The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay shifting shorting

I've run into a bit of an issue. My shifter seems to be shorting out the electronics when I shift from park to drive and back. Today I replaced all of the wires running through the steering column thinking that one of the wires was shorting out inside, but that didn't fix it.

The truck is a '65 C10 with what I think is a 67-72 tilt steering column, a 350 and automatic trans.

Any ideas?

Well, you are going to have to be way more specific.
"shorting out the electronics" ??????????????
1. When does it happen? Turning key on? starting? turning wheel? Lighting cigarette? Turn signal? Light switch? horn honk? radio? bumps in road? sasquatch?
2. What happens?
3. Fuses blown?
4. Sparking?
5. What are "the electronics" ?
6. " but that didn't fix it" What is it?
7. Did you test "it" after old wires out and before installing new wires in column?

Are you one of the people that call an open circuit a 'short'?

Shorts blow fuses or melt wires. Which fuse is blowing, and/or which wires are melting?

A 67-72 steering column has no electronics- - - -it's got a turn signal switch, a horn circuit, and a neutral safety/backup light switch.
Jerry

GMC, reload and come back at us again. We welcome the question.


That should be my no. 8.

I love you guys!! I'm definitely that guy, knowing just enough to muck it up. Answering your questions in order:

1. The truck starts and runs fine. If I jiggle the shifter, it dims/flickers the power. Nothing else seems to be doing it. It doesn't seem to effect the engine.
2. What happens is the headlights and dash lights dim or flicker and the radio cuts off as if the key turned off, then comes back on.
3. No fuses blown or melted wires...so far.
4. No sparking that I see, other than when I have the horn button off and push the horn ring down so that it contacts the part of the steering wheel to beep the horn (which isn't working at the moment)
5. Electronics is basically anything lights and radio related. I haven't paid attention to see if the heater blower motor cuts on or off during.
6. I replaced the wiring coming from the horn/signal components under the steering wheel that run inside the outer cover of the column and go under the dash.
7. I'm also that guy that only thinks about testing it after I'm finished.

Two things that were not hooked up are the shift indicator light and the neutral safety/backup light switch. I do know that the bearings need replaced and the horn was honking when the wheel would pass left and right of center. It's not working at all now, so I assume something somewhere is off.

Oh, and sasquatch was in there messing around the other day, so who knows.

Jiggle shifter makes lights blink?, horn not working?, loose bearings in column?,..... points to upper column area. Turn signal switch bad, something pinching wire, loose connection, faulty connector. Wire connection being torqued when turning or shifting. This is an intermittent/loose connection/wire pinch, not a short.....YET! Examine any hot wire going into column, probably to turn sig switch. Examine all connections at turn signal switch and it's connector. Almost EVERYTHING runs thru the turn signal switch. Observe operation of shift lever vs. wiring. Also see if anything moves in there that should not or is moving/stressing a wire: when shifting trans lever, turn signal lever, turning steering wheel, tilting steering wheel. Check neutral safety switch hook up. It is probably some connection you did not touch when rewiring.

The horn operates by grounding a ground wire from the horn trumpet. I don't think it should spark. Horn honking when turning is obviously bad. You may have two problems at once or they may be related.

BIG QUESTION, take your time here:
Did this happen out of the blue? Been working fine until one day? Did it happen after you or someone did some electrical wiring or replace a component? Was there an "event" of any kind just before? Did you just buy this truck? How long has it been "blinking" things?

Generally speaking: Integrated circuits, printed wiring board assemblies and that family are electronics. Most of our older trucks are electrical. Your radio, if transistor, or an HEI could be called electronic. Our trucks don't manipulate electrons. They just hook up a bunch of mechanical switches to operate motors, bulbs, coils (lighter, gauges, other) a few discrete components (radio, other) and an electromagnet or two.
The 65 may have a printed circuit board or a flex print to connect dash components together, still not "electronic".

I'll definitely check everything in there again to see if it's doing any of what you said. Seeing as the donor truck parts that were used are REALLY used, it's probably just in need of replacement parts and cleaning/repairing for sure.

I didn't notice the issue until recently. I did notice the upper bearing squeaking sometimes while driving a couple of months ago, but it only did it during one trip and doesn't do it all the time. There is a lot of play in the steering wheel/column. I did add the steering wheel, horn ring, horns, and relay, etc this summer. That's when I noticed the horn honking when I turn left and right past center. I unhooking the relay for now. I didn't notice the shifter blinking problem before or shortly after.

I've had the truck since late spring and have been slowly working out the kinks and learning as I go. The blinking has only been happening since it started getting colder out, so probably about a month or so.

I greatly appreciate all the help you guys give, especially having to put up with non-technicals like myself. I'll see what I can find out and fix now that I know more about it.

Great! See what you can see. Let us know.