Kankles

I changed out almost all of the LED's:

Gauge cluster:
speedometer/tach/gas/thermo= PLCC-4 with the following details:
OSRAM LBE67C Surface Mount 469nm Leds
Heat dissipating SMD packaging
4.1 VDC Forward Voltage
30mA forward current

Turn signals & high beams = PLCC-2 3528 Blue 1210
Reverse voltage = 5.0 V
DC forward current = 20mA

Factory console LED's (shaker 500/a/c controls/):
Same as the PLCC-2 above


I also decided that while I already had the radio out, I would try to install an AAI FRD-04 to the shaker 500 so that I can play ipod and such... To connect the AAI FRD-04, I use the wiring from the cigarette lighter, cut both wires going to the lighter and crimped the connection... Wrapped with electrical tape after.

I had put together the console so many times getting things the way I wanted (replaced green facing on the shaker 500). Anyways, I had been kinda checking my LEDs as I went to make sure they worked & all of them did. I was putting things together for the final time and I connected the AAI Aux harness to its box (which also seemed to at least be acknowledged by the shaker, as I had tested earlier by pressing the aux button and seeing "PACS" on the screen.

So I go to start it and the car went to a dead battery sounding pt-t-t-t-t-t-t. i tried again and got the same pt-t-t-t-t-t. I recognize this sound when my battery needed recharging. I tried one more time and got no response at all.

Well I decided to pop the clutch an start the car.. Pretty dumb, but it worked and I thought maybe the battery was just drained.

I went for like a 5 min drive and noticed the airbag light was on. Got home and upon opening the dash, I guess I neglected to plug in the TCS/hazard/air bag harness. I replugged that harness. Tried to start... Nothing.

Unplugged the AAI device from its harness and the car started!

I am thinking I definitely hooked that up wrong, but I thought I just basically have to crimp the black as ground and the green (I think) as positive). I was thinking that the AAI has to be the problem and looke at the wiring that I cut and crimped up (looks kinda like a Y how I crimped it... Like one wire splitting into two.

I then looked at the other wires around... The TCS, A/C and such... The electrical tape seemed kinda gooey and I am thinking that the wires are heating the tape.

Can anyone help figuring this out? I am thinking, take the AAI out completely for now at least (or if anyone knows the way to hook it up correctly, wire colors on whatever harness needs to be tapped into, that would be helpful). Could the issue be the new LEDs I installed? Is it just the AAI aux piece that is hooked up wrong? Should I check a fuse (which one(s))?

Any details would be helpful... I looked at the wires... Doesnt seem like the car was on long enough to do visable melting damage to any of the wires, but the electrical tape was definitely gooey like it was heated.

Thanks

Kankles

Should the green (I think is positive be bridged/crimped) and the black be grounded to a bolt (not connected to the lighter negative)?

Could it be the LEDs?

Joeywhat

No comment on the electrical issue (beyond being knowledgeable about your electronics before messing with them...), however electrical tape has little use for anything dealing with electronics. Use heat shrink tubing to seal connections. It won't unravel and leave a gooey mess, and it actually seals the connections.

It's generally also best to run dedicated wires for power and ground, instead of splicing. Depending on what you are splicing into you can make things misbehave. You can run the power wire to the fuse box, and the ground to some point on the chassis that is appropriate for a ground connection. There's likely a few suitable places inside the dash somewhere.

Kankles

Yeah, I dont know very much about electrical, but I dont think that anything is messed up badly at least right now... I kinda wing things a bit but I think tht people can appreciate someone that at least tries something themselves rather than just having it done for them.

Anyways, I remember a few years ago I changed my stereo, amp, speakers.... I recall kinda runnting into this same situation with gooey wires... That was the first time I had seen and used the heat shrink wires. I cant remember if changing to the heat shrink connecters was the only thing that I changed though. I am for sure gonna use the heat shrink connectors.

Any other suggestions or comments to help?

Thanks for your input

Kankles

Fires up fine today... Im letting car run for a few minutes and checking to see if wires get hot to the touch...

Kankles

Wires are not getting hot... I did have the battery terminal disconnected for most of the last few days. Gonna let it run a bit longer and check wires again.