1981 F150 Electrical System Problems
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1981 F150 Electrical System Problems
hello out there- got a quick question i'm hoping someone can help with. i've got an 1981 6cyl F150 2wd PickUp.
earlier this week, my dash light went out, as did my tail lights. took it to my mechanic- told me some wires were fried- fixed them up. drove about 5 minutes- got a nasty slight odor toxic taste in my, and couldn't breathe really. stopped the car- looked under the hood- found nothing- no smoke - nothing. got back in the car- dead. starts w/ a jump, but doesn't last long- headlamps flicker, fade, stall.
another jump gets me back to mechanic- replaces my alternator and voltage regulator. feel things are done- nope. no tail light or dash light. and now stereo sounds like a clock radio. engine start is long to kick over.
take it back- they tell me all wires behind dash are fried- going to be expensive. did these guys follow correct procedure, or thru negligence, made all the wrong moves, and made things worse?
any help on this one?
earlier this week, my dash light went out, as did my tail lights. took it to my mechanic- told me some wires were fried- fixed them up. drove about 5 minutes- got a nasty slight odor toxic taste in my, and couldn't breathe really. stopped the car- looked under the hood- found nothing- no smoke - nothing. got back in the car- dead. starts w/ a jump, but doesn't last long- headlamps flicker, fade, stall.
another jump gets me back to mechanic- replaces my alternator and voltage regulator. feel things are done- nope. no tail light or dash light. and now stereo sounds like a clock radio. engine start is long to kick over.
take it back- they tell me all wires behind dash are fried- going to be expensive. did these guys follow correct procedure, or thru negligence, made all the wrong moves, and made things worse?
any help on this one?
Elder User
Joined: Oct 2004
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From: Fleming Ga
It looks like your mechanic fixed the symptoms and not the problem. He fixed the fried wires without repairing the short that caused the wires to fry the first time. Thus the repaired wires fried again and maybe this time produced enough heat to melt the insulation of other bundled wires causing more problems. Wires don't burn up for no reason. Fuses don't blow for no reason. Whenever you have a problem with burning wires or blowing fuses, you need to find and fix the short before repairs are complete.
FTE Chapter Leader
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 42,586
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From: Fraziers Bottom, WV
A guess is that the head light switch and wired to the plug are bad. This is a common problem and by your comment that the problem started with the dash lights and tail lights leads me to this as the start of the problem. It would be nice to know what wires he "fixed".
If the wires under the dash are now all fried you will need to get a harness from a doner.
If the wires under the dash are now all fried you will need to get a harness from a doner.
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