[1970fastcat]

This is what happens when an idiot installs an Autometer speedo

Yes, I am that idiot.

After figuring out that my speedo wasn't working, I have been chasing down the problem. I knew it couldn't be the speedo, brand new. So I tested the sensor according to what the tech support guy told me. Everything checked out fine on a bench test, got 6.4 volts AC with a drill, maybe it isn't spinning in the trans.

Put some greese on the gear and put it in and turned the driveshaft. Pulled it back out and sure enough, greese all the way around it.

Hooked my volt meter to it and turned the driveshaft, got only .2 volts AC (can't turn it near as fast as a drill on the bench), but I got voltage.

Got a new sensor, same readings.

Take the dash out and start testing circuits, got continuity from sender to gauge cluster. Hook the sender up and spin it with the drill, no voltage. Now I am baffled.

I only get .5 ohms of resistance, so the wire is good. So I check continuity again, this time on both wires. Should only have continuity on one wire right? Wrong, both do, one is a ground. So I check continuity at the cluster to ground, I have continuity, WTF.

Ok so I have a short to ground. Everything is grometted and heat shrunk to protect it, how is it grounding. I check all spot where there is metal contact, nothing.

So, I decide to run a temp wire to try that. I go back under the car to pull the existing wire back to no avail. I trace it back and the freakin thing is stuck in between the servo plate and the trans case. So it was grounded.

I guess when I went to bolt up the shift linkage, when I loosened the bolts on the servo, the wire fell in the gap when the plate popped out just a little. Goodie Goodie.

I pull the damn wire out and retest it, speedo goes all the way to 40 with the drill.

Now I have to put the freakin dash back together, when there was no need in taking it out in the first place.

:aug2:

 

[1969XR7Vert]

Well at least I got to see how you used part of the old cluster to make the new one and the line of terminal connections, very nice Mike!

 

[1970fastcat]

Yeah, there wasn't much of that old cluster housing left when I got done with it. Had just enough meat to hold everything together and to leave the clitical mounting points. In hindsight, I would have liked to have used a plug connector for all the wires, but since I have LED's and all it should be relitively maintanence free.

 

[SeanD]

I've done that with an oil pressure plastic tube stuck under a valve cover. It just cinched it shut, so no oil getting up to the gauge. At least you stuck with it and figured it out!

 

[rodbender]

I feel relieved. At least I'm not the only one things like that happen to.

 

[69KATT]

nope. not an idiot.

just file it under "live and learn"

 

[cougarshaman]

One of the first engines I ever built I forgot to add coolant and cooked it down to scrap within the time of the cam break in.

I dropped a combination wrench down into the fan of my Cougar while it was running, and when it sproinged out at me, I tried grabbing it and got bitten by the fan.

I was breaking the engine loose on my Honda Scrambler (rings stuck in #2 cyl) and my friend was standing on the kickstart. I was standing beside the bike with the plugs out when it broke loose. I got a money shot of rust, pb blaster, and trans fluid all over me (and in my mouth... eyyyyewww...).

People who don't work on stuff never do stupid things. Everyone who tries, fails and is better for it. Or, every bullseye is made from 1000 misses.

Sorry for your trouble, man.

 

[$poorcarrich]

A couple of months ago I pulled a rebuilt the SCJ in my 69 Mustang.
Took the opportunity to restore the engine compartment, good paint, etc., and put Stainless steel brake lines throughout.
Put the motor, trans, etc. in and ran it on jack stands.
Did not bleed the brakes before hand.
Started to bleed the brakes, I was in the r rear, and my boy was pushing the pedal. When I went to refill the resevoir, to my amazement, most of the lines going to and from the porportioning valve were leaking BIG TIME. The brake fluid ate the new engine compartment paint off the fender well, frame rail, steering box, and steering linkage. Ever tried to tighten those brake lines on a CJ car with everything in!
What did I learn?
Bleed brakes BEFORE the motor goes in!
and
Stainless brake lines when new must be tightened-loosed-tightened-loosed-tightened...many times before the final tightening to conform the harder stainless tubing to make a good sealing fit.

You can imagine the work it took to fix that simple mistake.

 

[1970fastcat]

I just thought that it was kind of comical that I did all that work, and all I needed to do was splice a 12 inch wire back in. Reminded me of the scene in The Green Mile when they are trying to find the mouse, pull every bit of the furniture out of the storage room and still don't find him. I guess mine wasn't so bad, and I actually had fun turning the wrenches (best part of having an old car right?).

Sorry to here about the paint $poor, that is one of the main reasons I converted to DOT5.

So Andy, you have hill folk hands too? Sort of like the old woodshop teacher that was a teacher because he couldn't run a saw anymore. Hope you didn't loose any digits in that one. I did the whole "forgot the coolant" thing once on the second engine I built for the Cougar. I was lucky and shut it down after about 2 or 3 minutes and let it cool down for a while, that was actually the second best running engine I ever had in her. The curent/torn up one is the best so far, that didn't last long though.

 

[1969XR7Vert]

...leave the clitical mounting points...

"clitical", huh? I like it!. Mind if I use that?

I have always enjoyed "clitical mounting points", but I do hate to leave them...

:buck:

 

[cougarshaman]

Yeah, I got hill folk hands. If they weren't built like skin covered anvils and sized like country hams, they'd be much worse for wear. Still, I did learn to let some things fall, check new engines like I have OCD, and many other lessons from screwing up things royally.

Bob, I'm going to use that too.

 

[1970fastcat]

I left that there just for you Bob, the copyrights are in the mail. At first I thought you were doing the same thing you pulled on T3, but I'll be damned if I didn't actually type that.

I have the hill folks hands thing goin' on myself Andy. Missing finger tips, fingernails, many a scars. Some were a result of working on cars, but all the major stuff like stitches and missing finger tips oddly enough were not. For what it's worth, electric door planers do NOT have gaurds on them, and they will take a finger tip faster that you can say sonovab!tch. Same thing goes for a golf club that is swung at your finger, they will lay a finger over before you can blink. And don't even get me started about why you shouldn't carry a glass bottle while riding a bicycle. I have learned many a lessons, car related and not.

Oh, and I have a theory on the shot peen material now, will see if I am correct.