The insulation on the grey wire going from the rear defrost switch to the warning light was burnt down to bare copper wire throughout its entire length (almost three feet). I don't know how this car didn't catch fire. Fortunately, I have a Fiat Spider parts car that I can canabalize to get many correct wire colours. The grey wire going to the silly floor mounted high beam switch looked like it came from a washing machine! I couldn't wait for my ebay purchase to arrive so I went to Candian Tire and bought a wire tracer there. Within one minute I found the missing washer bottle wires! How did I ever live without this tool.
The wire colour codes in my car (chassis # 1550) have only a passing resemblance to the colour codes shown (for chassis # 1346) in the expanded wiring diagrams I bought from MIE. As a result, progress on my wiring issues has been painfully slow.
Million Dollar Ghibli https://www.motor1.com/news/628624/classic-car-enthusiast-wins-indiana-lawsuit/
That must be the white Ghibli that recently sold on BaT for $300K https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1967-maserati-ghibli-4-7/ I was offered the car when it still needed assembly and recall being shocked a the over $1M in receipts; on a car that had yet to be completed. Ivan
I wonder how much he'll actually collect? Fortunately for him he was wealthy enough to weather this fraud. I bet he's not the only person defrauded by this crook. They'll be coming out of the woodwork now.
More electrical issues. The DPO cut the red wire to the brake lights under the dashboard. I saw no sign of what wire it used to be connected to. I thought I'd start by finding the brake hydraulic switch that is supposed to be behind the left front wheel. No joy. The hydraulic switch is also not located in the vicinity of the brake master cylinder under the driver's side dashboard. Any idea where I can find the brake hydraulic switch? I sent my radiator to a local respected rad shop to be re-cored and new tanks constructed. That was last August. Sadly, I'm getting the run around from the rad shop. Any suggestions on a shop that can do a custom build of a Ghibli SS radiator? I'll get my rad back to use as a pattern.
The brake switch is located just above the clutch and brake master cylinders. Easiest way to reach it is by removing the left wheel cover panel. The switch is common with many British cars such as the Jaguar etype. Ivan Image Unavailable, Please Login
Wondering what was the need to "upgrade" the engine from 4.7 to 4.9 during the restoration. Maybe one of the reasons, as for the "tan/black" interior, explaining the achieved price below the Mecum estimate of 200-225k...
I've seen the black center console and dash on the very early Ghiblis regardless of the interior color. Also, notice the lack of hood scoops. Red is not the best color for a Ghibli. Ivan
I agree, "resale red" never helps a Ghibli achieve the best price. Ivan, many thanks for helping me locate the brake light switch. I now have functioning brakes lights. While I was repairing the brake lights, I discovered a bare wire that goes to the brake pressure warning switch. The wire had been rubbing on the brake hydraulic lines. I'll be sorting that out this morning (lots of zip ties). I'm close to resolving all the under dashboard electrical issues. Time to start looking at the dashboard top that was originally covered in mouse hair. I'm torn between using mouse hair again or going with alcantara. A friend of mine in the UK knows a place that still does mouse hair dash tops. I know alcantara can be cleaned if you are careful. Can mouse hair be cleaned without ruining the texture?
Mouse hair is the correct material if you want to have it original - not alcantara. I use mousehair on my dash for more than 12 years - normal dust clean is no problem. If you have dirt stains or mechanical dmages, you need to replace it. when I restored my dash, I bought one mousehair for spare and keep it well stored. Alfred
Re originals do. http://reoriginals.com/upholstery_66.aspx And probably MIE I would think. all the best. Mark
I rewired my brake pressure warning switch. No joy, the warning light is always on despite having good brake pressure. It could be a frozen hydraulic switch or a bad brake fluid distribution block. Who makes the pressure warning switch? I can't seem to find the pressure warning switch on the parts diagram. Perhaps it was US only? Any suggestions?
Refer to the photo on post 2685. Just above and to the left of the brake switch you should see two electrical wires. Disconnect one of the wires and see if the light goes out. Please post a photo of what you refer to as the "warning light". My Ghibli has a light for the parking brake and perhaps the pressure switch is also connected to that light. Does your car have a dedicated warning light to indicate a pressure problem? I do not recall ever seeing one on a Ghibli. Ivan
I'm taking a friend to a medical appointment in Ottawa today. I'll post a picture tomorrow and explain how i wired the warning light.
My friend was too sick to attend his medical appointment in Ottawa. I wired the two conductors (white with black trace) coming out of the brake pressure switch such that one conductor goes directly to ground with a ring terminal secured by the bolt that holds the brake tube distribution block in place. The other white/black went through the clear plastic tube past the firewall and was connected to the pink wire in the terminal block that supplies the ground from the handbrake switch. I don't see another warning light in the speedometer or tachometer that provides a warning when brake pressure is lost. The handbrake warning light is bright enough to see in sunny conditions so I decided to pair the brake pressure and handbrake warning lights on the same circuit. When I disconnected my ring connector that provides the ground, the warning light remained on. When I removed the plastic two pin connector from the brake pressure switch, the warning light went off Image Unavailable, Please Login
I removed the pressure warning switch today. Both pins are joined by a thin metal strip (see picture). This explains why my warning light was always on. The brass plunger has a distorted spring wrapped around it (see other picture). When the brass plunger is compressed it makes a connection with both metal pins that connect to the wiring clip. This setup doesn't make any sense to me. I would have thought that both pins would have been independent and that when brake pressure was lost the brass plunger would have released and closed the circuit between both pins resulting in ground being provided to the warning light. Image Unavailable, Please Login
