Topic: 1967 Steering Wheel Wiring Harness Gone Wrong

[kkupec02]

Has anybody had experience with the repro steering wheel wiring harness's from CJ's? I just replaced mine due to a horn button issue. All lights worked correctly before the swap. I took the wires out from the connector and replaced them one at a time and my wife was there to double check me. I know we got them in the right holes. But now my left signal works fine, my right signal gives me a really weak emergency flasher and my emergency flasher gives me a strong left turn signal. I am frustrated. I know the wires are in the right holes the way they came off. What the heck?

[J_Speegle]

The reproduction may have been made with the wrong colored wires. I would get a wiring loom diagram and double check each wire to see if you have the right one (by function not wire color) to the right hole.

Have had to do this with a few repo looms when attaching them to originals

[ruppstang]

Be sure that all of the pins are fully seated and locked. Some reproductions even have extra wires.

[kkupec02]

I see now that CJ's for instance sells a "cheaper" harness which is what I got that says repro without a lot of details and a Scott Drake about $10 more where the description says exact repro. Plug and play. Much more detail there about the Drake harness being "exact'. The cheaper one that I got also has a shortened black emergency flasher housing which leaves some of the emergency flasher button screw exposed. I am guessing that I got suckered into a very cheap repro. I plan on calling NPD, Branda and CJ's and getting more info about each harness being sold. I am hoping that an American made repro like Scott Drake will take away my problem. I'll just chalk it up to lesson learned and hope a better repro works. Another $80, if it works, will save a lot of diagnostic time and maybe further issues. Cross my fingers.     

[kkupec02]

I just checked all of the colored wires on the repo vs the original visually. All are correctly pinned and in the correct places, but the repo doesn't work. All wires of the repo are in the correct junction block holes per wiring diagrams. All I needed the harness for was a broken horn post. I guess the repo is broken somewhere I can't see in the white plastic housing.

[Bob Gaines]

I see now that CJ's for instance sells a "cheaper" harness which is what I got that says repro without a lot of details and a Scott Drake about $10 more where the description says exact repro. Plug and play. Much more detail there about the Drake harness being "exact'. The cheaper one that I got also has a shortened black emergency flasher housing which leaves some of the emergency flasher button screw exposed. I am guessing that I got suckered into a very cheap repro. I plan on calling NPD, Branda and CJ's and getting more info about each harness being sold. I am hoping that an American made repro like Scott Drake will take away my problem. I'll just chalk it up to lesson learned and hope a better repro works. Another $80, if it works, will save a lot of diagnostic time and maybe further issues. Cross my fingers.   

I have lost count how many problems I have heard about on this forum and others that start out with I bought such and such from CJ? Typically people buy from them because of a cheaper price. It certainly is not because of their expertise.

[jwc66k]

I have lost count how many problems I have heard about on this forum and others that start out with I bought such and such from CJ? Typically people buy from them because of a cheaper price. It certainly is not because of their expertise.

You will find a lot of complaints about poor quality and lousy customer service directed to and at CJ on almost every Mustang related forum. There are other "stores" that had a similar reputation, but same are (fortunately) no longer with us.
Then there's e-bay - and Pooky.
It's called "let the buyer beware". My fingers have been burnt too.
Jim

[kkupec02]

Thanks. I am going to check continuity on each wire tomorrow to see if I can "prove" it's a bad harness so that I feel better about ordering a new one and that the problem wasn't me. Other than an American made one or Scott Drake, any recommendations?

[67gta289]

How about a Ford made harness?  They made a couple hundred thousand, so there has to be at least one out there for you.  That is usually my attitude when I'm looking for something.

I see NOS harnesses fairly regularly.  I recommend creating a wanted ad here.  Make sure you specify tilt vs non-tilt and the build date.  Refer to the before/from dates on the attached picture from the MPC.

There are a multiple -C and -F revisions on eBay right now.

[67gtasanjose]

Check continuity at the connector with a quality ohm meter too.

Then you always have the "No Returns On Electrical" policies...for obvious reasons, there is good reasoning behind the need of these policies. This adds to the other "Buyer Beware" comments. Some parts are MADE poorly and other parts get INSTALLED poorly and a seller gets stuck in the middle and usually has to eat it no matter who made it (into) junk. Good Quality Mustang Parts places are more likely to take the hit no matter who messed it up but ALWAYS pay MORE for such (electrical) items, researching before purchasing.

[kkupec02]

Thanks all. I just again visually inspected all of the color coded wire connection points on the repro plastic ring vs the original and they are in the right spot. I checked continuity from the repro plastic ring to the attached steering connector block, all was perfect. I then visually checked to make sure the correct color coded wires mapped from the wheel harness to the dash harness through the connector. All was right. Then I checked continuity from the dash harness to the plastic ring with the harness connected. All perfect. Turned on car electrical. Left signal strong. Right signal turns on both the right and left side weakly. Turned on flasher. Only left signal comes on. At this point, I can only assume that the repro wiring is messed up somewhere in the plastic housing as I swear everything worked before, even though I just bought car. The worst thing is, I only needed the horn button contacts due to a fried contact on the original harness. I didn't see an easy way to swap the horn button contacts from the repro harness to the original. And now, I have cut off the little button connectors on the original harness as well. I have to believe the repro wiring ring is messed up somewhere from within. I hope that I don't replace the harness and find out that it wasn't it. I guess I'll also have to check all of my double filament bulbs to be sure that I don't have some filiment touching another messing things up. HAPPY EASTER 

[Bossbill]

Check for a flaky ground on pax side of front and rear turn signal housings. Both front and rear.
Actually, just run an alligator jumper lead from front AND rear to a clean area on frame (or battery).