wiring 101 for 69 bronco

[maxwedge5281]

i recently bought a 69 bronco with original wiring with several patches, ending, etc. i was redoing the dash and decided to replace most of the switches and pulls as well as having the gauge cluster rebuilt by kevin at classy gauges. my puzzle....i have no indication of power at the ignition switch nor the fuse panel. battery is okay and all was worjking until i redid the dash. i have studied the wiring diagrams but still puzzled. help is appreciated.

 

[Broncobowsher]

I'll start with a very basic one. The loop of wire that goes through the ampmeter. did you reconnect it?
That is a main power feed that you had to have messed with to get the gauges out.

 

[Oldtimer]

^^^^ Broncobowsher must type with all ten fingers
Here is basic power path, from battery to alternator.
Check the bullet connector behind the cluster, where wire goes thru ammeter loop.

 

[Unaweep]

I'm rewiring a 1969 Bronco right now, and it's carburated not fuel injected.

Not sure if this help but I am using a EZ wiring kit, the great part is the wires are labeled for what they are every foot or so. Linky...https://www.ezwiring.com/product-page/ez-wiring-21-standard-wiring-harness

My old wiring was so wrecked its easier to just replace vs splice into a big mess, so thought I'd throw this out there.


Erik

 

[maxwedge5281]

thank you very much. i did not have the bullet connector at the ammeter plugged together. once plugged power to the ignition, lights etc. i do have one more question.....i had kevin to install a voltmeter and remove the ammeter gauge. how do i connect it?

 

[DirtDonk]

You can check with Kevin to be sure, but there is probably a simple positive and negative connection on the back of the new voltmeter.

You will need to keep the other large black wire in question connected even though it is not used for a voltmeter.
Add a ground wire to the negative side of the new gauge.
Next add a switched circuit to the positive side.
For the positive, you can either run it directly from the center post of the ignition switch, or from the input side of the instrument voltage regulator. The voltage regulator is closer, but the ignition switch is only a few inches farther away.

 

[DirtDonk]

But you’re saying you still do not have power to anything? Is the black wire connected to the starter relay on the battery side?
Got a picture of your battery and starter relay area?
It’s also possible that the fusible link has blown, but we need to start somewhere. Just make sure it’s connected,
Check the firewall connectors to make sure they’re clean and tight.

 

[maxwedge5281]

i probably did not explain clearly....but once the bullet connector at the ammeter was connected i had power. thanks for all the recommendations.

 

[maxwedge5281]

just when i was patting myself on the back as all gauges are working...indicator lights and led gauge lighting....i hooked up the voltmeter to switched power and ground.... results are negative off scale of the voltmeter. i reversed the voltmeter connections and the same thing....suggestions? the ignition switch is new as well as the light switch. well i just went back to the issue and after reversing the input and ground .....which i thought that i had done yesterday....all seems well except for the pointer is not particularly stable. it was not on the ammeter either. i do have a one wire alternator new from wild horses that i will install later in the week.

 

[Oldtimer]

I would contact Kevin.

@fallingdown

 

[DirtDonk]

Is the gauge still out of the vehicle? Or is it installed? Just wondering if you can simply connect it directly to the battery with nothing else running, just to see if you get a steady reading in the right direction. Compare it to a known good handheld voltmeter, perhaps.

 

[maxwedge5281]

yes the gauge is installed. i had the same unstable needle movement with the voltage regulator. im hoping the one wire alternator that eleinates the voltage regulator is much more steady. i thinkg it is going to be okay. thank you for you comments.

 

[maxwedge5281]

me again! i drove the bronco for a bit yesterday afternoon. all seemed well with the gauge cluster. i left the bronco sitting for an hour and upon returning and starting the engine...nothing in the gauge cluster worked to include the turn signals as well. i gave the wiring a brief lookover and decided to check more closely later. i pulled the bronco into the garage...15 feet...and when i started to shut the engine off i noticed that the gauge cluster was functioning as it should....what could be the cause for such an intermittent failure?

 

[Broncobowsher]

I would wiggle the ignition switch next time. Maybe a not so great contact. Probably will come around with use.

 

[maxwedge5281]

broncobowser, i need your help again. does the 69 bronco have a horn relay? or does all the current go through the horn button. i need to trace the wiring as my horns do not work. looked at diagrams but not sure of the wire colors for the circuit. thanks in advance

 

[DirtDonk]

The 69 did not come with a relay from the factory. It might’ve been added later, like I did on my 71, or the steering column could’ve been changed. But if you know that the steering column is original for a 69, then there is no factory horn relay.
If you have the steering wheel off, you would see two horn contacts, instead of just one like a ‘74 or later Bronco with relay would.
Another way to tell is the wiring down at the connectors at the base of the column.

And yes, if no relay, the power goes up through the column, out one contact, and into the other, and down to the horn.
Once you get it sorted out, it would be great if you did add a relay to the circuit to take the load off the horn button and its contacts.

 

[DirtDonk]

And you did say horns, plural. Do you in fact have two horns, or just one? A 69 would’ve just had one from the factory I think.

 

[maxwedge5281]

well i have not looked... i just assumed that there was a right and a left. learn something bronco new every day.

 

[maxwedge5281]

so after continuing to research...the horn is powered by a yellow wire to the column and when the horn is depressed the circuit is completed to the blue with yellow wire to power the horn....is this correct?

 

[DirtDonk]

Sounds about right.
Does the yellow have a green stripe by any chance? I don’t have a diagram in front of me, but I’m just going off a memory.
But that is essentially how it works. Don’t even remember if there’s a fuse for the horn, but I think there is.
So there’s power in to the column, then, when you push the button, makes the connection and sends it out to the horn.
The horn is grounded to the body through its mount.
If the body is heavily painted, or heavily rusted, you might not be getting a good connection.
You can test the horn itself by connecting the terminal with the blue wire on it directly to the battery. If that doesn’t work, connect another wire to the negative side of the battery and connect it to the mounting bracket.
If it still doesn’t honk, it’s either time for a new horn, or, if you feel clever, you can rebuild the old one.