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⚡ Empower your ride with electrifying know-how!
Automotive Wiring and Electrical Systems is the ultimate hands-on guide for DIY automotive enthusiasts seeking to master electrical design, diagnostics, and repairs. Covering everything from basic electrical principles to complex wiring projects, this book equips you with the knowledge and confidence to upgrade, troubleshoot, and customize your vehicle’s electrical systems like a pro.






| Best Sellers Rank | #130,831 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #16 in Automotive Electrical Systems #36 in Vehicle Owner's Manuals & Maintenance Guides |
| Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 939 Reviews |
S**K
This book has saved me money!
This book has quickly become one of my favorite books! I am currently rebuilding a 1986 Chevrolet blazer and, as well as other aspects, the electrics do require a great deal of attention. I purchased this book from Amazon as a complete beginner with absolutely no confidence in electrics, but I was motivated by the potential financial savings and the ability to learn more about my car. This book did not disappoint! Firstly the book is very easy to read and follow (and I have no electrical back ground at all). I began with small jobs such as changing individual wires, ensuring connections where good, really just dipping my toe and getting my confidence. I have now moved on to slightly bigger jobs such as installing the wiring for the fog lamp system and installing a new wiring harness for my horn and I am make improvements on a weekly basis and learn something new! I am progressing up to bigger jobs as my confidence grows and I hope to soon start being able to fault find as well! If you are in the same situation, either you are looking to do electrical work on your car, either a complete overhaul (like me) or just to be able to fix odd jobs when they come up, then I recommend this book. It has been an incredible help and has given me a good understanding of the basics, giving me the confidence to begin working on the electrics myself and it continues to be an indispensable source of reference.
L**R
Superb Book
I am in the process of restoring a 45 year old car with atrocious wiring. After looking at the burnt wiring and tangled mess under the dash I went looking for a book that would help me figure out how to rewire the car. I ultimately purchased four books on automotive electrical projects, including Tony Candela's "Automotive Wiring and Electrical Systems" and his follow-up book "Automotive Electrical Performance Projects". Candela's two books are truly superb. If you are new to automotive electrical projects I recommend starting with his first book (Electrical Systems) then read the book on Performance Projects. The two books together lead you through the simple theory you need to understand the practical application of actually installing the wiring. I'm still in the process of installing an aftermarket wiring harness, plus rewiring the battery/Alternator/Starter system and upgrading the ground system for the entire vehicle. The books helped me decide what kind of wiring to upgrade, the tools I needed, types of connectors, how to install headlight relays and numerous other factors. There are quite a few books out there that tell you about Ohm's law and other technical details about automotive electrical systems. These two books show you "what to do" with detailed photos and diagrams that can be understand by your average backyard mechanic. Whether you need a simple courtesy light upgrade or a complete wiring harness install, there's information here that will help get the job done.
T**M
Helpful for the novice
This book is great for the beginner who has some automotive wiring issues, but gets overwhelmed when they look under the hood or under the dash. It's impossible for any book to cover all electrical problems, but this one gives you a few common scenarios, the details of how to run wire like a pro, and the troubleshooting process so you can go after your project without the anxiety. It is a little heavy for a novice in the beginning when the author hits you with some of the math regarding resistance, voltage drop, and the laws of electricity. However, if you can muscle through, it gives you the mental tools necessary to consider how wiring harnesses are put together, how to safely add accessories without overloading your existing system, or even how to build your own harness from scratch. Worth a read, and nice to have on your workbench for reference.
R**K
Great book!
This book has something for everyone. Gives theory, formulas, and sound advice as to wiring a car...any car. A bit dated...but just a bit. With all the new stuff coming out, and with a little research on that new stuff, you can easily integrate them into this. It teaches you how to become adept at automotive wiring skills ...and teaches you the mindset to be independently capable. If you can read, comprehend what you're reading, and have good hands this book will be a great help to you. Get volume 2 also. Don't expect to see step by step instructions for your application though...This is designed to teach you how to make your own "connections" lol For those that do not understand this....hire an automotive electrician. For those that do...and want to learn...buy the books. Definitely not a waste of money.
P**M
Helpful
Probably not a great book if you know what you are doing. I know cars inside and out, and have even rebuilt differentials and two engines. I don't know squat about wiring and electrical, however. Going back to square one for me was tough to do, ego-wise, but my more or less thorough automotive education has large holes that need to be filled. I am used to working out of manuals and such that are very tech oriented, but I knew zip about the tools and terms used for electrical work. This book got me up to speed enough to allow me to continue self teaching with more advanced manuals. I now understand most of the basics and am no longer reluctant to work on my aging wiring harnesses and connectors. Not a bad purchase at full price, but as a Kindle book it was a steal. At this price, if you do not like it you are not out very much. I though it was very useful and now have a much more evenly balanced skill set.
S**S
THE Reference Book For Automotive Wiring
Have purchased several books throughout my custom car build. Most have really not fit-the-bill, and are often more of an advertisement for Pain[ful] Wiring products. This book covers IT ALL, and is written for "common people" who may not have a solid grasp of automotive electrical principles [Me], while at same time, is so thorough, an "Advanced" enthusiast would benefit too. It clarified essentially ALL of my questions, in a simple descriptive. It was Very Thorough ! Wish that I had found this book FIRST. Would've saved me A LOT of time ! Tony is also very generous with Assistance when contacted through his great online store CE Automotive Electrical. Xlnt products there ....
A**K
Pros and cons
PRO: If you are new to the world of automotive electrical this book is great at explaining what everything is and how it works. It does have a lot of good tips on how to make connections and mounting some components. CON: If you are trying to wire your own car from scratch this book is not much help. It is not a step by step guide on how to wire. It will tell you basicaly what you need to have more or less but doesn't give many details on how to do it. I am building a Chevy drag car and have to start from scratch with my electrical system. I bought this book to try to salvage a lot of the existing wiring system my car and just modify it for what I need. But I ended up buying a Painless wiring kit and the instructions that came with the kit are way more helpfull than this book was for what I am doing to my car.
P**K
Nice read for beginners with top shelf advice and cues.
This is a very good book for an amateur trying to start off in car electronics. It provides basic information on the working of electricity and circuits. There are in depth explanations of the working of many car oriented electric components. I have studied this book very well throughout and i have found a couple of errors, for example wrong illustrations attached to wrong explanations. I did not write where those errors were but i am sure if you will be reading this book with good concentration you will catch those errors without falling for them.
S**R
Tony Candela's auto wiring books
I've spent the past 50 years give or take working on old cars, trucks and motorcycles (for only my own entertainment.) So much of the electrical was duplicating factory systems but when it came to really understanding the reasons for doing or using certain parts there was a void. I picked up Tony Candela's books and so many things came together after reading them. It also allowed me to do those upgrades like using breakers, fuses and relays PROPERLY, creating a harness that is not going to burn the car to the ground but the best part is now having the knowledge of WHY those things should or should not be done. Both books are written with enough technical jargon and explained theory in such a way that it makes perfect sense but doesn't put you to sleep. A bit of humour and an author that surprised the heck out of me when he personally responded to an e-mail question I had about a custom charging system. If you are also a hotrodder you gotta read these books. I won't call them those cliché words like bible, go to reference or anything....but darn, they are. Thanks Mr. Candela
F**W
Well worth the money and an excellent manual to boot
I basically got this book not for a car but for getting some information to help me work on my motorcycle and as I could not find any decent motorcycle specific books including the Haynes manuals that have really gone downhill, I decided to look at automotive books since they are basically the same as far as the automotive principles are concerned. After looking at a few other automotive books including a so-called interactive video which turned out to be a hotch potch collection of PDFs, I finally ordered this book based on the reviews that I read. Boy a do I like it? It is an excellent book that takes you from the very basics to more comples explanations in a properly structured step by step explanations with very clear colour pictures (unlike many others that have grainy and incohesive black and white photos). my only peeve is some of the units are in stone age system that they still use across the pond and it would've been a good idea to show them both (e.g use the old stone age system for the native hill billys but also have the proper units used the world over shown in brackets or atleast have a quick and easy conversion chart in an appendix). Having said that, it does not take away from the actual information and easy to understand approach of the author. I would definitely recommend this book over any other one I have bought and despite the ston age units (not many anyway) I still think this book is worth 5 stars; so well done Mr Candela, maybe you could put a similar manual for motorcycles and I don't mean the Hardly effin Movinson tractors but proper bikes used around the world ;)
H**A
Muito bom.
Bem equilibrado entre explicação simplificada e definições técnicas. Atende mesmo a quem tem pouca noção de eletrônica. Ensina fórmulas, técnicas de soldagem, como crimpar cabos, entre outros. Atendeu perfeitamente às expectativas.
E**Z
Simple
Básico, en realidad no te enseña a diseñar un círcuito desde cero, solo te dice que es cada componente pero no más... He estado buscando libros más especializados en el tema pero no he encontrado, lo recomiendo solo si no sabes nada del tema.
R**R
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