Electrical Issues. Works with no fuses and no power from

[Ark Bigfoot]

I have a 1972 Bronco, 302. Inside the fuse box,located in the glove gox, the fuses do nothing. I removed all of them. I disconected the ele plug near the voltage regulator so no power goes thru fire wall. I tested the wires on the back of the fuse box on the black/yellow and did not expect to have power but I have 12 volts on the black/yellow even though it is disconnected near the voltage regulator. The wipers, dash voltage regulator and heater work when the switch is on with no fuses. There is a med sized red wire hanging down bout 8", near the steering column. It comes out of the cluster of wires coming from the passenger side, drops down about 8" and goes back in the cluster. Just a loop. It has a black like insulation tube around it.This gets very warm not hot. I can hold onto it. My purpose is get my blinkers to work. I replaced the blinker cube. It has 12 volts coming in and going out of the cube without turing on the signal switch. Some how it appears power is getting to the key switch from the battery and then "back flushes" power to the black/yellow wire at the fuse box. What is strange is it supplies power to everything without going thru the fuse box fuses. When I put the fuses in there isn't any change. I am looking at the diagram by painlessperformance but don't know what to disconnect to help in the diagnostics. https://www.painlessperformance.com/Manuals/10114.pdf

 

[ared77]

It's witchcraft I tell you!;D

Wow! Somebody at some time has done a number on the electrical system on your Bronco. Using an original wiring diagram you may be able to figure out what they did to bypass all fuses and send +12 volts to major circuits un-protected. Not good. It may turn out to be just one big wire run from somewhere near the positive post of the battery to some point under the dash (for example) or possibly more than one point. If you start finding a real rats nest of wires added by someone before, you might be better off with a new harness. Then you can start fresh, follow the directions, and run/test each new circuit...and have a much safer more reliable Bronco! Good luck.

 

[tatersalad]

That's a big snafu

 

[Steve83]

I have a 1972 Bronco, 302.

Put that & all the Bronco's OTHER details into your signature so we can review them with each reply.

I disconected the ele plug near the voltage regulator so no power goes thru fire wall.

WHICH connector? Post pics. This link explains how:
www.supermotors.net/forums/thid-5972-how-do-i-post-pictures-sounds-and-or-videos

...12 volts on the black/yellow even though it is disconnected near the voltage regulator.

That's normal, depending on exactly what you disconnected.

The wipers, dash voltage regulator and heater work when the switch is on with no fuses.

Perfectly normal - those circuits are NOT protected by fuses. There are only 5 fuses, but more than a dozen circuits, so they can't all be protected like modern vehicles with 100 fuses.

...red wire hanging down bout 8", near the steering column. ... This gets very warm not hot.

Are you sure it's Red, or could it be Pink?

My purpose is get my blinkers to work.

What's wrong with them?

I replaced the blinker cube.

What cube does your Bronco have related to the blinkers? Is the truck modified in some way? All of that needs to be in your signature.

It has 12 volts coming in and going out of the cube without turing on the signal switch.

If you mean the flasher (which is usually closer to a cylinder; not a cube); that's normal again, if the ig.sw. is in RUN and Fuse5 is installed.

I am looking at the diagram by painlessperformance...

Are you familiar with reading wiring diagrams? Click this:

(phone app link)

...don't know what to disconnect to help in the diagnostics.

We don't either, because you never described the ORIGINAL problem that made you start ripping fuses out.

 

[DirtDonk]

If your "other" Black w/yellow (or just Black, or Black w/red) wire is still on the starter relay, that's why you have power.
Black w/yellow is usually for the alternator's main charge wire. Disconnecting that one at the connector won't cut power because it's still connected to the battery at the starter relay.
Send a pic out here if you can.

There are two flasher units. One for the turn signals, which will be hot with 12v only when the key is On or in ACC positions. The other one is for the hazard/4-way/emergency flashers and will have 12v all the time. So that's probably the one you were checking.

If you find the other one for the turn signals you can swap them around because even though they're different they share the same connector style. If your flashers work then you know the flasher unit is good. Then you can swap it into the turn signal socket to see if that's the issue with your turn signals.

Paul

 

[DirtDonk]

By the way. Is your '72 an early model with the flat rubber connectors? Or is it a later one that might share the '73 and later connectors that are more rounded and look like the Dura Spark ignition connectors of later models?

Does not effect what I said earlier. Just curious.

Paul

 

[Ark Bigfoot]

It is pink not a faded red. The pink wire is actually a resitance wire for the ignition system with a protective sleeve over it....2... Blinker connection. https://www.flickr.com/photos/77159845@N07/?

 

[DirtDonk]

Consistent with the coil's resistor wire. Did you actually cut it like you say in the text in your photo?

You have the early style flat rubber connectors. You need to follow that large Black wire in the connector you separated near the regulator. If it's the one that goes to the alternator, then you would still have power to all the accessories because the battery is still powering the system through the other end of the Black wire at the starter relay.
I can see the relay, but not all the wires on the battery side. If there is a wire there you need to find out where it goes because it's likely where the power is coming from.

Did you separate the bullet connector at the ammeter to see if it kills power?

Paul

 

[DirtDonk]

Two things to note here too. First, your resistor wire is supposed to get hot. That's it's job.
The fact that it gets hot during use is why it has it's own protective outer sleeve. Not to protect it, but to protect the other wires nearby from the heat that the resistor wire develops.

And two, NEVER leave the key in the ON position for longer than a minute or two. Otherwise death and destruction can result!;D
Ok, so not to you, but it can overheat the ignition coil, and in the case of older points type ignitions can damage the points and condenser inside the distributor.
Obviously it's ok to leave the key ON when the engine is running. Just never when it's not.
Hence the existence of the ACC position for long-term accessory use without powering either the ignition or the voltage regulator.

Paul