Odd NSS results

ok, I'm stuck after looking through all of the possible threads I cant find a solution to my problem. I plugged in my NSS today on my 73' MANUAL trans. to get my BU lights going and had no luck with them working, here is the odd part... when the NSS is engaged im getting what I believe is a back feed, that is putting power to my radio, which is coming on with the key in the off position?

I checked some of the other fuses and they also seem to have constant power with the NSS depressed. Any suggestion? right now I have the NSS harness unplugged with a jumper wire on the engine bay plug to allow the car to start.

all other lights work blinkers, side markers, headlights but my dome lights do not which can be totally non related.

Any help will be greatly appreciated

Someone has done some creative re-wiring. The Backup Light and radio power are on the same circuit, but are fused to the ACC power line. Either your ignition switch is bad (ACC power is always on) or someone has jumpered the wiring for the BU and radio lines to BAT (always on) power.

I'd disconnect the battery and only hook it up for trouble-shooting at this point to avoid depleting your battery and/or an inadvertent short that could cause a fire.

Ok, so I must admit it may have been my creative wiring that is the problem. I have a MSD ignition set up that I got power for from a what I assumed was an ACC WIRE under the hood for the power to the 6A (if I remember it was a white wire not sure though so ill check that) so this may be what my problem is I will look at it again tonight. I have seen no signs of any PO doing any wiring. thanks for the help and I report back on any findings.

Joe

well I went over my wiring and did not find anything wrong that stuck out. I changed my power source to the MSD with the same results (depress the NSS) and power to the radio and after market gauge light I don't believe that I have constant power on because when in reverse and key off and out nothing will work...just when I depress the NSS it energizes the radio and gauge.....could the NSS be bad or even the 4 pin harness be bad? is there a way to check this. and can I bypass the NSS to get the backup lights to come on?

What specifically do you do to "depress the NSS"? Does the problem happen when you have the key in the ignition but turned to OFF? To ACC? in RUN?

According to your original post, when the transmission is in Park or Neutral, key off, power is available to the radio, true? The radio and backup lamps are on the same circuit, so maybe your NSS and backup wires are switched. NSS are red/blue; backups are white/purple and black/red. Neither NSS or backups are powered when the key is in OFF, only when key is in ACC or RUN. Could your ignition switch be misadjusted?

Key in or even out in the off position. When I said depress the NSS I mean the switch on the manual trans that the engine bay harness plugs into. It very well could be the ignition switch assembly, the key cylinder is a little sluggish so I will get a new switch assembly and remove the key cylinder and clean it up also and go from there.

I can jump across the plug harness and it will put power to the radio with (key) out. Its like I have a back feed issue and tonight I could only get this to happen with the door open when I close the door it kills the power up on the radio. It just keeps bet stranger the more I try to resolve my symptoms.

I really appreciate your help and I'm sorry if I haven't explained my symptoms well enough, this electrical stuff

really spins me around to where I get totally confused and frustrated. I will win in the end but boy do I hate this kind of stuff.

Thanks again

Boy, it sure sounds like your ACC and BATT fused power lines are swapped.

Could it be possible that I have some wires wrong on the solinoid?

Could it be possible that I have some wires wrong on the solinoid?

Click to expand...

No. The power for the backup lights and radio are fed from the fuse box, not the starter solenoid.

MIDLIFE When you asked me about the adjustment on the ignition switch, it got me to think since the trans was out could it be that this is the case and how to you go about this adjustment?

There are threads on this forum about ignition switch alignments; I'm no expert on this.

Eureka!!!!! I found it, by deducting what I did when wiring the trunk harness I was convinced it was something I did. Midlife you have no idea how much help you've been.... thank you for that. Here is what I found was the problem. Old wires don't look like new as far as determining color, I had two wires crossed in my taillight harness the BU light was tied to the dome light and vice versa the dome was connected to the backup. I mentioned in my first post that I didn't have a working dome light. I should have stayed on that thought but I figured I had two separate issues. Not the case, but in the end it's all good now

Thanks Midlife you made me think and helped me rule things out.

Take two adult beverages and call it a night! :bravo: