My $30 junkyard wiring harness turned my Miata into a disco ball

I was at Pick-n-Pull last Saturday yanking a harness from a '92 Miata for my beater build, and I must have shorted something because now my turn signals blink randomly when I hit the brakes. Headlights also flicker in rhythm with the radio when it rains (which is oddly cool but terrifying). Has anyone else dealt with cursed electrical gremlins from a donor car?

2 comments

2 Comments

nancys9018d ago

That disco ball effect is wild but honestly kinda awesome lmao. My buddy had a similar thing happen with a harness from a '93 Miata - his horn would honk every time he turned left. We traced it back to a crushed wire under the dashboard that was grounding out on the metal frame. It's probably worth checking the ground points near the taillights and under the steering column, those older Miatas love to corrode in weird spots. If you've got access to a multimeter, start poking around where the harness runs near the passenger side kick panel, that's usually where the rainwater leaks cause the real chaos.

spencer_johnson2218d ago

Wait, are you sure about the passenger side kick panel being the main spot for rainwater leaks on a '93 @nancys90? I thought that was more of an NB thing. On the NA, the main leak points are usually the rain rail drains behind the seats or the top of the windshield header. The kick panel gets messy from the heater core or a clogged AC drain, not so much rainwater from the top. You're totally right about checking ground points near the taillights though, those are notorious for getting crusty and causing weird electrical gremlins.