Short to ground

[Brandonp]

Just wanna start by saying I’m very new to working on cars, especially electrical stuff. But I installed a new clutch quadrant firewall adjuster and cable in my 97 gt and after I installed it I tried to start it and nothing, I looked under the dash near the pedals and saw that the bottom on of the quadrant (right next to the cruise control safety switch) was grounding or completing a major circuit to where the car won’t start. I jumped the clutch safety switch which got the car to start but as soon as I push the clutch in the fuel pump shuts off and all the gauges on the dash turn off. Just wondering if anyone had any idea on what part of the harness is bad or if this is a common thing. Thanks

 

[cobrajeff96]

Pics?

 

[96blak54]

This is a new one for me!
Switches do fail. Your problem could be as simple as that. I know getting up under the dash is a pain, Just be sure to look in the area your hands were at really good to ensure no wires were pulled out or damaged and if you are feeling good about that, order some new switches and get them swapped out. A few good pictures would help us identify what you are seeing. And while you are snapping photos, take a few pics of the car and post them here! We love mustang pics! and dont worry if your car isnt show quality, most here are not show quality, but we love mustangs!

 

[Brandonp]

Pics?

I don’t think it’s the sensor anymore. I think it’s a short to ground from the wire that goes from the battery to the ignition. But it shorts on the piece of metal that hold the sensor. It’s so strong that it sparks sometimes

 

[cobrajeff96]

I had this problem once (and others have as well) where the clutch quadrant armature nicks and scrapes against a bundle of wiring very close to it. In my case (and in others' too) it only affected the brake light switch wiring which is actually visible in your picture - it connects directly to the brake pedal. The way the wires are routed, they come very close to the armature and over time the repeated chafing eats away at the insulation and shorts it to ground. It might not be the only circuit affected, but regardless of your unique situation, you should have a really good look under there and find where the problem is because it sounds eerily similar to what I went through in the past.

 

[Brandonp]

Ok thank you

 

[RAU03MACH]

pinched wire somewhere by pedal and switches

 

[dsrtjeeper]

Yup. This is very common. I moved the wires around a bit and wire tied them away from that area.

 

[96blak54]

@dsrtjeeper thats good info! We never think to look at close wiring around mechanical moving components especially under the dash, out of site.

 

[ttocs]

the wire tie on it makes me wonder if they had some wires tied up to that wire of if that was made to hold something together. It is not stock by any means