Wiring Issues

[VegaObscura]

I recently got a neon light stick for christmas and decided to install it in the driver floorboard for a nice blue glow on the pedals. Its the hard wire variety, not the kind that plugs into a cigarette lighter. Never having done anything electrical in a car before, I asked a friend and he said just cut into any wire under the dash, wire the neon light in, and you're good to go. So I went under there with my knife, tape, and neon stick. First I went to the passenger floorboard, where the wires looked easily accessible. I picked a pretty red wire that looked like its going to the radio and cut it. I stripped it, and wired the neon light into it. It put off a dim blue glow, but not bright enough. I decided to remove it, put the wire back together, and try another one. This time I went to the driver side, and grabbed one right by the pedals. I cut into it, stripped it, and wired the neon stick into it. This time it worked great. I added in a switch, and its working fine. But then I noticed the radio doesn't work any more, and the airbag light on the dash is on. I checked every single fuse in the car in both the hood and kickboard fuse compartments, none of them are blown. The wire is securely reattached. I have no idea what the problem is, all I did was cut a wire, and put it back together, and no fuses were blown. I doubt it helps, but the car is a 2008 mustang.

 

[pgarner]

this is why you should never listen to a mate unless they actually know what they are doing. if you are liucky the airbag and radio could be reset through the diagnostics is they arnt damaged. airbag lights come on as soon as a fault is normally detected and is on until reset.
the problem is alot of newer cars, namely 2005 onwards, use canbus signals rather than the old fashioned 12v and earth for every connection, think like a 4 wire phone line, with a 12v feed, earth and 2 data cables this means you can control several functions through 1 set of wires. for example my car has 4 electric windows and the door un/lock on the drivers door. under the old system youd need 8 wires for the windows - feed and return for each. and 3 possibly 4 for the door locks. so rather than the 11 wires of the old system there is just 4 wires that all communicate to an ECU.

what i think has happened is youve interrupted this CAN line when you 1st cut through one of the wires. like i say at best you might just need the errors reset and at worst a new radio and Airbag controller might be needed - a costly mistake im sure youll agree.


in future is you want a 12v supply ether take it :
direct from the battery, fused close to the battery of course
from the fuse box if there is an available slot connected up.
or from the fag lighter/ accessory socket.
and allways check the connection is 11-13v (engine off)

ohh and remove your tape etc from your current connections and fit some heatshrink and solder the connections back togeather then heatshrink over the top. much safer and better connections than the twist and tape

 

[lutonmatt]

one car i would never just cut wire on are the new mustangs
they have a ecu for everything all i hope is you can just get the lights turned off at the ford dealer
if it does not go out it will cost you load of money

have heard of loads of people in the uk bringing them over from the states and rewiring the rear lights to flash amber and not with the stops

and so many had to have new body and light ecus as its not wired like a normal car as there are loads of wires that only need 5v and when you put 12v on it it blows things


and the cig lighter is 12v all the time had one in the other day to wire a speed camera thing in

but they are good things to work on as everything just unclips easy

 

[VegaObscura]

I managed to get the airbag light off, now the only thing dead is the radio.

 

[lutonmatt]

radio is a bit better might be a fuse dont know if there is one on the back of the radio sometimes there is one on the back or inside but if you try loooking for power there you might not as the one i striped i could not find power there yet all work when it was all pluged in