My project for today was to take the wiring out of my Miata that one of the previous owners ran to his fog lights. The fog lights didn't work and I just assumed it was because they were crap and just stopped working (like all crap fog lights). Well, I found quite a mess.
The project actually started while I was trying to figure out why I keep having electrical problems that start off as hiccups and end up as complete failures (fuel pump, right rear turn signal, fuel gauge, HVAC fan, IAC motor, etc.). Keith suggested that I look for grounding problems. I started by removing the crap I didn't need. What I found was that the P.O. spliced into wires coming from the diagnostics port under the hood. Then, he taped everything up real nice so that it looked like it did when it left Mazda. When I pulled the tape off, I found that the mother berkeleyer just wrapped the berkeleying wire around parts of the harness wires that he removed the insulation from! He didn't even tape up the wires themselves, just the bundles--I'm positive that two of those wires that he removed insulation from touched from time to time and created shorts. Then, he ran the fuse from there to the rest of the E36 M3ty wiring that he did. The fuse, by the way, was melted to the fuse holder when I finally found it. See pictures...
You can see in this picture what that fuse looked like.
And here was the fuse holder. Notice the nice hole that was burned through it.
Here we can see where he just stuffed the extra 4 feet of wiring into the harness.
Here, if you look closely, you'll see three completely bare spots in the wiring. It's kinda fuzzy (iPhone is a better phone than camera), but if you see copper-color, that's wire. I think Mazda might have actually done some of that though--there was one area where one wire was fastened to another of the same color (white with red stripe). It looked like a professional job, and the blue electrical tape that was indeed covering that was an inch or so wide--pretty interesting stuff.
The nice thing is that he actually did a pretty good job with the switch. He replaced the rear window defroster switch with one that must have come with the kit.
Fortunately, I don't think he hacked the rear window defroster harness to bits. Can somebody confirm that this harness is actually the defroster harness? It looks like it goes right to where that switch was and it was not plugged into anything.
The switch for the fog lights won't work since it's a toggle and doesn't have the right plug.
Here's what I ended up removing from the car.
And here she is after her bath!
Aww, so pretty.
Here's a better picture of the splicing.
A better phone than camera? You are much to generous! My iPhone is tremendously terrible at being a phone. It takes so so pics, but even at that level they are much better than the phones abilities.
I know the phones reliability has much to do with AT&T, but I just expected more out of an apple. This is my first apple product, and likely my last.
Back on topic- I have a 1995 wiring harness I would sell you pretty cheap.
Joey
Isn't rewiring a whole car kind of a bitch? Or even part of a car?
joey48442 wrote:
A better phone than camera? You are much to generous! My iPhone is tremendously terrible at being a phone...I know the phones reliability has much to do with AT&T, but I just expected more out of an apple. This is my first apple product, and likely my last...
Joey
Did you try turning it on? It needs to be on to work. 
confuZion3 wrote:
Isn't rewiring a whole car kind of a bitch? Or even part of a car?
Only kind of... But you would be rid of the po's hack job.
Oh, and yeah, my phone is on, but only about 20 percent of my calls ring through at home. Same as my wife with her iPhone. Anywhere else they are fine. AT&T said it was because the signal strength is only "moderate to good". 20 percent of my calls sounds like "E36 M3ty to terrible" let alone moderate.
Joey
joey48442 wrote:
confuZion3 wrote:
Isn't rewiring a whole car kind of a bitch? Or even part of a car?
Only kind of... But you would be rid of the po's hack job.
Joey
It's something that I will consider down the road if I can't get everything under control first. But you're right, no more hack job.
joey48442 wrote:
Oh, and yeah, my phone is on, but only about 20 percent of my calls ring through at home. Same as my wife with her iPhone. Anywhere else they are fine. AT&T said it was because the signal strength is only "moderate to good". 20 percent of my calls sounds like "E36 M3ty to terrible" let alone moderate.
Joey
I had that problem with AT&T years ago before the iPhone. I could SEE the tower from where I lived.. but never had more than two bars.
When I moved, I would up in roam so I ran up a HUGE bill for the last two months I had them. Idiots would not accept the fact I was in roam and wanted to cancel...
And yes, wiring a car is a PITA.. but so is fixing a PO's mistakes
Actually, I was looking at some of it today. I found the fuel level sending unit's wire (yellow) and traced it to the harness on the back of the gauge cluster (which is why I couldn't figure out the two wires going to the back of the actual gauge itself. There's a ground, a power (I guess), and a signal. The signal is in the main harness, while the other two are on their own harness. I think I'll test continuity from the harness to the tank with the ignition on and off to see what I get. I imagine there will be 0 continuity. Then, I'll run a length of wire from one end to the other and see what happens. If that fixes it, then I guess I gotta run some wire.
As for the turn signal, I have no berkeleying clue where that went wrong. But I know which wire to rerun and I know where it goes, so I guess I just gotta do that.
I love wiring diagrams. They remind me of those puzzles on Happy Meals where you need to trace one vine from Ronald McDonald to the Hamburgler, but it's intertwined with 8 other vines.
It looks pretty easy I guess. I just need to disassemble the car, but I've been there, done that. Just a time-intensive job.
I think that you scrubbed the top a bit to hard, it looks like the paint is down to some sort of primer.
Isn't it fun to pull wiring out though? I helped with an alarm and cd changer removal recently, it wasn't hard, just time consuming.
Removing wires is one thing. Just cut and yank sometimes. Putting them back in their place . . . now that's another story. But you're right. It's pretty easy, but it takes time.
I hate undoing wiring sins. The worst are alarms.
joey48442 wrote:
20 percent of my calls sounds like "E36 M3ty to terrible" let alone moderate.
Umm... is there a correlation between that fact and the fact that you are on the phone with me 20% of the time?
I am just asking... It may not be the phone is all.
John Brown wrote:
joey48442 wrote:
20 percent of my calls sounds like "E36 M3ty to terrible" let alone moderate.
Umm... is there a correlation between that fact and the fact that you are on the phone with me 20% of the time?
I am just asking... It may not be the phone is all.
You thin att is mad about that?
Joey
If that is the factory foglight switch, then where is the rear window defroster switch? The car has a rear window defroster, but the switch is nowhere to be found (unless I'm an idiot). I thought this switch looked "Mazda", but the shape of the back of it looked like it was supposed to receive a matching plug. This thing had two wires with female connectors just plugged into the back of it. Do you think the PO bought a Mazda switch and rigged up his after market fog light system to it?
These fog lights were powered by wires that were wrapped around the white-red wires where they were stripped bare. This was done an inch or so ahead of the factory splice (which still looks good).
Also, do you think the black connector that I have in one of those pictures (the one pulled through the switch mounting hole) is the window defroster? Could it be a factory fog light plug, but the PO bought the wrong year plug? (I think it's the former, but I thought you might be suggesting the latter.)
What is a bullet connector?
Thanks, Keith. You are always very helpful.
I think you have it - the PO bought a factory switch (for the wrong year) and used it for his lights.
I'll check the wiring diagrams when I get to work. That switch could be either a defroster or a factory fog light plug. I don't know if Mazda had plans on where to put all the switches for defroster, cruise, fogs and the dimmer - when the Miata came out, there were no defrosters and fogs were a fairly rare dealer-installed option. It could simply be that there just isn't room for all of those. The defroster was only used on hardtops until 1999.
Bullet connectors are round, about the size of a spade connector. http://www.delcity.net/store/search/p_192522.h_193056.a_1.t_1.n_y
A-ha! This was a fun puzzle to put together. Thanks.
First, it turns out the 1.8 cars use a single-wire spade-type connector for the fog lights, not a bullet. It's on the wiring harness that runs along the passenger's fender, probably just in front of the three relays stashed near the shock top.
That's a defroster connector. And a fog light connector. It's the same thing. Mazda realized they were out of room for the switches on the dash, so the 1994-97 cars may have the option of a side-by-side double switch like the NB does. It's listed as "SWITCH, RR DEF. OPT (W/DETACHABLE HARD TOP)" in the parts fiches with no reference to fog lights, but the drawing does look like a double switch, or at least a double switch with one deleted button. Part NA75-66-460, by the way. There may be a different part number for one with the double switch but it's not listed. They did exist at one time, the wiring diagrams make it clear that this is how things work. I expect it would be really hard to find one unless you can dig out the part number, and even then you might have to resort to major junkyard digging. Mazmart or Planet Miata might be able to hook you up, the switch would have been used on 1994-97 models. By the way, that 1990-93 foglight switch you have is also quite scarce and NLA.
And I found some proof! Pictures of the stock defroster switch in a 1994-97 show that it is indeed a double switch with a blank on one side. As an added bonus, Bjoern shows you how to add the far more common NB switch in your car. http://bjoern.brembs.net/content16.html
Keith, you're a genious.
And with the way today went either I am too, or I am the luckiest electrical guy around (probably the latter).
I went snooping around for faulty grounds this weekend and found none. I replaced the reverse light switch and that was no help for the reverse lights problem (the old switch is still good apparently, but it was a super easy job to replace). Then I found out that my brake lights decided that they no longer wanted to work (they probably stopped working on my way home at the same time my blinkers decided to work again).
Frustrated, I ripped the passenger seat out, tore out a good chunk of the dash, including the glove box; and started digging. By the passenger footwell, I found a few harness plugs. I unplugged the one with my wires in it to test continuity from the fuel level sensor to the plug and then from the plug to the dash. I also noticed that the rearview mirror map lights (this must have come straight off a mustang convertible) were tapped into the little interior light's plug. And when I say "tapped into" I mean more top-notch wiring work. The PO just took male leads and jammed them into the back of the plug. They were falling out when I finally got to them. I think they were causing a short and may have been responsible for the whole damned problem.
Anyway, after I charged the battery which went dead overnight when I left the key on, I decided to put the car back together just enough to see if anything worked. I had low expectations. Surprise! Everyhing worked! Reverse lights, blinkers, brake lights and even my fuel gauge!! Not only that, but after a bumpy 200 mile ride back to New York, it all still works!
I sure hope it wasn't just a fluke that it all worked. I am pretty sure there was a short in the crappy wiring piggyback thing the PO did with the map lights (please don't tell me Mazda did it this way).
Thanks everyone for your help!
