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Up in Smoke!

SpeedBucketSpeedBucket
I was sitting in the drivethru at Del Taco last night about 11:30 p.m. for waiting for the car ahead of me to get their 500 taco order and noticed smoke coming from under the drivers side front fender! As I was jumping out after turning off the ignition I saw smoke coming from under the dash, I grabbed at and tore out the headlight smoking hot headlight wiring and then jumped to the back seat and ripped off the positive battery lead. Then I popped the hood with my coke in hand ready to douse any flames but saw none.After the smoke cleared I pushed Speedy straight out into the parking lot and called AAA. I was beat after spending the night adjusting tie-rods fixing steering wheel electrical problems so I had it towed to my shop 3 miles away. When I got it back to the shop I was really "wired" and crawled under the dash to find only one blue headlight lead fried from the switch to the headlight, no other damage!!! I've read about headlight relays and couldn't find any on Speedy just the wire from the fuse panel to the switch and from the switch to the headlight.Not more than 14 gauge wire at that. PO didn't do that great a job.I'm searching SOC for info on the ideal headlight wiring setup and haven't seen one yet, can someone point me in the right direction?
Many thanks in advance.
"Note to self, get fire extinguisher installed tonite!!!

1956 CMC(Flared Speedster)

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SpeedBucketSpeedBucket
I was sitting in the drivethru at Del Taco last night about 11:30 p.m. for waiting for the car ahead of me to get their 500 taco order and noticed smoke coming from under the drivers side front fender! As I was jumping out after turning off the ignition I saw smoke coming from under the dash, I grabbed at and tore out the headlight smoking hot headlight wiring and then jumped to the back seat and ripped off the positive battery lead. Then I popped the hood with my coke in hand ready to douse any flames but saw none.After the smoke cleared I pushed Speedy straight out into the parking lot and called AAA. I was beat after spending the night adjusting tie-rods fixing steering wheel electrical problems so I had it towed to my shop 3 miles away. When I got it back to the shop I was really "wired" and crawled under the dash to find only one blue headlight lead fried from the switch to the headlight, no other damage!!! I've read about headlight relays and couldn't find any on Speedy just the wire from the fuse panel to the switch and from the switch to the headlight.Not more than 14 gauge wire at that. PO didn't do that great a job.I'm searching SOC for info on the ideal headlight wiring setup and haven't seen one yet, can someone point me in the right direction?
Many thanks in advance.
"Note to self, get fire extinguisher installed tonite!!!
SpeedBucketSpeedBucket
Thanks Wild Bill!
I went to Kragen and they only had 2 relays same brand but different numbers so I passed and will get matching a pair. These were BWD made in China and I know you guys always recommend highest quality electrical, is there another brand I should look for?Also running 12 gauge wire to 20 large blade fuses and 14 gauge from there to the headlights sound okey doke?
Cheers!
Greg
C Catmandu
I smelled that dreaded hot wiring type smell once,,, then noticed my headlights had gone out. I found a fuse blown,, and changed it. The left headllight came on,, but the right hand stayed dark. So digging a little deeper into it, I found the 3-prong plastic plug-in, on the back of the bulb,, had melted !! So I found a replacement and installed it,, checked the harness over,, which looked good,,, fired everything up and life was good again. No further problems over the last couple of seasons,,, but still wondering what might have caused the whole episode ??
Anyone else had that happen ??
Alan
SpeedBucketSpeedBucket
Hey Bill,
I checked out the schematic you linked(thanks) and I see the wiring starts a the existing wiring harness...is that the wiring coming from the pull switch on the dash.If so when should the 12 gauge wire start? From the fuse panel? Sorry to sound so dumb...the melt down occurred between the pull switch on the dash to the headlight.I saw the photos of the front trunk of your car and the battery and switches there, my battery is under the back seat area by the starter. I assume your power goes from the battery to the fuse panel under the dash then to the pull switch on the dash then to the 20 amp fuses and then to the relays then headlights, is this correct? If so should the 12 gauge wire start at the fuse panel to the pull switch, the 14 gauge from there?
Again sorry for being so dense!
Gordon NicholsGordon NicholsMassachusetts 1993 CMC Supporting Member
Bosch relays are great, as are (believe it or not) Lucas (most of which are now outsourced to Siemens in Germany and elsewhere around the World).

I've also used TIF from Italy and Varga from Brazil with good luck.

On Pearl, I used a complete fuse/relay panel from a junk yard, British Sterling convertible, complete with all of the relays. All of those were SPDT Siemens and rated 30-40 amps.

gn
J justinh
Stick with at least 12-gauge multistrand wire all the way through on the power side. Battery -> Fuse -> Relay -> Headlight -> Ground. The headlights have a large amp draw, so you need the heavier wire all the way through.

The switch circuit, since you are changing to relays can be much thinner since there is very little power required to switch the relay. You can use your 14-gauge here if that's what you have.

Check out this page:
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/relays/relays.html
Look at the second diagram, Upgraded Headlamp Circuit with Relays, Fuses, Heavy-gauge wire.

That diagram has the headlight power feeding from the alternator, but you can pull it from battery positive too.
J justinh
Yes, the upfront battery is for better weight distribution. If you do move it, go up a size on your starter and alternator wires, too just to be safe.

Longer or thinner wires have higher resistance which leads to more heat and greater voltage drop. So going up in guage on your headlights will actually make them brighter too since they'll get more voltage.
FM Former Member
Justin, thank you for the very concise post.
When I wired my car, I was taking cues from the other guy -- a guy whose minimalist wiring was ideal for the purpose, but not explained very well. Although I cut the wires and fished them around the car, I never really got the theory. Between you and guys like Alan and Gordon (and Larry, and ...), I'm able to piece together the "why" on some of the circuits and other mysteries.
Luckily, my wires are all explained on a diagram I made of what color went where and to which fuses -- I kept the diagram for future use -- but once the wires disappear into the chassis, I don't see them again until they're at their terminations.
My fuse box is right on top of my footwell, and my connections are all soldered ... I've kind of been wondering how, when I eventually remove the bits I need to remove for paint, I would make everything work again!
Thanks!

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