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ultimate Ferengi: do it yourself auto body work. need help with a light problem.

Y

yobarman

Lifer
my baby before the accident

boy i'm exhausted! just got back from the junkyard stripping cars for parts. i got in a pretty bad accident 4 weeks ago, and my whole front right side is smashed in.

my car is a 1990 chevy lumina. got a quote from a dealership body shop... it was over 5 grand... hah! next. went to a local place my mom knows, they quoted parts for ~$700, labor not included in that price.

ok screw that then, cause my car is clearly not worth that much. so we hit up the junkyard and grab as many parts as possible, and paid 60 bucks! and thats a good majority of parts. nice deal don't you think?

taking the car apart was easy. it's putting it back toget that is going to be a problem. should this be a task one should take on with no body work experience? i mean i really don't need it brand new-looking. it just needs to function, which is does, but this time with a working headlight and blinker and non-smashed up hood.


Now for my one major question. the wire in the hood latch we got from the junkyard needed to be cut to be set free. so now i got a non-functioning hoodlatch. we havent started working on the car yet, but im wondering if it is possible and safe to be able to connect the wire so it will work. how can i do this, because it seems to be a pretty thick wire....?


update # 1 (12/25/02) It's snowing out, so i can't work on the car. but i did figure out how to get the cable into the latch without cutting or slicing anything, so that'sa done deal.

now i think this will be the hardest part... we got the headlight and blinker from the yard, but we had to cut the wires. all of my lights were smashed in, but it appears that the wires and whats left of the bulbs are still there. would i be better off just replacing the headlight and blinker by sodering(sp?) the wires? i wonder if it will be safe to have sodered wires on a car, or if it will even work. i never sodered before, so are there any kits out there? and when i put on my right blinker... it doesn't blink. it just stays on. so i gotta do it ghetto style and flick it on and off when im turning, so would fixing up the front of the car fix that? or is that a different electrical problem...?

thanks again for the help guys, the project seems to be going good so far. 🙂

update # 2 (12/26/02) I took the car apart some more... it's going pretty good so far and it looks like im only going to need to fix the right blinker, because the others work! But i did notice much damage to the radiator... the car has been running fine for 3 weeks in freezing cold Rochester NY, and i took it on a 350~mile trip home to philly. i dont think anything is wrong with it, but take a look and tell me what you think..

actually you may not see any damage from this bad pic, so ill try again tomorrow. ... its nothing major, it just looks like somoene kicked it 2 or 3 times.

heres my baby with no hood. and most of the front end taken apart.

here is some crap

ok, off to the junkyard i got tomorrow to get a pair of lights that are apparently between the headlights... and a new grill. im also gonna have to stop at pep boys to find out how to take off the steering wheel. laaaaters!



update # 3 (1/4/03) oh man im so freakin tired..all the work is pretty much done on the car... it's not pretty but it's functional. except i have a small problem.

the front right blinker light works, but it doesnt blink. the left side blinker works fine.

if i have my hazards on, all the lights flash on and off.
if i do not have my headlights on, the right blinker does not flash, so i have to do it ghetto style and flick it on and off haha.
but if i do have my headlights, the right side does not blink, it just stays on. doing it ghetto style doesnt work because nothing happens.

anyone know why this would be happened... could it be possible a fuse or something is blown somewhere or if theres a mismatched wire somewhere... i dont get it! helppppppp!
 
get a new latch cable...
if you don't you will be sorry when the old spliced cable breaks and your hood won't open,
or even worse when your hood flies up on the freeway...
better safe than sorry.
 
i have the original latch cable... is it gonna be possible for me to disconnect the cut one from the latch i got from the junkyard, and then connect the new cable to it?


also another questions: how does one remove a steering wheel? 😕
 
Good on you for fixing your own ride! The skills will pay off now and in future.
You should be able to either disconnect the cable from the old latch or transplant the latch with cable attached without much trouble. As for pulling the steering wheel, get a manual ('bout 15-20 bucks) and find out how to remove the airbag (if so equipped) without it firing. DISCONNECT YOUR CAR BATTERY as you don't want any live lines. After that you will need to loosen the nut holding the wheel, and, using a steering wheel puller (cheap pullers usually work but use good puller bolts and be sure they are the correct thread) pull the wheel from the shaft. When working with steering wheels/columns, be careful not to damage wires, switches, etc and take your time.
 
Originally posted by: GroundZero
get a new latch cable...
if you don't you will be sorry when the old spliced cable breaks and your hood won't open,
or even worse when your hood flies up on the freeway...
better safe than sorry.
Click to expand...

why would the hood fly up on a freeway when there's 2 latches..?
 
Originally posted by: Pepsi90919
Originally posted by: GroundZero
get a new latch cable...
if you don't you will be sorry when the old spliced cable breaks and your hood won't open,
or even worse when your hood flies up on the freeway...
better safe than sorry.
Click to expand...

why would the hood fly up on a freeway when there's 2 latches..?
Click to expand...

I've seen it happen.
 
Originally posted by: yobarman
i have the original latch cable... is it gonna be possible for me to disconnect the cut one from the latch i got from the junkyard, and then connect the new cable to it?


also another questions: how does one remove a steering wheel? 😕
Click to expand...


Go to Autozone and rent 2 tools. One to remove the steering wheel and the other to unlock the security plate under it.

 
ok thanks for the help.

the steering wheel does not have an airbag, so im gonna try again when i go to the yard again.

and tomorrow ill take a closer look at the latch to see if i can do it.


🙂 merry christmas!
 
I would just splice the wires. Use solder and shrink tubing. Should work fine.

Is the right side not blinking with the old socket assembly/bulb still on the circuit? If so then that might be your problem. I would replace the lights before diagnosing the blinker problem.
 
Don't solder the wires, just use some crimp terminals on them. There are some types with Barrels and Sleeves that mate that you can use as "quick connects" or use the butt splice to join them together permanently. When you get them dialed in, tape them up with some Electrical tape. The "staying on blinker" is probably a burned out/dead bulb. Find and replace. It should work, if not, bad turn signal connection somewhere.
 
thanks for the advice, but i am unfamiliar with "barrells and sleeves"... am i just twisting the ends together and attaching them together with some special tool?
 
Originally posted by: yobarman
thanks for the advice, but i am unfamiliar with "barrells and sleeves"... am i just twisting the ends together and attaching them together with some special tool?
Click to expand...

No, it's a typical round Male end going into a Round Female end with an area to crimp the wire to. I'm sure you've seen the crimp terminals I'm referring to right? The local PepBoys/Kragen/AutoZone will have a kit with a crimp tool and various crimp terminals, although you can crimp with a pair of dikes if you're careful.
 
If you're good at soldering, just solder the connection, less chance of the connection coming loose, corrosion, etc.
 
Originally posted by: Soybomb
If you're good at soldering, just solder the connection, less chance of the connection coming loose, corrosion, etc.
Click to expand...

IN his update , he clearly states that he has never soldered. That is why I suggested crimp connectors.
 
Crimp connectors work fine if properly done. (They have even replaced solder in many aircraft apps.)
Since ya are just starting out, get a couple feet of spare wire and expend a few crimp terminals practicing. Using wire cutters or a stripper, remove about 1/4" of insulation from your practice wire. Get used to not cutting the metal strands when stripping the insulation. Insert the bare end into the sleeve so it goes into the metal tube (that is inside the outer plastic sleeve). Squash only the portion required to hold the wire, then tug gently to be sure the wire is held properly. Pliers and vise grips are poor crimping tools. I either use crimpers or the flat areas (between the handles behind the pivot joint) of wirecutters/Dykes. (Dykes BTW are named for the inventor, whose accomplishment predated the terms use as an identifier for carpet munchers.)
If you need to seal a connection I recommend Liquid Electrical Tape (black goo, brushes on) since it doesn't unravel.
Working on cars is very much a tactile experience. Play with stuff and grow learned.
 
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