65 wiring question

fredpinto

15 Year Member
Mar 9, 2012
10
2
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Hi,
I am a new member and have searched the site looking for an answer to my wiring question and found some help but I still have a problem. I am replacing all the wiring and I am getting no power to anything in the dash. I got help here about connecting the black wire in the gauge harness to the + terminal of the starter relay so that was progress. The black/yellow wire that connects to the black wire in the gauge harness and goes through the loop for the ammeter is shorted to ground. I have removed the main disconnect for the headlight harness and it is still ground so I feel there is no problem under the hood. I have removed all fused in the fuse holder and it is still shorted. I have not removed the black wrapping on the cable bundle so I can visually see where the wire goes and I am looking for some guidance from the experts here. Any help will be appreciated and if I left out information please let me know. Thanks in advance.
 
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Both ends of the ammeter circuit begin and terminate at the battery side of the starter solenoid, eventually. The "return" side splices into the alternator output wire on its way to the solenoid. It could be either side that is shorted. Do you have a wiring diagram?

http://www.hammar.dyndns.org/wiring/wiring1965.htm
I purchased the 65 wiring diagrams from Mustangs Unlimited and for the most part they are correct. I have disconnected the headlight harness at the firewall to see if the short disappeared and it did not. The diagrams show wire #37 going from the alternator to the starter relay and that has been driving me nuts because no such thing exists. There are three wires in the alternator harness and no #37 to the relay. I have started removing connections under the dash to see if I can isolate the issue. The heavy black wire from the gauge feed goes through the ammeter loop and plugs into the heavy black wire with yellow tracer. That wire is in the under dash harness and is wrapped with black tape. I could start to cut the tape to follow the wire but if I can avoid that I will. I have removed fuses from the fuse block and the short is still there. Any suggestions would be greatful. Thanks for the help.
 
This diagram?

http://www.hammar.dyndns.org/~djhamma/wiring/1965/1965c.jpg

Before unwrapping anything, disconnect the firewall plugs, and see if the power is getting to the firewall, and whether it is shorting.

I have disconnected the firewall connectors eliminating anything under the hood. I have removed fuses and unplugged the cables going up the steering column. I also disconnected the brake switch and it is still shorted. It is the heavy gauge black wire with the yellow tracer. Thank you for sending the link to the diagrams. One thing that started all this was the fact that I do not have any black/yellow wire connecting the alternator to the starting relay as depicted in the diagrams. I have pretty much given up using the diagrams for this wire, they were great for the instrument cluster and other connections but this saga of the black/yellow wire is a mystery. Any suggestions as to where this wire goes to, radio etc would be helpful. Thanks.
 
The post on the starter solinoid closest to the battery is simply a landing point for 12v battery source. The blk/yel in the alt harness should go to the output of the alt, and to the ign switch. Pull the harness off the alt to make sure it is not attached to the wrong posts, pull the connections off the solinoid post except the battery positive cable. THe short should be gone. Use a meter to check continuity to ground to each of the harness connections that were on the solinoid-there should be no continuity-no short to ground on any of them. You should check the alt connections and the solinoid connections and let us know what you find.