ian8950

Hey guys, I'm having a small problem, I have a '69 fastback that is now dying at idle, and anytime I take my foot off the gas. The RPM's drop to about 500 for a second then it's done, though it will start right back up and run fine as long as I keep my foot down a little bit on the accelerator. I have checked all my vacuum lines and they all look fine. I also had an alarm installed on the car right before it started doing this though I can't see how that would possibly interfere with the idle. As for parts I'm running: Edelbrock 500 electric choke carb Elelbrock Performer intake and cam Summitracing long tube headers through 2.5 inch pipes and flowmaster exhaust. These are all less than a year old so I don't think it can be faulty parts. It was mentioned to me to spray the outside of the carb and the intake with brakeclean and if it runs better I have a vacuum leak but I've never heard of this approach before and wanted to make sure it isn't harmful. I know Jack and sh*t about timing and jack left town, but could this be a timing issue that just happened all of a sudden? could this be something as simple as my idle screw came loose and I can just up the idle and it will work fine and not hurt anything?

ok, I've got almost everything working correctly. Here's what I did; re calibrated the fuel level gauge for the 73-10 ohm rating for pre '89 fords and that works fine now. actually took apart the "painless wiring" harness and found that 2 wires were crossed inside, halfway through the harness the colors changed from red/white to brown for power and lighting only on the voltage and oil pressure gauges. Switched those out and now everything works good. I still need to switch out my oil sender to get accurate readings on the gauge but so far everything seems to be working fine now. Thank you for all the help guys

ok, another problem, while the gauges are working and lit up, only two of them are bright and the rest are super dim. What can I do to fix this? Should I run individual wires for the gauge lights, and if so to where? They are currently running all together to the single dash lights wire originally used in the car.

ok, I remade my own ground instead of using the existing one. Now everything seems to work, and I redid a lot of the connections and the gauges are only powered when I want them to be :) Thanks for the ground tip RSmach1 one last question though, I have installed a one wire alternator (140amp) and I am unsure what to hook up the volt meter to. It was originally going to the regulator but the new alt is internally regulated. Can I run it off my electric choke since that only runs in key on position?

the gauges work if I disconnect the gauge lights, and I used the existing ground wire. with the lights connected when I start the car both the dash lights and the gauges turn off when I turn on the headlights. However with the headlights on and the car not running the lights and gauges work fine. so.. car not running and headlights on= everything works car running and headlights on= nothing works car running and headlights off= gauges work and volt meter/oil pressure lights always on. I'm so confused.

I have another question, all my gauges work and light up with the lights on and the car not running, as soon as I start the car they turn off (gauges stop working and lights turn off.) what have I done wrong? I'm thinking that one wire running to all the gauges powering them is overloading it, what other wire can I wire the lights to?

does anyone have a schematic for the in dash wiring for what wires power what? The only one's I've been able to find online are unlear and list multiple grounds for each gauge and no sensor inputs. I am figuring it out as I go but knowing what does what will be a GREAT help

Thanks for the help guys, I was really hoping that I wouldn't have to start over, it's such a headache. I'll give it a try this sunday and post if I can get it to work

Hi everyone, I have a 1969 Fastback and I am installing a set of autometer gauges to replace the worn out original set, including adding a tach. The gauges that I am using are the American Muscle set and include: Voltmeter, Oil Pressure, Water Temp, Fuel Level, Speedo and Tach. I am running into all sorts of problems and could use some help. I am currently using "Painless Performance #30302" wiring harness for easy connections (http://www.summitracing.com/parts/prf-30302) and I am having problems, any input here would be greatly appreciated. Here's my list of problems; 1. Programmable fuel level seems to be most accurate on the GM setting for some reason, not really an issue just super annoying. 2. Voltmeter has no reading. 3. Dash lights. !@#$ing Dash Lights. ok, so the voltmeter and oil pressure lights are always on. When the car is not running but the headlights are on all the gauges but the voltmeter and oil pressure are lit up. With the car running and the lights on all the gauges stop working completely. This is my biggest issue I am worried that I am damaging something and need it fixed asap. The painless wiring harness set that I'm using has all the wires for the gauges running together, so 1 ground, 1 power etc. Should I pull this thing out and light it on fire and run individual wires or can this setup still work? If I pull it out can I run all the instrument lights to one wire and wire it to the headlight switch? Also, if anyone has a diagram regarding the stock colored wires and their individual purpose that could be a big help, all the diagrams I have located don't agree on colors, if anyone has a link it would be greatly appreciated.