My '72 made it through the Woodward Cruise today with flying colors but let me down on the way home. The wire to my electric fuel pump got pinched under the rear seat and shorted out. It burned up all the way back under the dash where it was spliced to a wire that apparently wasn't fused. I replaced the wire (and added an inline fuse) but now the starter won't crank and there is no power to the ignition. Before I spend time digging around trying to find the issue, is it possible that it took out a fusible link. I believe there is one somewhere between the battery terminal on the horn relay and the starter, although I'm not sure where to find it.

Tom

If you have 12v at the battery then check the fuse block. Do you have any electrical, lights, horn, etc or is everything dead? If you have nothing then it's most likely the fusible link coming off the starter.

Every circuit is fused some how, either with a fuse or a fusable link, with exception to the battery positive cable. If the fuses are good then look at the links. Some links will melt and be obvious while others may only burn off internally. You may have to gently pull on them to find a broken one.

Every circuit is fused some how, either with a fuse or a fusable link, with exception to the battery positive cable. If the fuses are good then look at the links. Some links will melt and be obvious while others may only burn off internally. You may have to gently pull on them to find a broken one.

Technically you really can't say "every circuit is fused" when a wire is not properly fused to keep it from melting.
(Well, you can say it but it is deceiving to do so.)

True that current may have to pass thu a fuse-link ahead of it's load that is too large and would never blow before a fire starts in a smaller wire but you couldn't call that circuit "fused"

Sounds like some hack installed the fuel pump circuit, installing it with no protection AND a wire prone to get shorted out.
Probably blew the fuse link at the starter in the wire feeding the horn relay on the fire wall.

Sounds like some hack installed the fuel pump circuit, installing it with no protection AND a wire prone to get shorted out.
Probably blew the fuse link at the starter in the wire feeding the horn relay on the fire wall.

Hack? I resemble that remark!

When I installed the fuel pump,I assumed that all wiring under the dash went through the fuse block. Apparently that wasn't the case. The wire must have gotten pinched the other day when I had the seat out to retrieve a tool. A few cable clamps will keep it from wandering in the future.

Thanks, for the help.

Tom

Technically you really can't say "every circuit is fused" when a wire is not properly fused to keep it from melting.
(Well, you can say it but it is deceiving to do so.)

True that current may have to pass thu a fuse-link ahead of it's load that is too large and would never blow before a fire starts in a smaller wire but you couldn't call that circuit "fused"

Sounds like some hack installed the fuel pump circuit, installing it with no protection AND a wire prone to get shorted out.
Probably blew the fuse link at the starter in the wire feeding the horn relay on the fire wall.

True, I was refering to the circuits that originally came in the car. I feel that any circuit we add should come from the battery and installed with the proper in line fuse to help prevent any issues.

True, I was refering to the circuits that originally came in the car. I feel that any circuit we add should come from the battery and installed with the proper in line fuse to help prevent any issues.

Any wires added should come from the horn relay, 70 and earlier, or any point downstream from the alt voltage regulator sensing point. Tapping directly to the battery, upstream from sensing point, runs the risk of draining the battery below optimum charge. The voltage regulator see's the voltage elsewhere, sensing point, and doesn't compensate for drain on battery.

Absolutely it should protected by fuse or fusible link.

Well, it wasn't the fusible link at the starter, it was the one out the back of the fuse block. Is there a trick to getting the spade terminal the link is attached to out of the block? I tried pushing a small screwdriver next to it to release the locking tab but it's kind of hard to see what's going on with all the grease around it and I couldn't get it loose. There is about 2" of good wire left so I may need to splice the new link to that if I can't get the terminal out.

Tom