I am just about to connect the battery for the first time and check the electrics.
I bought a brand new wiring loom from MK to put into my Indy. I just did not trust the 16year old one out of the donor sierra.
I have managed to follow the simple instruction. Since I am colour blind (not good for wiring) I had help from my son to match the colours up.
What I am worried about is if the whole lot goes up in flames the minute I connect the battery.
how do i go about testing the system to ensure good connections. and limit the chance of fire?
any and all advice gratefully welcome.
A good safety precaution is to use mole grips to clamp the wires onto the battery. If you smell burning, you can instantly disconnect the live wire without a lot of fuss.
You could always remove all the fuses before first connection.
Then reinsert them one by one and test each circuit seperately.
That way if there is a small electrical problem it will be limited to one circuit and will be easier to rectify.
as above but start with smaller fuses
as above but start with a battery charger, then you can read the current each circuit pulls and the charger will trip if there is a short. it won't fire up the horn or starter but will do most other items as long as it's a 15 amp charger.
You could also use an in line fuse between the battery positive and the positive lead , may cost you a few fuses but cheaper than a new loom.
Be Careful if your going for the battery charger instead of battery, as some electronics don't cope very well with a battery charger supply
(ecu's, instruments etc), go with a fuse(10A ish) inline with the battery first.
Ray
I WOULD GO FOR THE IN LINE FUSE OPTION.
If you connect a 30amp fuse or alike in line, you will be able to get most things working no problem. If there is a short somewhere, it should take
the fuse out before setting the loom on fire.
I would still suggest taking al the mnormal fuses out first, and try them in one at a time. If you do find a fault , at least you will know which
circuit it is in.
Good luck