Well, After putting it off for months, I have decided to completely rewire ALL of the emergency light circuits on my car.... When I was at the Chicagoland show... The friggen blue lights kept cutting off.. (The circuit breaker kept kicking out) I finnally figured out that the lights would go out when I turned on the flashing headlights... So I cut them off, no more problems... Figured is had a short in the system... So the next day at the hotel I traced the wires, then turned them on to try to get it to kick the breaker... nothing... they flashed for about 45 minutes with no problems... So then I turned the blue lights on--- click, the light would go off.... So I just didn't use them any more during the show... So I figured the breaker was getting weak.. Well last month at the Red neck Christmas parade... it did it again... this time with just the blues and the rear red flashers on the lightbar on.... turned the red flashers off... everything was fine... so the breaker is getting weaker and weaker... Also, noticed the wire going to the lightbar was warm... not good... Sooo I am rewiring the entire emergency lights, hopefully Wed and Thur.... Since the weather is supposed to be nice. (Sunny with highs in the sixties)
Here is what I am going to do to the car....
Remove BOTH Front seats to gain access to the console and wiring
Remove the center console.
Pull all wiring...
1. Put the new enclosed console in that I got on E-Bay...
(I have an open type now... The enclose one will look much nicer...)
2. New wiring from the battery into the car.... The Sheriff's Office ran the wire from the battery, which is on the passenger side, to the drivers side, after going across the firewall, thru the firewall, then BACK across the car to the passenger side, Then around to the passenger side under the seat, to the console area... About 20 feet of wire all together... (10 guage) They did have a 50 amp cicuit breaker by the battery...
I will be running the wire from the battery thru the fire wall on the passenger side, and directly to the center console after running down the side of the car under the carpet inside the wiring conduit... Should save about 5-6 feet of wiring... Shorter is better...
3. 6 guage wire... From the battery to a 50 amp resettable circuit breaker, to the console
4. 6 guage wire from the starter solenoid to a 50 amp resettable circuit breaker, to the console.
So I will have a switched circuit.
4. Then I will be rewiring the entire lightbar with 8 gauge wire for the hot wire and ground, 10 gauge for the blue alternating flasher circuit, (on the back of the lightbar) and 10 gauge wire for any other circuits. (the lightbar has clear take downs on the front, and alley lights on each side. I will also be replacing all of the wires inside the lightbar with new wires.. one size bigger than is installed in it now... The power wires right now are both 10 gauge, the other cicuits are 14 or 16... I am going with all 14 gauge for all cicuits in the lightbar. (There is a large number of wires inside the lightbar from one side, to the other...)
5. The circuits will be routed from the lightbar to the switch panel thru some heavy duty 50 amp plugs, so I can unplug the lightbar after a car show.. The plugs will be hidden under the drivers seat, as they are now.
6. The other circuits, headlight flashers, siren, siren speaker, all new wire to those too.
7. Then reinstall the seats.....
My ultimate goal is to be able to let all the lights run with out problems, or the wiring getting hot like they are doing now...
Tom...
Here is what I am going to do to the car....
Remove BOTH Front seats to gain access to the console and wiring
Remove the center console.
Pull all wiring...
1. Put the new enclosed console in that I got on E-Bay...
(I have an open type now... The enclose one will look much nicer...)
2. New wiring from the battery into the car.... The Sheriff's Office ran the wire from the battery, which is on the passenger side, to the drivers side, after going across the firewall, thru the firewall, then BACK across the car to the passenger side, Then around to the passenger side under the seat, to the console area... About 20 feet of wire all together... (10 guage) They did have a 50 amp cicuit breaker by the battery...
I will be running the wire from the battery thru the fire wall on the passenger side, and directly to the center console after running down the side of the car under the carpet inside the wiring conduit... Should save about 5-6 feet of wiring... Shorter is better...
3. 6 guage wire... From the battery to a 50 amp resettable circuit breaker, to the console
4. 6 guage wire from the starter solenoid to a 50 amp resettable circuit breaker, to the console.
So I will have a switched circuit.
4. Then I will be rewiring the entire lightbar with 8 gauge wire for the hot wire and ground, 10 gauge for the blue alternating flasher circuit, (on the back of the lightbar) and 10 gauge wire for any other circuits. (the lightbar has clear take downs on the front, and alley lights on each side. I will also be replacing all of the wires inside the lightbar with new wires.. one size bigger than is installed in it now... The power wires right now are both 10 gauge, the other cicuits are 14 or 16... I am going with all 14 gauge for all cicuits in the lightbar. (There is a large number of wires inside the lightbar from one side, to the other...)
5. The circuits will be routed from the lightbar to the switch panel thru some heavy duty 50 amp plugs, so I can unplug the lightbar after a car show.. The plugs will be hidden under the drivers seat, as they are now.
6. The other circuits, headlight flashers, siren, siren speaker, all new wire to those too.
7. Then reinstall the seats.....
My ultimate goal is to be able to let all the lights run with out problems, or the wiring getting hot like they are doing now...
Tom...
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