Who does their own electrics?

[Tim]

So I openly admit that I'm not a mechanic and will shy away from many jobs on my Cruiser beyond changing a wheel... actually I get a bit more involved than that but replacing a wheel bearing is probably my worst nightmare. When it comes to electrics though I don't shy away from getting stuck in whether it's helping out a mate or on my own vehicle. I guess it helps that I have a bit of a background in electrics/electronics and spent a few weeks working for an auto electricians but still, I'm not by any means qualified professionally.

It occurs to me that I might not be alone and many will be more might be likely to get involved in vehicle electrics than mechanics? At the same time I've come to realise that you can just as quickly leave a vehicle stranded through an electrical fault as a mechanic one (and I'm not not just talking about modern vehicles with multiple interconnected computers that decide they've had enough and put you in limp home mode) in the middle of no where.

There have been loads of joke posts on Facebook recently showing household circuit breakers as fuses in cars and battery cables joined using self taping screws but I wonder how many DIY installs might not be to far from this? Certainly I've seen loads of pictures of wiring that looks like spaghetti and no additional sleeving on the positive/live wires to give additional protection against wearing through the insulation and shorting out.

Methods have also changed over the years too. Back when I started everything was 'crimp and solder' giving you a bonded and mechanical connection. Now most would be pre-insulated crimps and I've taken to sealing those by adding the adhesive heatshrink over the top.

Andrew St Piere White produced a video on electrics and overland vehicles a while back and it got me thinking more about it.


Now when I'm installing additional electrical accessories I'm more mindful of the existing circuits in the vehicle I 'cut' into. That said, I still make mistakes like when I upgraded the alternator and blew the main fuse on the way to work a few days later. Fortunately I was only a mile from home and the engine was still running even if nothing else electrical worked. The result of that was a rather expensive factory fuse replacement and then upgrading the wiring. Even that isn't straight forward, you have to calculate the maximum current and then then length required to work out the diameter of the cable (or wire gauge) needed. Maybe I should have gone to a professional!

Sorry, bit more of an article than the simiple question I intended but I'm interested to know who does there own electrics (fridges, lights, dual batteries, winches, usb charinging sockets, etc) and how they go about it, what have they learnt along the way or do you leave that to the pro's?

 

[Roger352]

I will do most of the electrics on my vehicles if I get stuck my brother in law is a chartered electrician so I call in the pro's. Never touch mains electrics

 

[Tim]

I will do most of the electrics on my vehicles if I get stuck my brother in law is a chartered electrician so I call in the pro's. Never touch mains electrics

That's a nice option to have! I have been known to do some mains electrics too [emoji15]


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[1derer]

For me it depends... for the most part I am the only person that works on my rig. Its a 1988 diesel so there are little running electronics, but I have added a fair amount of accessories, lights, water pump, fans (cabin), second battery bank, etc.

 

[Tim]

For me it depends... for the most part I am the only person that works on my rig. Its a 1988 diesel so there are little running electronics, but I have added a fair amount of accessories, lights, water pump, fans (cabin), second battery bank, etc.

Mine is the same, probably the most electronics in the original wiring is the glow plug timer. When I blew the main fuse the engine stayed running but I would have been able to restart it.


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[1derer]

Mine is the same, probably the most electronics in the original wiring is the glow plug timer. When I blew the main fuse the engine stayed running but I would have been able to restart it.


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Yeah I am one of the very few lucky (sort of) people in the US with a 2H diesel Land Cruiser.

 

[Tim]

Yeah I am one of the very few lucky (sort of) people in the US with a 2H diesel Land Cruiser.

Nice, mines a 1HZ.


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[OuterLimits]

Having an engineering background, I've always been comfortable working with electricity.

That said, modern automotive computers drive me nuts. Too hard to sort out without access to specialized test equipment.

I always carry gear in my vehicles to troubleshoot and repair basic electric issues.

-compact VOM with lithium batteries (so they last for years and don't leak).
-Spare fuses
-spare wiring
-wire stripper
-butt connectors and crimper
-misc wire end connectors
-conductive grease
-WD40
-electrical tape
-silicon divers tape
-vehicle repair manual (with wiring diagrams)

Just having this kit aboard seems to keep the gremlins at bay. ;-)

Cheers, TR

 

[Tim]

Having an engineering background, I've always been comfortable working with electricity.

That said, modern automotive computers drive me nuts. Too hard to sort out without access to specialized test equipment.

I always carry gear in my vehicles to troubleshoot and repair basic electric issues.

-compact VOM with lithium batteries (so they last for years and don't leak).
-Spare fuses
-spare wiring
-wire stripper
-butt connectors and crimper
-misc wire end connectors
-conductive grease
-WD40
-electrical tape
-silicon divers tape
-vehicle repair manual (with wiring diagrams)

Just having this kit aboard seems to keep the gremlins at bay. ;-)

Cheers, TR

Yep, got to agree when I have the spares electrical issues aren't a problem. That said I've found the original wiring to be reliable, it's usually some add-on that causes trouble.

I've added a soldering iron to my kit, got loads of use on my last overland trip, mainly by others on the trip fixing their CB mic wiring.


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[Ocram-07]

I hate electrical jobs on my rig. Give me any mechanical job any day of the week. Electrical jobs really require me to put my brain to work.


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[Jet_Pack_Jesus]

Having an engineering background, I've always been comfortable working with electricity.

That said, modern automotive computers drive me nuts. Too hard to sort out without access to specialized test equipment.

I always carry gear in my vehicles to troubleshoot and repair basic electric issues.

-compact VOM with lithium batteries (so they last for years and don't leak).
-Spare fuses
-spare wiring
-wire stripper
-butt connectors and crimper
-misc wire end connectors
-conductive grease
-WD40
-electrical tape
-silicon divers tape
-vehicle repair manual (with wiring diagrams)

Just having this kit aboard seems to keep the gremlins at bay. ;-)

Cheers, TR

Love the kit but you missed on key part. A DVOM. That is a must have. Not a napa special but a nice one and know how to use it.

 

[OuterLimits]

Love the kit but you missed on key part. A DVOM. That is a must have. Not a napa special but a nice one and know how to use it.

JPJ,

A VOM was 1st on my list.

I am old skool and still like the needle. When testing micro switches for flakey contacts, a DVOM is too slow to react. A VOM shows the slightest problem with a twitch of the needle. Probably not much need to test micro switches in a car these days, but old habits are hard to break.

Cheers, TR

 

[Jet_Pack_Jesus]

That is good point. I'm new school as you can tell haha I have a fluke 233 the screen come off so I can walk around the car. That's why I missed the vom sorry @fugitive.

 

[Flipper]

That is good point. I'm new school as you can tell haha I have a fluke 233 the screen come off so I can walk around the car. That's why I missed the vom sorry @fugitive.

Fluke makes great meters I have a 77 that I bought in 1986! Never missed a beat, my go to meter, I also have an old B+K VOM on my bench I still use.

 

[Tim]

Maybe they should have called the pros [emoji23]

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[[DO]Ron]

My God lol..

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[Sean S]

Maybe they should have called the pros [emoji23]

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I am a subscriber of Jerry on his Youtube channel "Bullshitkorner" and could not prevent myself from laughing when he posted the following video about helping his friend install a light bar on the front of his jeep. The cringe factor was super-high!

 

[Sean S]

So I openly admit that I'm not a mechanic and will shy away from many jobs on my Cruiser beyond changing a wheel... actually I get a bit more involved than that but replacing a wheel bearing is probably my worst nightmare. When it comes to electrics though I don't shy away from getting stuck in whether it's helping out a mate or on my own vehicle. I guess it helps that I have a bit of a background in electrics/electronics and spent a few weeks working for an auto electricians but still, I'm not by any means qualified professionally.

It occurs to me that I might not be alone and many will be more might be likely to get involved in vehicle electrics than mechanics? At the same time I've come to realise that you can just as quickly leave a vehicle stranded through an electrical fault as a mechanic one (and I'm not not just talking about modern vehicles with multiple interconnected computers that decide they've had enough and put you in limp home mode) in the middle of no where.

There have been loads of joke posts on Facebook recently showing household circuit breakers as fuses in cars and battery cables joined using self taping screws but I wonder how many DIY installs might not be to far from this? Certainly I've seen loads of pictures of wiring that looks like spaghetti and no additional sleeving on the positive/live wires to give additional protection against wearing through the insulation and shorting out.

Methods have also changed over the years too. Back when I started everything was 'crimp and solder' giving you a bonded and mechanical connection. Now most would be pre-insulated crimps and I've taken to sealing those by adding the adhesive heatshrink over the top.

Andrew St Piere White produced a video on electrics and overland vehicles a while back and it got me thinking more about it.


Now when I'm installing additional electrical accessories I'm more mindful of the existing circuits in the vehicle I 'cut' into. That said, I still make mistakes like when I upgraded the alternator and blew the main fuse on the way to work a few days later. Fortunately I was only a mile from home and the engine was still running even if nothing else electrical worked. The result of that was a rather expensive factory fuse replacement and then upgrading the wiring. Even that isn't straight forward, you have to calculate the maximum current and then then length required to work out the diameter of the cable (or wire gauge) needed. Maybe I should have gone to a professional!

Sorry, bit more of an article than the simiple question I intended but I'm interested to know who does there own electrics (fridges, lights, dual batteries, winches, usb charinging sockets, etc) and how they go about it, what have they learnt along the way or do you leave that to the pro's?

This is an excellent thread and question. All overlanders eventually have to deal with this thorny issue of whether to do their own electrical installs at some point. It is easy to buy a product but installing it in our vehicles can be difficult and rather daunting.

Now to come clean. I bought an ARB fridge a while ago but have not installed it yet. I also bought a Ham radio and CB radio and have been relying on the 12 Volt cigarette lighter plug and accessory ports in the cabin of my jeep to keep them powered while I use them. My research has revealed that this is a bad idea in the long-term as I could, at the very least blow the fuse for the 12 Volt accessory outlet. The Ham radio, a Yaesu FT-8900R can consume 50 watts of power when transmitting. I am slowly building myself up to finally do the electrical installs but want to do them correctly and not cause a serious electrical issue. I also have a few other wiring projects to do in the jeep. I am a bit behind.

Andrew St. Pierre White released another excellent video on electrical wiring just a few months ago. It is brilliant and has lots of great advice based on his many years of experience. I learn something new every time that I re-watch it.
I did install a dual battery on my own but had some difficulty along the way. It took me at least three times the amount of time that it was supposed to. The final result is okay. I did make one or two mistakes along the way and now I have to live with the results. It has made me a bit cautious as a result.

 

[Tim]

This is an excellent thread and question. All overlanders eventually have to deal with this thorny issue of whether to do their own electrical installs at some point. It is easy to buy a product but installing it in our vehicles can be difficult and rather daunting.

Now to come clean. I bought an ARB fridge a while ago but have not installed it yet. I also bought a Ham radio and CB radio and have been relying on the 12 Volt cigarette lighter plug and accessory ports in the cabin of my jeep to keep them powered while I use them. My research has revealed that this is a bad idea in the long-term as I could, at the very least blow the fuse for the 12 Volt accessory outlet. The Ham radio, a Yaesu FT-8900R can consume 50 watts of power when transmitting. I am slowly building myself up to finally do the electrical installs but want to do them correctly and not cause a serious electrical issue. I also have a few other wiring projects to do in the jeep. I am a bit behind.

Andrew St. Pierre White released another excellent video on electrical wiring just a few months ago. It is brilliant and has lots of great advice based on his many years of experience. I learn something new every time that I re-watch it.
I did install a dual battery on my own but had some difficulty along the way. It took me at least three times the amount of time that it was supposed to. The final result is okay. I did make one or two mistakes along the way and now I have to live with the results. It has made me a bit cautious as a result.

I have to admit I left my dual battery system to my local 4x4 place to install back then. I guess part of the reason for starting this thread is it can appear to be easy but the more I try to educate myself the more I realise is involved. If I'm preparing for a trip I leave the experts to service my rig so I really should know what I'm doing before touching the electrical system. Thanks for sharing the video clip, hadn't seen that one yet. He makes an interesting point that perhaps even your local 4x4 place isn't the best place to get electrics done!

If I can share some experience from wiring my fridge, don't use the cigar/cigarette lighter plug they usually come with. They have a habit of coming loose due to vibration which either knocks them out completely or heats up the connections due to the poor/intermittent contact. Either way the beer gets warm, which is never good! You need something with good solid connection or even hard wired to a fused supply.


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[Tim]

I am a subscriber of Jerry on his Youtube channel "Bullshitkorner" and could not prevent myself from laughing when he posted the following video about helping his friend install a light bar on the front of his jeep. The cringe factor was super-high!

Haha! Love it!


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