Brake Warn Lamp Wires

[RustyPile]

Originally Posted by Ppardini

I should've been more specific, yes these are tan wires and they are original cut and spliced off the original instrument cluster harness onto the painless wires. I took one of the tan wires and wired it to one of the small brown wires on the ignition switch the other small brown wire from ignition is wired to the master cylinder, the brake warn lamp works correctly, lights up when cranking the engine. Also the instrument cluster harness does have the black wire that runs to the alternator so I think I've got the voltage gauge connected correctly. So far so good no fires and no blown fuses. In hindsight I definitely should've paid more attention when I snipped all the wires off the original instrument cluster harness and followed where they went, I did not forsee a phantom extra wire.

No offense meant, but just to inform you. You keep using the term "voltage gauge".. If you're referring to the factory gauge, it's not a volt meter that's used to indicate voltage.. It called an ammeter, and it measures a sample of the amperage, or current (not to be confused with voltage) that is flowing through the system.. I say "sample" because all of the current that flows isn't sent through that meter. Those 2 black wires with the small fuses are terminated near the ends of the main power distribution wire and form a shunt (parallel current path) and pass that sample through the meter, while most of the current flows through that large wire.. It's a safety design meant to keep heavy current flow out of the passenger compartment.

Now back to that "phantom wire".. As I stated, I'm not familiar with Painless wiring systems.. I don't know what deviations and liberties they took when designing their harnesses.. Since no one has come on here with an exact description of what that wire does or if some sort of modification is required, I'd seriously consider contacting Painless and ask them about it..