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9 replies

Engine dies when I put it into reverse

Cole Thompson-Cole Thompson-2009 VS - Laporte, CO

I just had my engine rebuilt and my mechanic said that he could not figure out what the purple wire to the coil was for, so he left it off. I noticed that my tach was acting goofy, and so I figured it must be the tach wire.

I attached the purple wire to the coil but and while it did not  solve the tach problem, it did create another one. Now whenever I put the car into reverse, the engine dies. 

The car runs fine without the purple wire attached, but I'd sure like to know what it is for and if it has anything to do with the tach? 

Can anyone with a Vintage Speedster tell me what the purple wire does?   It is hooked up to the negative side of the coil. 

I should mention that the color of the wire is more a mauve than purple. I mention this because I also saw a purple wire under the dash 

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J joelabraham

my Vintage did the same thing a few months  ago. It turned out to be the backup light switch which is located in the front of the transmission-it could also be a shorted out wire. I temporarily solved the problem by removing the backup light bulb thus breaking the circuit. Kirk at Vintage told me that he's had this problem with other cars.

Joel   

M MikelB Supporting Member

Hard to see exactly the total wire scheme there but the purple wire is the tach wire (-side) of coil, and the ignition points lead from the distributor on the same connection.

You have several black wires there and one appears connected to the coil and disappears from sight.

The shifting into reverse is grounding out the tach and killing your ignition so I would identify the wires first and then make the connections. I'm willing to bet if you disconnect the reverse light switch and connect the purple wire the problem will go away with the exception of having no backup lights.

My two cents on a half of cup of coffee.

 

Alan MerklinAlan MerklinDrclock - Elkins, West Virginia Supporting Member

The purple is 12v power for the reverse light switch and connested to the pos ( +) side of the coil then it is connected to the trans switch located in the forward nose cone the wire continues over to the reverse light bulb (s) the metal light housing which  has a wire  to chassis ground. ...... If you have the purple wire connected connected to the neg ( -) side of the coil it will ground ( shut off) the ignition when put into reverse......  Hope this explains in well.

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