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Tue May 04, 2004 5:36 am

65 Easy Camper that's been sitting for 15 or so years. Converted to 12 volts. Got the carbs rebuilt and installed. Hooked battery up and now everything electrical is dead. It was turning over fine before we rebuilt the carbs and re-installed the under-dash tray. Had head lights, dash warning lights, gas gauge worked, wipers worked. Now all is suddenly dead.

The battery test fully charged with hydrometer. Took out the under-dash tray and took out the ignition switch. Jiggled all 3 connections. The red wire connection (sorry didn't see which position) had an extra wire with the stripped end wrapped around the base of the wire end and tapped over with electrical tape.

No amount of jiggling of key or 3 connections would turn on electricity. No hot wires found on any of the 3 ignition switch connections when I checked with test light from ground to the connection. Crawled under bus and the red wire to the solenoid is not loose or off.

According to Muir, I can run a wire lead from the voltage regulator to the coil (as in hot wiring) and if the engine turns over the ignition switch is bad. Is this the next step to test? or should I try something else.

I'm assuming the extra red wire wrapped around the wire to the ignition switch is the extra starting wire suggested ini Muir's book. Didn't have time to trace it last night as we ran out of time.

Since bus is completely dead electrically, I'm guessing bad ignition switch. Am I wrong?

Tue May 04, 2004 6:22 am

You are talking about your ignition switch, but if your lights don't work then you either don't have power reaching your fuse block or your battery may not be properly grounded.

Have you checked to see if you have power at the fuse block?

Tue May 04, 2004 7:21 am

I had no power anywhere on the fuse box. I tried from ground to every fuse end and also across the fuses.

Tue May 04, 2004 7:40 am

The large red wire that connects to the fuse box on the far right is the hot wire from the battery. You should be able to ground that wire and get a spark (or use a voltmeter). If you don't have power there, then you need to check it back at the battery connection. If that is connected properly, then you have a problem somewhere in between which would mean your wire harness.

Tue May 04, 2004 7:43 am

LynnsABCs wrote: 65 Easy Camper that's been sitting for 15 or so years. Converted to 12 volts. Got the carbs rebuilt and installed. Hooked battery up and now everything electrical is dead. It was turning over fine before we rebuilt the carbs and re-installed the under-dash tray. Had head lights, dash warning lights, gas gauge worked, wipers worked. Now all is suddenly dead.

Since bus is completely dead electrically, I'm guessing bad ignition switch. Am I wrong?

Bummer!!!! Na, you aren't even getting power to the ig switch. There's a wiring diagram somewhere on vintagebus.com... your power goes from battery to the big bolt on the starter then th big red wire goes to the right most fuse on th fuse box, then over to the headlight switch, jump off th headlight switch to the ig switch. You probably have a loose connection, if it had been working, and isn't now. Check connections at battery, at starter, and up to the fuse box. Could you have knocked something loose when installing the carbs? How about the big connections at the voltage regulator?

Tue May 04, 2004 9:00 am

Go to http://66.34.72.138/wiring/bus-62-usa.jpg study it, print it out, go to kinkos and get a big laminated copy made.

Trace the current path of the big red wire from the main lug on the starter to the fuse block to the light switch to the ignition switch in front.

Check the battery cables and chassis bonding strap.

Don't freak out electrical on a split is easy, there are more wires in the steering collumn on a new car than in a whole split.[/url]

Tue May 04, 2004 9:01 am

I've probably knocked something loose under the dash. The connections at the voltage regulator are all tight. Thanks for the info on where the power goes to the fuse panel. Looks like some grunt work cleaning and checking terminals.

Tue May 04, 2004 10:16 am

LynnsABCs wrote: I've probably knocked something loose under the dash. The connections at the voltage regulator are all tight. Thanks for the info on where the power goes to the fuse panel. Looks like some grunt work cleaning and checking terminals.

Unless it has Kustom wiring (anythings possible) the Vreg does is not in the current path to the fuse block.

Mon May 17, 2004 7:14 am

Scott:

Thanks for the info on the large red hot wire on the fuse panel. It was loose and off course plugging it in got everything working again. That was Sunday after the Transporter Show!!!

My wife and I had a week of vacation last week so I didn't get to work on the electrial problem all week. My son and I were both bummed out that we didn't get to drive the bus to Charlotte.

The show was good with a good turnout of nice busses. The dealer missed the boat not having the show at the front, but it's his loss. Maybe he will get the idea next year.

We drove the bus Sunday for the first time. The front end and steering seem to be pretty tight. We have a little trans-type whine in the transmission or reduction boxes. The new brake shoes on all 4 wheels were not set yet, or whatever you call it, so the braking was not what it should be.

Only 3 things serious yet to fix--we have one dead stop light (passenger side). The bulb is OK so it may be a loose wire. Also, the front turn signals work but the backs don't. May be a bad connection or the fact the passenger side is dead. Any ideas? Also need to fix horn, but I think that will be minor.

I was greatly relieved that we finally had the bus going and I think the owner is pretty happy. Now I'm looking for a show to attend close by as a trial run before we drive it to the Bulli Brigade in November.

Mon May 17, 2004 7:36 am

LynnsABCs said:

Quote: Only 3 things serious yet to fix--we have one dead stop light (passenger side). The bulb is OK so it may be a loose wire. Also, the front turn signals work but the backs don't. May be a bad connection or the fact the passenger side is dead. Any ideas?

It's all a matter of following the wiring diagram, checking connections and grounds. I grounded my rear tailight housings separately with wires to the body to take care of this problem. Wires are hidden so it looks clean.

Scott

Mon May 17, 2004 7:14 pm

LynnsABCs wrote: Scott:

Thanks for the info on the large red hot wire on the fuse panel. It was loose and off course plugging it in got everything working again. That was Sunday after the Transporter Show!!!

My wife and I had a week of vacation last week so I didn't get to work on the electrial problem all week. My son and I were both bummed out that we didn't get to drive the bus to Charlotte.

The show was good with a good turnout of nice busses. The dealer missed the boat not having the show at the front, but it's his loss. Maybe he will get the idea next year.

We drove the bus Sunday for the first time. The front end and steering seem to be pretty tight. We have a little trans-type whine in the transmission or reduction boxes. The new brake shoes on all 4 wheels were not set yet, or whatever you call it, so the braking was not what it should be.

Only 3 things serious yet to fix--we have one dead stop light (passenger side). The bulb is OK so it may be a loose wire. Also, the front turn signals work but the backs don't. May be a bad connection or the fact the passenger side is dead. Any ideas? Also need to fix horn, but I think that will be minor.

I was greatly relieved that we finally had the bus going and I think the owner is pretty happy. Now I'm looking for a show to attend close by as a trial run before we drive it to the Bulli Brigade in November.

Dang, I wondered if you guys were gonna be there. I didnt realize you were.
The show will be better next year. I have a year to work on it and get things Ironed out.

You guys should make it down to the Tocoaa show in GA.

Mon May 17, 2004 7:32 pm

Here is a possibility not mentioned yet. It happened to me one day after driving my bus for nine years with no problems. Dust, dirt and some rust finaly got to my starter solenoid. disconnect the leads one at a time and shine them up with steel wool or sand paper. Reconnect and try again. It was quite a few years ago already but I think mine was completley dead too and this did the trick.