need help with starter wiring on 72 Eldorado--unknown loose wires

dochawk · Feb 16, 2009

I have a 72 Eldorado to restore. It came home under its own power, but someone previously had some, ahh, interesting ideas about connecting wiring. I touched a fusible link (blown) and wires fell down disconnected, while a couple more are simply snipped.

I have battery power to the starter, and a fully charged new battery. When the key is turned, I get voltage on the purple wire to the starter, but nothing happens with the starter (although I hear a vacuum switch or some such make a sound near the passenger compartment.

As seen in the third picture, there is a yellow wire dangling in the vicinity with a loop.

I found today that an orange wire from the transmission, passenger side, is dangling. I found another orange wire up top that seems to go with it. If I crimped them, the wire could end up under tension, so I'll try to find orange automotive wire tomorrow. I connected them with a crimp on one and the other placed into the crimp, but it made no difference (is this the "neutral safety switch" or some such?).

Closer to the passenger compartment, I find more disconnected wires, as seen in the first two pictures (the second seems to be better).

This bundle is passenger side, near the passenger compartment. The blue wire is apparently spliced to a black wire (the color I assume it should be), and has a ring/loop connector to go on a post--dangling free.

Black and yellow wires dangle down from above with crimp connectors (I can only see the black in the picture).

Also coming out of this bundle are two wires. One is yellow, while the other might be a darker yellow or light orange--or it may just be discolored yellow. I assume that one should connect to the yellow up top.

Any help on suggestions of what should attach to what would be appreciated.

That aside, though, shouldn't the starter spin when it has voltage to the post, is grounded, and it gets 12v on the purple wire?

thanks

hawk

p.s. I put pictures of the car in the pictures thread; it's at http://www.cadillacforums.com/forum...c-seville-cadillac-eldorado-forum/91885-post-pic-your-caddy-35.html#post1772161

Eric · Feb 16, 2009

Wiring diagrams at: http://www.sjcpls.org/content/databases - 7th item down for cars.

dochawk · Feb 16, 2009

Wow. How have I gotten through life without that link?

Thanks.

My diagram is at http://arrc.epnet.com/autoapp/8587/chiltonimages/8587/85876134.PDF. If I'm read this right, that dangling yellow loop should be connected to the same post as the purple wire (maybe they just hung it on and it fell off when I touched the other wires?) I've also been given a photocopy from the shop manual (ooh, I need one!)

I've dismounted the starting motor to read the labels. What I took for the purple wire is actually brown, and is connected to R, not S. It goes hot when the ignition is turned to start. Given that the yellow wire dangling there goes nowhere (both yellow wires coming out of the bundle are snipped), I'm guessing that it bypasses the yellow wire to the ignition coil (is that the big cylinder next to the distributor cap with a condenser [?] attached? But all of its wires are black . . .).

A fatter wire is connected to S. It's color is indeterminate given the grime, even after I try to degrime it, but I can believe that it's some kind of purple/violet, which is consistent with the shop manual indicating 12V; it is a thicker gauge than the other wires in the bundle. This is the wire I previously called black, connected to blue--and dangles. I don't see anything of an appropriate color up top. I know that this should go to the "neutral safety switch," but how do I find this? And is it related to the orange line coming out of the transmission, passenger side (or is this the "ATC auto blower relay"?)

Finally, what does "R" mean on a starter solenoid?

thanks

hawk

dochawk · Feb 19, 2009

SOLVED (but . . .) need help with starter wiring on 72 Eldorado--unknown loose wires

Grr. Of all the moronic setups . . .

I have it starting. The question isn't why it starts, but how it possibly started before. :mad2:

The brown jerry-rig wire was actually spliced into the purple starter wire--but connected to R, rather than S. The only thing actually connected to S fell off of whatever it was sloppily spliced to. I'm *guessing* that it was to the chopped yellow wire that *should* go to the ignition coil--which was then simply hung by its loop to the S post, where it fell off.

So it moves under its own power again. Now I need to figure out all of these other wires that were clipped (including the yellow to the starting coil) . . . . and possibly a vacuum line--I found some hose with neither end connected !

hawk

need help with starter wiring on 72 Eldorado--unknown loose wires

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