________________________________
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> > 
> > 
> > 
> 
> 
> 
>        
>
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